Oil and mineral companies, climatologists and geophysicists all rely on expensive satellites to measure the Earth’s magnetic field, but there may be a cheaper option. UC Berkeley physicist Dmitry Budker proposes shining a pulsed orange laser on the layer of sodium atoms 90 km above the Earth to directly read the local magnetic field.
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.”
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.
The debate over the veracity of global warming may be judged not by pure science but rather, perception. Being in a warm room can make the idea of global warming seem more likely, according to Clayton Critcher, assistant professor of marketing at the Haas School of Business.
Why do some people fret over the most trivial matters while others remain calm in the face of calamity? UC Berkeley researchers have identified two different chinks in our brain circuitry that explain why some of us are more prone to anxiety.
Inspired by the 50th anniversary this year of the Peace Corps, UC Berkeley is launching a 21st century version called Cal Energy Corps that focuses on sustainable energy and climate change.
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.
Three UC Berkeley faculty members have joined the ranks of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering. Armen Der Kiureghian, Jitendra Malik and Ramamoorthy Ramesh are among 68 new members and nine foreign associates elected on February 8, 2011.
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 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.
