The Washington Post spoke with UCLA’s Travis Longcore about an increasing concern among ecologists: the rise in excessive nighttime garden lighting. Illuminating gardens harms insects, birds, bats and other small mammals, and can even make plants less productive. It may seem like your garden “goes to sleep,” says Longcore, senior associate director of the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability. “But then there’s all these things that come to life at night.” Read more about UCLA in today’s CNN, USA Today and other outlets.

More highlights from UCLA in the News: Feb. 9, 2026

The multi-front war over the next election | Los Angeles Times

Rick Hasen, an election law expert and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at the UCLA School of Law, said some of what Trump says about elections “is nonsensical and some is bluster,” but recent actions — especially the election center raid in Georgia — have brought home the reality of his threats.

Cooperation with ICE is the latest red vs. blue state divide | CNN

“It remains true that state and local law enforcement is the key to engaging in mass deportation,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of [UCLA’s] Center for Immigration Law and Policy. 

Super Bowl stress: What are the chances of heart attack? | USA Today

Tamara Horwich, a cardiologist and professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, said the supercharged emotions and stress of a dramatic game activate the body’s sympathetic nervous system, often referred to as one’s fight-or-flight response. Stress hormones like adrenaline surge, elevating heart rates and blood pressure.

Peppa Pig’s diagnosis means everything to families like mine | Parents

“These mainstream characters can bring to light the challenges encountered by individuals with difficulty hearing and normalize their experience,” says Gina Gracia, a board-certified pediatric audiologist at the UCLA Audiology Clinic. “Providing this awareness to young children can help create a more accepting environment for those that have different hearing abilities.”

Iran-U.S. talks in Muscat end without a breakthrough | CNBC

“We had these rounds of talks in Oman in the spring of last year, and it ended with the 12-day war in June. So I really think we’re in a very unpredictable moment, and that’s the big challenge here,” said UCLA’s Dalia Dassa Kaye.