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.

The Colorado River is in trouble. Can government save it? | Associated Press

“We don’t have a management future for the Colorado River right now and it’s getting pretty scary,” said Mark Gold, adjunct professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and former director of water scarcity solutions with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a petition group. “We should be dealing with this as a water scarcity emergency, and one of the things that you really want to do in an emergency is, let’s deal with water waste first.” (UCLA’s Cara Horowitz was also quoted.)

Unions held their ground last year, face big tests in 2025 | Sacramento Bee

California labor unions held their ground on membership last year, representing about one in six workers across the state, even as the ranks of organized workers continued to decline in the nation as a whole, according to a new report from two University of California labor centers. Labor organizations in the Golden State likely have seen greater stability because of the pro-union political leadership here and the creativity and energy of organizers, said Toby Higbie, director of the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.  

Here’s what 21st-century dictators do | CNN

All of these moves relate to control and power. But Trump is not a dictator, according to Daniel Treisman, a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of the book “Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st century.” (Treisman was interviewed.)

On U.S. direction under Trump, Californians split | Los Angeles Times

Nadereh Pourat, associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said there is historical evidence to show what is going to happen next under the changes — and it’s not good. The work requirement will undoubtedly result in people losing health coverage, just as thousands did when Arkansas implemented a similar requirement years ago, she said.

Mapping the mystery of Maronberg | The Conversation

(Article by UCLA’s Justin Dunnavant) As an archaeologist specializing in slavery and resistance, I’ve excavated plantations in the Americas and used geographic information systems to model Maroon escape routes by sea. Recently, I turned my attention to Maroon settlements on land, working with a team of archaeologists to locate Maronberg.  

COVID cases surging in California | KTLA-TV

“This is the time of year when we have everybody going back to school, people coming back from vacation. It’s a time when we do start to see cases of COVID increasing. This is what we’ve seen over the past several years,” said UCLA’s Anne Rimoin.

Mini-organ models reveal hantavirus secrets | Medical Xpress

UCLA researchers have created miniature stem cell-based organoid models of human lungs, hearts and brains to study how hantaviruses — rare but often deadly viruses spread by rodents — infect the body. Hantaviruses were thrust into the national spotlight earlier this year as the cause of death for Betsy Arakawa, the classical pianist and wife of late actor Gene Hackman. (UCLA’s Vaithi Arumugaswami and Arjit Vijey Jeyachandran were quoted.)

This group faces lower risk of death after major surgery | Medical Xpress

“Traditional surgical guidelines often emphasize having a normal BMI before surgery, but our findings suggest that these recommendations may need to be reconsidered for older adults,” said lead author Dr. Cecilia Canales, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. (UCLA’s Dr. Catherine Sarkisian was also quoted.)

Gun-related suicides up among senior women | HealthDay News

“Firearms have become a disturbingly common method of suicide for older adults, both men and women,” said senior researcher Mark Kaplan, a research professor of social welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. “When firearms are involved, older adults are less likely to survive a suicide attempt, as the chances of rescue in these situations are significantly reduced,” he said in a news release.