iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Childhood abuse leaves a scar on the brain! UCLA researchers found associations between severity of maltreatment and thickness, surface area and volume in some parts of the brain, suggesting that childhood trauma may change brain structure in varied ways, instead of a singular way. ucla.in/3TIUWoI 🧪

A damaged stuffed animal laying on the ground. It looks lonely and afraid.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Congratulations to Francis Halzen, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory! UCLA has been involved in supporting this project and has been making amazing discoveries with it, such as proposing a new route through which neutrinos can be produced. ucla.in/47CinTP 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

UCLA scientists used portions of dinosaur teeth to pin down Tyrannosaurus rex’s temperature for the first time, placing it at 97 degrees Fahrenheit, comparable to a human. A warm-blooded T. rex would have been an energetic predator or scavenger, not a sun-basking slowpoke. ucla.in/3TzMJ67 🧪

A stylized drawing of a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur in glowing yellow lines on a blue background. The dinosaur is looking backward at the word "hottie" in glowing pink script. Its mouth is open, showing its teeth. Credit: UCLA

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

UCLA biologists have discovered that strange lobes on the Surinam toad's fingertips are as sensitive to touch as human fingertips and detect the presence of prey by the movement of water. An unusually large region of their brain is devoted to processing touch from the fingertips. ucla.in/4A7hhMT 🧪

A very flat frog that looks like a leaf lies in wait with arms outstretched and fingers spread wide for a fish to approach.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Vote for your favorite "it" squirrel during the first-ever Fat Marmot Week starting August 24! Unlike bears, the rotund rodents are true hibernators. Now you can root for the furballs as they plump up to survive the winter. ucla.in/4gsZZkB #marmots #fatmarmotweek 🧪

A marmot named Dandelion looks at the camera. Photo taken by UCLA grad student Katie Adler.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Now you don't have to join OnlyFans to support UCLA professor Dan Blumstein's marmot research at RMBL in Colorado! Donate directly to Prof. Blumstein's lab here: ucla.in/4fAXY6J 🧪

A marmot perches on a rock looking suspiciously at the camera. Photo by UCLA grad student Katie Adler.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

River riddle solved! The Colorado River disappeared from the geological record for 5 million years. Scientists now know where it went: Into vanished Bidahochi Lake, before eventually spilling over on a course to the Grand Canyon. ucla.in/4dO9niX 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Think you can pick a perfect #MarchMadness bracket? Let UCLA mathematician Deanna Needell and Spectrum's Ariel Wesler explain to you why you're more likely to get attacked by a shark and hit by lightning at the same time.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The discovery by UCLA organic chemists that phosphine can act like precious metals in catalytic reactions might not trickle down to catalytic converters anytime soon, but will be useful for phamaceuticals and could bring down the cost of some drugs. ucla.in/4b88BeL 🧪

A sealed jar of chemicals bathed in blue light that stimulate catalytic reacionts. Credit: Flora Fan

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

UCLA and UCSD astronomers have detected hydrogen sulfide gas in the atmospheres of four distant gas giants. The sulfur came from evaporated solid matter from the star's disk, proving that they are planets, not brown dwarfs. The method could help identify Earthlike exoplanets. ucla.in/4arfq9A 🔭 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

UCLA researchers are developing a tool that can predict when winter salmonella outbreaks are likely to happen in wild songbirds like pine siskins so people can take down their feeders to prevent the epidemic from starting. #addBirder ucla.in/4sVM6ki 🧪

Two pine siskin birds at a bird feeder. Credit: Cephas/Wikimedia Commons

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

UCLA astrophysicist Erik Petigura studied four baby planets in the V1298 Tau system that are becoming super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. Despite being 5 to 10 times Earth’s radius, the planets have masses only 5 to 15 times Earth’s, meaning they are about as dense as Styrofoam. ucla.in/4aPC8Kz 🧪🔭

Artist rendering of the four planets in the V1298 Tau system. Four blue planets with fuzzy atmospheres swirl around a blazing sun. Credit: Astrobiology Center, NINS

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Weird and wonderful science: How elephant poop leads to guitars and 12 other unusual UCLA research findings from 2025: ucla.in/4p8tXfY 🧪

Yellow mysterious swirl pattern etched on a metal surface. Credit: Yilin Wong

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

UCLA-led research has found that by electroplating thorium onto stainless steel, they can excite its nucleus with a laser and measure the electric current it produces. The achievement can be used to miniaturize the nuclear clock. ucla.in/48L8iFL 🧪

The image shows a laser (purple arrow) illuminating the electrodeposited thorium (orange) and the electrons (yellow arrows) hitting a detector (the detector front face is made to look like a clock as an artistic liberty). Credit: Richard Elwell and Christian Schneider

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

You might know that if you're reading this on the internet, you can thank UCLA. But did you know that UCLA also brought you the nicotine patch and cleaner drinking water through reverse osmosis? 10 Bruin discoveries that are changing the world: ucla.in/4aSQbPl 🧪

A wineglass of water on an empty plate with a fork and knife on either side. Credit: Dr Jean Fortunet/Wikimedia Commons

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Gut bacteria have evolved rapidly to digest starches in ultra-processed foods. UCLA study finds gut microbes are evolving differently in industrialized and non-industrialized parts of the world. ucla.in/4aWigp5 🧪

A pile of orange cheese puffs. Credit: AbbieImages/iStock

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

UCLA-led research found what caused Myanmar’s 2025 supershear earthquake: A straight, smooth fault, stress accumulation since the last major quake, and contrasting rock properties all created an ideal setting for the rupture to accelerate over hundreds of kilometers. ucla.in/4hyws8Z 🧪

A deep fissure in a Myanmar road that was caused by a 2025 supershear earthquake. Photo credit: Kofoehtet/Wikimedia Commons

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

A photonic lantern used for the first time on a telescope has helped UCLA-led astronomers achieve the sharpest-ever measurement of a star’s surrounding disk, revealing that is is-- surprisingly-- lopsided. ucla.in/43wGO3k 🧪

Reconstructed image of the compact, fast-rotating asymmetric disc around β CMi. The white scale bar at the bottom right marks 1 milliarcsecond — equivalent to a 6 feet scale at the distance of the moon. credit: Yoo Jung Kim/UCLA

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

A blood stem cell gene therapy co-developed by UCLA’s Dr. Donald Kohn restored immune function in 59 of 62 children with ADA-SCID, a rare and fatal immune disorder, with no serious complications reported. Long-term follow-up shows 95% success rate in largest study to date. ucla.in/4ojUZke 🧪

A grid collage of 6 children who have healthy immune systems now thanks to a gene therapy developed at UCLA and UCL,

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

#UCLA neuroscientists discovered brain cells in rats that are wired for #uncertainty. The neurons, most active when a #decision outcome is unknown, appear to help with decision making and flexibility. ucla.in/3Wumo7g 🧪

Two arrow signs above one another. The top arrow points left and says One Way. The bottom arrow points right and says Or Another. Credit: Sophia Kunkel / Unsplash

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Funded entirely by taxpayer dollars and developed exclusively at UCLA, a first-of-its-kind drug targets cellular metabolism to promote tissue repair of multiple organs and is ready for clinical trials. ucla.in/46DzOUx 🧪

A heart model made by BruceBlaus on Wikimedia Commons

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

#UCLA @ioes.ucla.edu geographers Emelly Ortiz-Villa and Kyle Cavanaugh told Spectrum News reporter Nathalie Basha how marine protected areas help #kelp forests recover after marine heatwaves. Learn more: ucla.in/4fRcC8a #climate #environment 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

UCLA biologists have discovered that genes linked to some autoimmune diseases are also linked to #mRNA stability. This matters because if mRNA degrades before it can deliver protein-making instructions, enough protein might not get made. There may be a connection to disease risk. ucla.in/4noFIOU 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Meet Joseph Curti, a #UCLA #bat scientist. 11 of California's 25 bat 🦇 species have been detected in the Santa Monica Mountains. By controlling insect 🦟populations, dispersing seeds 🌱and pollinating plants 🌺, #bats provide ecosystem services that humans depend on more than we realize. 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Mind-blowing UCLA research shows that ebony trees used in guitar frets, piano keys, and other musical instruments depends on elephants. Specifically: Elephant dung.💩Beautiful article by my colleague @ahewitt.bsky.social also shows importance of continued federal funding. ucla.in/4lPSGUD 🧪

A mother and baby elephant drink water from a river in Dzhangha-Sangha National Park. Credit: Richard Rosomoff

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Human ovaries contain a lifetime supply of eggs at birth. Scientists finally have a complete map of how this ovarian reserve forms in primates, which will help them improve treatments for infertility and hormonal disorders. ucla.in/41pjSCp 🧪

A microscopy image of the outer region of the rhesus macaque ovary. Credit: Sissy Wamaitha

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

UCLA geographers have learned that kelp in marine protected areas bounces back more quickly from marine heatwaves. The reason? Fish that eat kelp grazers help kelp re-establish itself after a die off. ucla.in/4fRcC8a 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

UCLA research shows that cells use a secret weapon to starve pathogens and weaken infections. Cells detect proteins produced by invading T. gondii and ramp up mitochondrial metabolism. This uses up so much folate that the parasite cannot grow properly. ucla.in/4fU2YS7 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

New research by UCLA neuroscientists shows that listening to music after an experience or activity can make it more memorable if you have just the right amount of emotional response while listening to it. ucla.in/4mpp0ie 🧪

A woman wearing headphones and holding a pen while pausing thoughtfully over a notebook.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Heavy use of copper antimicrobials leads to the evolution of copper-resistant E. coli bacteria that can also resist antibiotic drugs. Fortunately, when the use of copper is stopped, bacteria quickly revert to a less-resistant state. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/cop... 🧪

A fungicide made of copper sulfate and lime on grape leaves.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Are you curious? It might help you stay sharp as you age New research shows questions you ask and interest in lifelong learning might protect against Alzheimer’s disease newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/bra... 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Asthma drug doesn't work to treat alcoholism, except on some people. Further research will show why. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ast... 🧪

A quote from UCLA professor Lara Ray about the importance of continued federal funding for alcoholism treatment drug trials.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

UCLA-led research has found that genetic rescue has reduced inbreeding in Florida panthers, which is good news for their survival. But their small population size means the problem could happen again without continued conservation efforts. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/flo... 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Astrophysicist Alexander Kusenko: When J.J. Thompson received the 1906 Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of electrons, he said this was probably the most useless discovery in history. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/squ... 🧪🔭

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

All quiet on the Westwood front.

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Older adults who want to learn new things may be able to offset or prevent #Alzheimer’s disease. Conversely, those with muted curiosity and disinterest may be at risk for dementia. The finding contradicts prior research that showed that curiosity decreases with age. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/cur...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

UCLA and UCSD scientists inserted DNA-encoding methylmercury detoxification enzymes into the genome of an abundant human gut bacterium. The engineered bacterium detoxified methylmercury in the gut of mice and reduced the amount that reached other tissues. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/red...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

🧪UCLA researchers are taking part in the effort to monitor plant and #wildlife recovery in the Chaney Trail Corridor, located northwest of Eaton Canyon. newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ucla...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

See how UCLA is working toward a healthier, cleaner and more #sustainable planet. For more than 50 years, #Bruins have been at the vanguard of research and advocacy aimed at protecting the #environment. newsroom.ucla.edu/categories/e...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

🧪UCLA analysis reveals that just 26% of treated municipal #wastewater is reused across the seven states that depend on the overdrawn river, which supplies #water to more than 40 million people. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/as-...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

🧪UCLA doctoral student Lori Berberian is studying the impact of #wildfires on benthic light, or light that reaches the bottom of a body of #water, such as the #ocean, which affects the growth of kelp. newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/unde...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

🧪 A UCLA-led study shows that the eruption formed smaller sulfate aerosols that had an efficient cooling effect that unexpectedly outweighed the warming effect of the water vapor. (photo credit Gupta, et al., 2022) newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/hun...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Imagine rainfall on an alien world! UCLA planetary scientists explain how it happens. 🧪🔭 newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/new...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Curiosity about a mistake that left tiny dots on a germanium wafer with evaporated metal films led to the discovery of beautiful spiral patterns etched on the surface of the semiconductor by a chemical reaction by UCLA doctoral student Yilin Wong. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/how... 🧪

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

🧪🔭Giant planets with elliptical orbits and smaller planets with nearly circular orbits formed along different pathways. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ecc...

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Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 18/10/2024

Thank you to the 50+ people who followed me overnight. I don't know how you found me, but I'm guessing the bad place has gotten even worse somehow? Anyway, here's a picture of my dog with a goofy ear.

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