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.

Climate change is limiting preventative controlled burns | Scienmag

To safely carry out controlled burns, firefighters must wait for specific weather conditions: not so damp as to prevent combustion, but not so dry or windy as to burn more vegetation than intended. These conditions limit the opportunities. Now, a new study led by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain has found that that climate change is further reducing the overall number of days and changing the times of year when prescribed fires can be safely used. (Swain was quoted.)

How the growing Latino vote could factor in to 2024 election | ABC News

“The growth is mostly fueled by a growing number of young Latinos turning 18 every year,” said Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, the director of research for the Latino Policy and Politics Institute at UCLA. “So in each of the next few years, over 1 million Latino citizens will turn 18 and this trend will continue after it peaks in 2025.”

U.S. Supreme Court ruling may help Hunter Biden fight gun charge | Reuters

“There would be some irony if a case greatly expanding Second Amendment rights is titled Biden v. United States,” UCLA constitutional law professor Adam Winkler said.

If L.A. adds City Council seats, how would it work? | Los Angeles Times

“Los Angeles is a complex city, far more diverse than most cities in the United States,” said Gary Segura, a UCLA professor of public policy. “With huge numbers of ethnic and racial populations, it has become increasingly difficult to give different communities a voice.”

The scariest part of Halloween: supply chains | Marketplace

Chris Tang, a professor at the Anderson School of Management of the University of California, Los Angeles, said companies were also concerned with potential strikes. “Of truck drivers or the railroads or the ports, so therefore a lot of companies would like to play it safe. They try to place the order earlier.” Tang said some of the sourcing of Halloween costumes may be different this year as well.

Colleges snap up unused office space | New York Times

Some of the country’s best-known schools have made purchases this year, including the University of California, Los Angeles, which bought an Art Deco landmark in downtown Los Angeles.

Ancient honey-and-vinegar combo can treat wounds | Scientific American

“Chronic wounds are a huge burden on the health-care system,” says Andrew Vardanian, a plastic surgeon at UCLA Health, who specializes in complex wounds. “We need alternatives because some treatments don’t work for certain patients.” Additionally, long-term antibiotic use on a stubborn infection can make the bacteria more drug-resistant. Oxymel would also be much cheaper than existing infection treatments, Vardanian explains.

Why are Beyoncé, Taylor Swift pitted against each other? | NBC’s “Today”

“I think we still are in this place where we (as a country) can’t quite make sense of women with power,” [UCLA’s Catherine Provenzano] says. “(Beyoncé and Taylor Swift) are two performers that are so singular, and incredibly powerful right now. They are breaking out these financial records, and their shows are getting all this attention that for that to be happening simultaneously just almost doesn’t compute with the culture right now.”

New plan to plug old, vapor-spewing oil wells  | Los Angeles Times

However, when oil companies fail, the surety companies also risk going bankrupt, according to Michael Salman, a UCLA professor emeritus in history who has closely followed oil issues. “Over the past 100 years, there were boom and bust cycles when some companies went bankrupt and some wells became orphaned,” Salman said. “Now we are looking forward to a different future; the state is moving to substitute electric vehicles for gasoline and diesel fuel vehicles.”