In the News
Global Wildlife Decline Driving Slave Labor, Organized Crime
Global decline of wildlife populations is driving increases in violent conflicts, organized crime and child labor around the world, according to a new policy paper led by UC Berkeley researchers.
Sudden Oak Death Drying Up With Drought
The California drought is helping save the state's signature tree - the mighty oak - by slowing down the spread of the plague-like disease scientists call sudden oak death.
Spreading the Buzz About Native Bees
In honor of National Pollinator Week, Bay Nature's Beth Slatkin recently interviewed Professor Gordon Frankie on the status of California's diverse and productive pollinators. Read an excerpt of the interview here, and check out the full article on the Bay Nature site.
Central Valley Sees Big Drop in Wintertime Fog Needed for Fruit and Nut Crops
California's winter tule fog has declined dramatically over the past three decades, raising a red flag for the state's multibillion dollar agricultural industry, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
Will It Live or Die? Researchers Develop Biomarkers to Manage Impact of Sudden Oak Death
Ohio State University researchers have developed a way to predict the resistance or susceptibility of trees to sudden oak death disease, providing forest managers with the first effective method to manage trees in infested natural areas and in adjoining areas where the disease is expected in the future.
California’s Endangered Serengeti: Drought Could Wipe Out Key Wildlife on Carrizo Plain
The recent rains aside, the drought bedeviling California still is expected to be the worst in 500 years and will change the way Californians live and work—but not just the people. It’s going to be pretty hard cheese, as Evelyn Waugh might have said, on the critters as well.
What Can We Learn From the Rim Fire?
Professor Scott Stephens was a featured expert on public radio KQED's Forum to discuss the Rim Fire that has been raging near Yosemite National Park.
Marketplace: Will U.S. clothing firms change on Bangladesh?
Associate environmental science, policy, and management professor Dara O’Rourke, a labor policy specialist, weighs in on a group of US clothing manufacturers' plan to create a $50 million fund to improve factory safety in Bangladesh.
Minorities more likely to live in 'urban heat islands,' study finds
Public health and environmental science professor Rachel Morello-Frosch has found that minorities are more likely to live in "urban heat islands" and are most at risk during heat waves.
New crypt-keeping beetle species discovered on Pacific island
Peter Oboyski, senior museum scientist at Berkeley’s Essig Museum of Entomology and ESPM alumnus, comments on the discovery, in Hawaii's Bishop Museum, of a new species of beetle.
Professor Gary Sposito on KGO: Texas blast is example of lax oversight
By Mark Matthews, ABC Local Station KGO
A New Development? A symposium on the promise and politics of provincializing experts, models, and knowledge in the 21st century
ESPM invites scholars to reflect on the dynamics of science, technology and expertise in international development, domestic development practices, and how these two interact.
Professor Claire Kremen featured in NPR and LA Times
A recent study in Science magazine co-authored by Claire Kremen, highlights the importance of wild insects and bees in pollination and agriculture.
Air pollution linked to low birth weight
Mothers who breathe the kind of pollution emitted by vehicles, coal power plants and factories are significantly likelier to give birth to underweight children than mothers living in less polluted areas, according to international findings published Wednesday.
Graduate student Scott Fortmann-Roe creates interactive model-sharing site
By Pooja Mhatre, The Daily Californian Staff
Beyond manifesto: How to change the food system
Mark Bittman, cookbook author and New York Times food writer, used the occasion of New Year’s Day to throw down the gauntlet for real and permanent change to the U.S. agricultural system. “We must figure out a way to un-invent this food system,” he says in a Times opinion column.
PhD Student Kendra Klein talks about healthy food in health care
PhD student Kendra Klein sat down with the Switzer Network News to talk about her work in bringing healthy food and sustainable food production systems into hospitals.
Professor Inez Fung appointed by President Obama to the National Science Board
President Obama has announced that he will appoint Professor Inez Fung to the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation.
Professor Peng Gong on the future of science in China
Professor Peng Gong suggests that China's changing leadership can benifit science by bringing in people with more varied backgrounds.
Professor Céline Pallud and other researchers team up with the community to eliminate toxic chemicals
UC Berkeley researchers are teaming up with local organizations to plant a specialized fern known to extract a thousand times more arsenic from the soil than a typical plant.