UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.

Sacramento shooting spurs calls for action on gun violence | NBC News

The two high-profile killings called into focus the roughly 100 gun laws that California has in place to reduce firearm deaths. They also highlighted the issues lawmakers face when they attempt to end mass shootings, the “most stubborn problem to solve” in America, where even the strictest gun laws are considered weak compared to the rest of the world, according to Adam Winkler, a UCLA constitutional law professor.

Palm Springs considers universal basic income for trans residents | National Public Radio

According to a study by UCLA’s Williams Institute, “LGBT people collectively have a poverty rate of 21.6%, which is much higher than the rate for cisgender straight people of 15.7%.” Among LGBT individuals, transgender people have an especially high poverty rate of 29.4%.

Earth nears tipping points for irreversible climate change | USA Today

“The recent evidence has been quite alarming. It really does look like we’re closing in on a place where a relatively modest amount of drying could kill off the rainforest and turn it into something else,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

E-scooter crash rate higher than motorcycle crashes | KNX-FM

E-Scooter riders are at a higher risk of crashing than bicyclists and those riding a motorcycle, according to new research shared by UCLA. The findings are based on data gathered over the last six years in Los Angeles. The data shows that in the last six years, there were 115 injuries per one million e-scooter rides. By contrast, the national injury rate for motorcycles is 104 injuries per one million trips, according to the report released Wednesday. (UCLA’s Dr. Kimon Ioannides is quoted. Also: The Hill, Medical Xpress and Scienmag.)

Ulysses Jenkins exhibition on display at Hammer Museum | New York Times

Jenkins disagrees. “Ulysses Jenkins: Without Your Interpretation” — the video artist’s first major museum retrospective, at the [UCLA] Hammer Museum after a stint at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia — asserts that Black culture doesn’t need white interpretation at all. In fact, interpretation — offered, more often than not, without understanding — is a big part of the same old problem of race in the United States.

UCLA ranked Hollywood’s top law school | Hollywood Reporter

With a legion of alumni across Hollywood, UCLA boasts a roster of professors renowned for their industry expertise and connections. Every major entertainment topic offered through the Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law is taught by a leader in that field. Highlights include two content distribution courses taught by Ken Ziffren and a TV law course with Lionsgate president Sandra Stern.

Busy second year for UCLA’s LGBTQ research center | Bay Area Reporter

In its second year the UCLA Center for LGBTQ Advocacy, Research, and Health is expanding its work into myriad focuses of inquiry, from HIV and mental health to substance use issues. It is also conducting trainings about LGBTQ health for medical professionals and others interested in learning about the topic. (UCLA’s Matthew Mimiaga is quoted.)

LGBTQ conversion therapy costs over $9 billion per year in U.S. | Reuters Health

Dr. Ilan H. Meyer, a researcher at the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law in Los Angeles, California, said, “This study supports what has been known from clinical observations and research, which is that sexual-orientation and gender-identity-change efforts have the potential to cause harm to LGBTQ individuals.”

Californians should expect water restrictions | KCRW-FM’s “Press Play”

Record temperatures are expected to hit California starting Thursday — right as details emerge about the megadrought ailing the state. As it turns out, the western United States is the driest it’s ever been in at least 1200 years, according to a UCLA analysis. 

Is it allergies or COVID? | Los Angeles Times

Coughing is a sign of a COVID-19 infection too, as is congestion, said Dr. Rita Kachru, section chief of clinical immunology and allergy at UCLA. That’s not because of histamines, however; there’s a completely different mechanism at work when the coronavirus invades your airways.

What your COVID immunity may be like with fourth shot | HuffPost

This waning does not mean we’re no longer protected; real-world data shows that the vast majority of people who have received three doses are incredibly well protected from hospitalization (a 90% risk reduction) several months after their latest dose. “In three to four months, it will start to drop, but you’ll still be in pretty good shape,” said Otto Yang, a professor of medicine in infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Yellow-bellied marmot sleeping habits offer clues to longevity | Discover

But how does hibernation promote longevity? One theory suggests that by staying tucked away, hibernators are at less risk of predation and less exposed to pathogens, allowing them to survive longer than non-hibernating species of a similar size. While this certainly plays a role, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) believe that hibernation itself can stop aging in its tracks. (UCLA’s Daniel Blumstein, Gabriela Pinho and Steve Horvath are quoted.)

In pursuit of data immortality | Nature

But however old the data, preservation isn’t a one-time task: to remain usable, raw scientific data must be maintained in formats that are compatible with contemporary hardware, software and operating systems. “You have to continue migrating data forward,” says Christine Borgman, an information scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “As each new technology comes along, you’ve got to keep on upgrading every time.”