Posts by Robert Sanders

Biology

‘Reprogramming’ our gut bacteria could be key to fighting disease

UC Berkeley’s Carlotta Ronda explains how CRISPR is turning our gut microbes into tiny, health-boosting factories in just 101 seconds.

two blue streaks at the tail end of a tadpole-shaped are of red and yellow

Campus news

Berkeley’s Blue and Gold satellites are now flying through Earth’s magnetotail — a first

a chimp sitting on the ground eating fruit, with a pile of partially eaten fruit at its feet

Mind & body

Urine tests confirm alcohol consumption in wild African chimps

nighttime shot of house with glowing lights surrounded by green and red curtain of light

Research

New satellite mission will explore connection between colorful auroras and Earth’s magnetic tail

3 pink cylinders with filaments coming out of them

Basic research on Listeria bacteria leads to unique cancer therapy

Berkeley Seismological Laboratory director Richard Allen points at a chart on a screen.

How the Berkeley Seismology Lab turns data into disaster prevention

small orange spot next to large white circle, with a tiny black dot between them

Why are Tatooine planets rare? Blame general relativity.

a computer's user interface showing a rectangle covered with colored spikes

For 21 years, enthusiasts used their home computers to search for ET. UC Berkeley scientists are homing in on 100 signals they found.

two lumpy rocks colliding with fiery glow where they touch

Astronomers see fireworks from violent collisions around nearby star

a fuzzy galaxy with a blue dot next to it, highlighted by hash marks

What’s powering these mysterious, bright blue cosmic flashes? Astronomers find a clue.

treetops with mist and distant clouds

A new ‘hypertropical’ climate is emerging in the Amazon

Roughly diamond-shaped asteroid with a rocky, uneven surface, set against a completely black background

Strange ‘space plastic’ found on asteroid Bennu

round purple things against a black background

All life copies DNA unambiguously into proteins. Archaea may be the exception.

blue and white bus with 'H2' and 'Hydrogen fuel cell bus' written on side

How UC Berkeley is improving the affordability of hydrogen fuel

a bright orange sponge on left, 4 translucent, bell-shaped comb jellies on right

Did the first animal look like a sponge or a comb jelly? The debate continues.

an orange fish floats above a large group of purple sea urchins

Even moderate heat waves depress sea urchin reproduction along the Pacific coast