Charles Harris honored by American Chemical Society

Earlier this spring, Charles Harris, professor of chemistry, received the Ahmed Zewail Award In Ultrafast Science & Technology from the American Chemical Society. In a profile of Harris in Chemical & Engineering News, the energetic 70-year-old chemist is quoted as saying, “If I do ever retire, it’ll be to continue doing research.”

In online dating, blacks more open to romancing whites than vice versa

Has Valentine’s Day become post-racial? Not yet, it seems. New research from UC Berkeley suggests that when it comes to dating, cyberspace is as segregated as the real world. Data gathered from more than 1 million profiles of singles looking for love online show that whites overwhelmingly prefer to date members of their own race, while blacks, especially men, are far more likely to cross the race barrier in hopes of being struck by Cupid’s arrow.

Access to IT helps female researchers more than males

Access to information technology benefits female research scientists more than their male counterparts, increasing research productivity and collaboration, according to a new study co-authored by assistant professor Waverly Ding of the Haas School of Business.

Addressing societal as well as technological challenges of biofuels

Producing cheap liquid biofuels is not the only challenge in weaning the U.S. off fossil fuels. A team supported by the Energy Biosciences Institute identified social, economic and environmental issues that need to be addressed, including the impacts on farmers and on public health.

Two bear cubs join orphaned bruins at Sagehen

Two yearling black bears have joined other relocated bruins at Sagehen Creek Field Station near Truckee. This brings to eight the number of orphaned cubs offered new homes by the reserve and its manager, Jeff Brown.

Researchers turn Salmonella into anti-viral gene therapy agent

UC Berkeley researchers have converted Salmonella bacteria from a foodborne pathogen into a safe delivery vehicle for anti-viral agents. They inserted virus-stopping ribozymes into Salmonella that had their ability to cause disease disabled, and then used the bacteria to effectively treat mice infected with cytomegalovirus. It is the first time bacteria have been successfully engineered to treat a viral infection.