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First Study to Measure Toxic Metals in Tampons Shows Arsenic and Lead, Among Other Contaminants

Tampons from several brands can contain toxic metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, a new study led by a UC Berkeley researcher has found.

Drinking glass being filled with water from a faucet

Study Shows PFAS Threat to Drinking Water in Rural, Predominantly Latinx Communities

The UC Berkeley study is the first to evaluate PFAS contamination from pesticides in California, and the first environmental justice study on the issue.

A close-up photo of a plant with a small white flower.

Can Engineered Plants Help Make Baby Formula as Nutritious as Breast Milk?

Human breast milk contains a unique blend of prebiotic sugars that are tricky to replicate in commercial infant formula. New research shows that plants may be the perfect manufacturers.

Graphic of red brain with flowers sprouting from it.

Psychedelics Change How We See the World. A UC Berkeley study aims to find out why.

Researchers will use neuroimaging to observe the effects of psilocybin on the human brain — in real-time.

Lisa Barcellos Works to Uncover Biological Effects of Exposure to Wildfire Smoke

The study will explore how wildfire smoke affects the DNA of people living in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

outlines in red of a woman's torso and four circles containing a thermometer, a face with a rash, a painful knee and a woman sleeping

Tracking Down the Genetic Causes of Lupus to Personalize Treatment

Genetic screen identifies many mutations associated with autoimmune diseases that could help target therapy.

black-and-white photo of race start, showing men propelling themselves off the starting blocks

Far From Toxic, Lactate Rivals Glucose as Body's Major Fuel After a Carbohydrate Meal

Research challenges perception by many athletes and physicians that high lactate levels are bad

woman with sleeve rolled up being injected with a needle by a person in a white coat

An Adjuvant Made in Yeast Could Lower Vaccine Cost and Boost Availability

Biosynthesis in yeast produces a cheaper immune-boosting ingredient of many vaccines.

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Collaboration Is Key to Pioneering Research With Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Berkeley professor's work sheds light on the health of some of the nation’s most disadvantaged youth.

Justin Davidson as a toddler smiles as he rides a horse and his mom smiles and holds him on the saddle. For the first three years of Justin Davidson’s life, his mom, Mindy, spoke only Spanish to him. But then she stopped. When Davidson learned Spanish in middle school, it came very quickly to him, and over the years, he became bilingual. Now, he’s an associate professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Courtesy of Justin Davidson

Berkeley Voices: One Brain, Two Languages

A UC Berkeley sociolinguist and his research team has discovered where people who are bilingual store language-specific sounds and sound sequences in their brains.

An Egyptian fruit bat hangs upside down from a branch.

What Bats Can Teach Us About the Evolution of Human Speech

Researchers have identified the part of the brain in Egyptian fruit bats that controls vocalizations and found that it contains very similar neural wiring to the part of the human brain that controls speech.

a transparent cell body shows the purple and red insides, with lots of blue worm-like squiggles

Are Stressed-Out Brain Cells the Root Cause of Neurodegenerative Disease?

UC Berkeley research suggests that constant stress triggered by clumping proteins is killing brain cells.

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