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.

Numerous UCLA experts were quoted and interviewed about the fighting in Israel and Gaza:

Lessons from China’s response to climate change | Los Angeles Times

(Commentary by UCLA’s Alex Wang) Gov. Gavin Newsom put an international spotlight on California’s climate policies in his speech at the United Nations last month. But when he heads to China to meet with officials on the same subject this month, he should do as much listening as speaking. 

The true story of how humans are searching for intelligent alien life | Vox

That is essentially what radio SETI research is: a hunt for coherent transmissions broadcast on an extremely narrow range of frequencies (dubbed “narrowband”). “Nature just cannot do that,” says Jean-Luc Margot, a radio astronomer and technosignature researcher at the University of California Los Angeles. Narrowing down a broadcast to a particular frequency, or a few frequencies, requires machinery — with essentially no exceptions. 

Medication addiction | Los Angeles Times

For many, a painkiller or an antidepressant can be the difference between a functional life and a life of unrelenting despair. “Users themselves must decide about meds’ helpfulness in their own lives,” said David Cohen, a professor of social welfare at UCLA. 

New method boosts immune response in mice | Scienmag

UCLA researchers have developed a new treatment method using a tiny nanocapsule to help boost the immune response, making it easier for the immune system to fight and kill solid tumors. The investigators found the approach, described in the journal Science Translational Medicine, increased the number and activity of immune cells that attack the cancer, making cancer immunotherapies work better. (UCLA’s Jing Wen and Zheng Cao were quoted. Also: Science Daily.)  

What to know about Mary Lou Retton’s pneumonia | Washington Post

Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics. Patients with viral pneumonia may recover on their own or be treated with antiviral medications, said Steven Chang, clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. At-home care for pneumonia is similar to what’s recommended for other respiratory illnesses: rest, take Tylenol and stay hydrated, Chang said. 

LAUSD considers adjusting Black Student Achievement Plan | EdSource

“I think a lot of other districts and states are really reluctant to kind of engage in something that’s very race specific because of the ways in which we as a country … are not comfortable with having race conversations, despite the disproportion of Black students who are in special education … the number of Black students who are suspended, the high rates of Black students who are chronically absent,” said Tyrone Howard, a professor of education at UCLA. 

Why is L.A. still perceived as dangerous? | Los Angeles Times

Data alone don’t shape perceptions of safety, according to Jorja Leap, a UCLA professor who studies gang culture. Leap said a person’s environment and biases are equal factors. 

Redlining is for the birds | Los Angeles Times’ De Los

“The legacy of our discriminatory practices is still written into the city itself,” said Travis Longcore, an adjunct professor with the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and one of the co-authors of the research paper. “Even though those practices explicitly are outlawed, this city is an accretion of its history, and it doesn’t just go away because time has passed.” 

Eviction law firm was caught faking cases. Did they misuse AI? | LAist

Law professors and malpractice attorneys who reviewed Block’s filing told us — based on the language used — that’s likely what happened in this case. “I think it’s virtually certain that the lawyer involved used some kind of [generative] artificial intelligence program to draft the brief,” said Russell Korobkin, a professor at UCLA School of Law who recently moderated a panel on AI in the legal profession.

State’s ban on high-capacity gun magazines remains | Los Angeles Times

Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor who focuses on 2nd Amendment law, said other post-Bruen courts — including those cited by the majority in Tuesday’s order — have upheld high-capacity magazine bans. They’ve done so using arguments the Supreme Court left room for, he said, including that such weapons are not commonly used for self-defense, or that they present unique concerns that never confronted past generations. 

Driverless taxi launch met with excitement, tension | Los Angeles Times

Juan Matute, deputy director of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, said he believes self-driving vehicles are safer than human drivers after experiencing it himself. He’s a safe streets advocate in his spare time and has taken three rides with Waymo already. Vehicle automation can “help with some of the issues we have with distracted driving because an autonomous vehicle is never distracted,” Matute said.