Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have been motivated to consider new ways that microbes can assist humans in colonising the Moon and Mars by studying the biochemical process by which cyanobacteria absorb nutrients from rocks in Chile's Atacama Desert. … Corresponding author David Kisailus, UCI professor of materials science and engineering [said], "Could humans use a similar biochemical approach to obtain and manipulate the minerals that we find valuable?

When UCI biomedical engineers went to work on creating a sensor for the device, they decided to use Shrinky Drinks. "The current standard of care in respiration monitoring is a pulmonary function test that's often difficult to perform and limited in terms of the snapshot it provides of a patient's respiratory health—meaning problems can sometimes be missed," said Michael Chu, UCI graduate student researcher in biomedical engineering and lead author of a paper on the innovation published today in npj Digital Medicine.

Amir AghaKouchak, UC Irvine hydrologist, engineer and climatologist, is an expert in such matters. He says it's too soon to tell. But he does admit that the signs so far are pointing in the direction of a strong El Niño winter and spring.

If solutions aren’t swift, the Southern California coast — and the economy it supports — will surely suffer. “If we have no sand, it’s like a car and we’ve taken the engine out of it,” said UC Irvine civil engineering professor Brett Sanders, a leading expert on coastal erosion. … UCI grad student Daniel Kahl recently analyzed satellite imagery — a project possible with a 

In two new studies, a team of researchers led by hydrologists from the University of California, Irvine assessed the depletion of groundwater on a global scale using readings from NASA satellites. ... "If we continue to use groundwater the way it's being used, then there's a high chance that it could be depleted to the point that we can no longer use it in my lifetime in certain areas," said Alexandra Richey, the lead author of the studies.

Taking inspiration from squid skin, researchers have invented an adaptive composite material that can insulate beverage cups, restaurant to-go bags, parcel boxes, and even shipping containers. … “The metal islands in our composite material are next to one another when the material is relaxed and become separated when the material is stretched, allowing for control of the reflection and transmission of infrared light or heat dissipation,” says Alon Gorodetsky, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Irvine.