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.

What elephant poop has to do with guitars | NPR’s “All Things Considered”

The world is connected in surprising ways. A new study gives the latest example — how African elephant poop helps make American-made guitars. (UCLA’s Tom Smith and Vincent Deblauwe were interviewed.)

F.D.A. approves COVID shots with new restrictions | New York Times

At the [Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Emergency Department], overall cases are up, but, “the majority of folks are not very sick, except for those who are complicated by other medical issues affecting immunity and respiratory health,” said Dr. Mark Morocco, a clinical professor of emergency medicine.

Navigating school shootings | NPR’s “Morning Edition”

NPR’s Leila Fadel speaks with Melissa Brymer of the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress about how families can navigate the trauma and ongoing fear caused by school shootings. (Brymer was also quoted by ABC’s “Good Morning America.”)

How parents can support their kids’ mental health | KABC-TV

“You know, in our community, almost every family is facing stress,” said Dr. Jena Lee, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at UCLA Health. She said no matter what’s causing the stress, how parents model, how they cope and communicate with their kids is paramount ... “Use your words, stay present and stay connected,” she said.  

High school credit recovery programs | NPR’s “All Things Considered”

It’s hard to know how many students enroll in credit recovery or how effective it is because policies vary widely by state and school district. UCLA researcher Jordan Rickles says the pandemic increased the demand for programs to help students graduate. “So there’s a proliferation of need out there for credit recovery and kind of an absence of evidence about what works,” [said Rickles.]  

SCOTUS urged to bar use of race in redistricting | Associated Press

“If Louisiana’s argument prevailed at the Supreme Court, it would almost certainly lead to a whiter and less representative Congress, as well as significantly less minority representation across the country in legislatures, city councils and across other district-based bodies,” UCLA law professor Richard Hasen said in an email.

There’s something strange with interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS | Live Science

“No one knows where the comet came from,” David Jewitt, an astronomer at UCLA and science team leader for the Hubble observations, said in the statement. “It’s like glimpsing a rifle bullet for a thousandth of a second. You can’t project that back with any accuracy to figure out where it started on its path.”

What the loss of ‘de minimis’ means for retailers and shoppers | Marketplace

“The de minimis rules were set up to avoid wasting a lot of time to process payments for the import duties,” said Christopher Tang, a supply chain expert at UCLA. These were payments that were considered negligible at the time. “Things have changed,” he said.

Here’s what the latest science says about eczema | Washington Post

(Column by UCLA’s Dr. April Armstrong) Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition marked by red and persistently itchy skin. There’s no cure for eczema, which affects about 10 percent of U.S. adults and children and can be difficult to treat.

Lower-calorie Mediterranean diet cuts diabetes risk by 31% | Healthline

“In the U.S., prevalence and incidence of diabetes are tied to body weight and obesity (higher than global average), dietary quality (which is lower than the global average), and physical activity (which is also very low with people in sedentary jobs and doing a lot of commuting to and from work),” Dana Hunnes, senior dietitian supervisor at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center told Healthline.

Brain circuit regulating stress, social behavior in mice identified | Scienmag

In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Nature, researchers at UCLA have unraveled some of the intricate neural circuits within the mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) that orchestrate the brain’s response to stress and social behavior. This milestone in neuroscience not only advances our understanding of fundamental brain processes but also paves the way for innovative treatments targeting complex neuropsychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. (UCLA’s Dr. Hong Wei Dong was quoted.)