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.
UC researchers, patients wary of Trump cuts | KFF Health News
In August, an 80-year-old woman walked into the emergency room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She was lucid but experiencing a stroke. Within minutes, doctors asked for permission to pull out the stroke-causing clot before any more brain damage could occur. She hesitated. The procedure was part of a clinical trial, and she’d heard about a federal freeze on research grants to UCLA. She wanted to know: Would this study be at risk, potentially affecting her care? (UCLA’s Dr. Jeffrey Saver, Dr. David Shackelford and Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael were quoted.)
Has your scientific work been cut? | New York Times
“This government upheaval is discouraging to all scientists who give their time and lend their brilliance to solve the problems beleaguering humankind instead of turning to some other activity that makes a more steady living,” Gina Poe, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote in an email.
UCLA study finds racial disparities in Eaton Fire recovery | KNBC-TV
A new analysis shows Black, Latino and Asian American and Pacific Islander homeowners are struggling the most to rebuild in Altadena. Here’s what UCLA researchers found: nearly six in ten black-owned homes suffered severe damage, the highest of any group. Nearly seven in ten severely fire-damaged homes showed no progress toward rebuilding, with Black and Asian homeowners most likely to remain stalled. (Also: KTLA-TV and KABC-TV.)
Study reveals wide wage gaps for Latinas across California | Scienmag
In a revealing new study conducted by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center in collaboration with the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, profound wage disparities facing Latinas in California have come to light, exposing a persistent and severe income gap that transcends geographic and socioeconomic boundaries. This investigation sheds critical light on the economic hardships latent within one of the state’s most vibrant yet underserved demographic groups, underlining systemic inequities that demand immediate and sustained policy attention. (UCLA’s Veronica Terriquez was cited. Also: Phys.org.)
Inflammation linked to fatigue among cancer patients | HealthDay News
Fighting cancer can leave patients tired to their bones and researchers now think they might know why. Inflammation was linked to fatigue among nearly 200 women with early-stage breast cancer during and after treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the journal Cancer. Specifically, inflammation appeared to promote general and physical fatigue among the women, but not emotional or mental fatigue. (UCLA’s Julienne Bower was quoted.)
Newly discovered brain cells are wired for uncertainty | Medical Xpress
Newly identified brain cells evolved along the theme, “Life is uncertain; Eat dessert first.” The neurons, located in the front part of the brain, are most active when the outcome of a decision is uncertain, suggesting that they help with decision making, along with learning and mental flexibility in general. This UCLA discovery in rats could aid the development of new treatments that involve the targeting of rigid thought patterns such as those in anxiety and substance use disorders in humans, who also have the same kind of brain cells. (UCLA’s Alicia Izquierdo and Juan Luis Romero-Sosa were quoted.)
Will the U.S. be left behind on solar energy? | Los Angeles Times
(Commentary by UCLA’s Alex Wang) While the Trump administration has effectively declared war on wind and solar energy — blocking all permitting of projects on federal lands and pushing through a rollback of federal subsidies and tax credits — other nations are embracing renewable energy as a strategy for building economic and political strength.
Fact check: Trump’s life-saving attacks on alleged drug boats | CNN
But “the people buying and using fentanyl mostly have a tolerance” because “most people who use illicitly manufactured fentanyl do so on purpose, repeatedly,” said Chelsea Shover, an epidemiologist who is associate professor-in-residence at [David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA]. So while some Americans do die from accidentally consuming fentanyl while trying to use other substances, Shover said in an email, the quantity of fentanyl required for most users to fatally overdose is “much higher” than the supposed lethal dose officials tend to use in their “enough to kill” math.
Why higher ed’s AI rush could dim public service mission | The Conversation
(Commentary by UCLA’s Chris Wegemer) I see the rise of generative AI as accelerating this trend, which risks undermining higher education’s autonomy and public service mission. Examining the underlying organizational forces that shape the future of higher education can shed light on how AI challenges universities’ traditional principles — and how they might resist corporate influence.
COVID vaccines beneficial, even with prior immunity | Scientific American
Nisha Viswanathan, an internal medicine doctor and medical director of the UCLA Long COVID Program, who was not involved in the study, agrees that changes in immunity — and the subsequent response to the vaccines — were anticipated as more people were exposed to the COVID-causing virus, either through prior infection or vaccination.
Israel, Hamas agree on first phase of peace deal | KNBC-TV
“What I think we’re going to see is, now, once the deal is officially signed on Sunday, a 72-hour time period during which the hostages and the deceased hostages will be released in exchange for a certain number of Palestinian prisoners, and also deceased,” said UCLA’s Benjamin Radd (Approx. 1:20 mark. Radd was also interviewed by Spectrum News 1.)
Supreme Court hears case on Colorado conversion therapy law | NewsNation
Ilan Meyer, distinguished senior scholar of public policy at UCLA’s Williams Institute, told NewsNation that the case holds significant implications for LGBTQ+ youth around the country. “To me, the crux of this issue is if you go into a licensed person, you want to get the most up to date information that is consensus among providers, and you’re not going to be able to get it when people who are licensed will offer the type of therapy that is not approved or recommended by mental health professionals,” Meyer, who co-wrote an amicus brief for the case, said.
