Do talk back: creating conversation in computers
Students and experts in the field of natural language processing help computers understand us.
Searching for invisible animals
Rodrigo Pérez Ortega explores how scientists are using traces of environmental DNA to analyze entire marine ecosystems, from microbes to whales.
Strengthening Transgender Care Through Data
Families across the country don’t understand the effect of early treatment on transgender kids. Researchers at UC San Francisco’s Child and Adolescent Gender Clinic are working to change that.
The noble art of tick defense
Erin I. Garcia de Jesus talks with biologists trying to find new ways to manage tick-borne diseases.
Treasure Hunting in Our Junk DNA
Why DNA that was once deemed useless may hold answers to some of the unsolved questions in biology.
Turning the Tide: Revitalizing Elkhorn Slough
Over the past 150 years, Elkhorn Slough in central California has suffered from large-scale agriculture. What was once a thriving marsh ecosystem is now an algae-covered mudflat. But a team of researchers are determined to restore a part of the Slough by replanting the area with native shrubs. They hope that this will revitalize Elkhorn Slough and also contribute to the worldwide battle against climate change.
Living with noise
Noisy roads make it difficult for birds to talk to each other. But for tree swallows, traffic noise impacts extend beyond disrupted communication. Priyanka Runwal talks with ecologists to understand the fate of these birds if roads near their nests got busier and louder.
Making greenhouses greener by making them magenta
University of California, Santa Cruz Physics professors decided to take their research out of the lab and onto farms to make solar powered greenhouses. The innovative technology works to divert unneeded light to produce electricity while still supplying plants with the light they need in order to thrive.
Metal-Polluted air Puts L.A. Residents at Risk
In southeast Los Angeles, metal processing facilities emit toxic steam next to homes, schools and parks. And low-income residents are paying the price.
From Barren Plot to Thriving Garden
Katie Brown documents how one community transformed a deserted patch of concrete into a vibrant oasis.
When Heroics Aren’t Enough
Whales have made a spectacular recovery since being hunted to near-extinction. But scientists now wonder if that recovery can last.
Hunting for Pain’s Off-switch
Doctors are searching for a better solution for patients with chronic pain — a way to switch their pain off at the source, reports Nicoletta Lanese.