March 3, 2023

2021 wildfires emitted record-breaking amount of carbon dioxide into atmosphere

An international research team led by UCI Earth system scientists has found that carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires, which have been gradually increasing since 2000, spiked drastically to a record high in 2021. Nearly half a gigaton of carbon (or 1.76 billion tons of CO2) was released from burning boreal forests in North America and Eurasia in 2021, 150 percent higher than annual mean CO2 emissions between 2000 and 2020, the scientists reported in Science. The researchers said that the worsening fires are part of a climate-fire feedback in which carbon dioxide emissions warm the planet, creating conditions that lead to more fires and more emissions.

Researching a new treatment of Gulf War Illness

Saurabh Chatterjee, a professor of occupational and environmental health, has been awarded a four-year, $2.5 million grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to lead a three-site phase 2 clinical trial for treating Gulf War illness. The treatment uses nutraceutical butyrate which could help relieve symptoms that affect veterans suffering from fatigue, headaches, joint pain and memory problems. The research team will include faculty from the Program in Public Health and physician scientists from the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in Long Beach.

Sounding the alarm on Lynch syndrome 

Lynch syndrome is both the most prevalent and underdiagnosed hereditary disorder that increases the risk for developing cancer. People with this inherited genetic disorder have a significantly higher lifetime risk of developing cancers of the colon, uterus, ovaries, stomach and urinary tract, among others. As director of high-risk colorectal cancer services at the UCI Health Digestive Health Institute, Dr. William E. Karnes is on a mission to raise awareness of this condition. But by simply collecting detailed family histories and testing patients whose parents and close relatives had colorectal and other cancers before age 50, colorectal cancer can be prevented or caught at its earliest, most treatable stage with regular screenings.

UC announces grants to fund climate action innovation

On March 1, the University of California announced $15 million in grants for UC innovation and entrepreneurship in support of California’s climate action goals. The awards are part of a historic $185 million partnership between UC and the state of California to tackle the climate crisis, from developing new methods for carbon capture to creating innovative coping strategies for drought, wildfire and other impacts of a warming planet. Each of UC’s 10 campuses will receive $1 million to seed climate-focused entrepreneurial efforts. The two-year grants will build on the innovation and entrepreneurship resources that already exist across the system, with a focus on projects that will aid California communities, particularly those most vulnerable to climate disasters or which have borne the brunt of historic inequities.

Could 3D holograms provide cruelty-free circuses of the future?

The Circus-Theater Roncalli in Germany has become the first circus in the world to use 3D hologram technology to offer audiences the thrill of watching circus animals perform–without using any actual animals. To see how they pulled off this trick, Washington Post photographer Davide Bertuccio decided to check out the act for himself. While the absence of usual animal noises at first seemed strange to him, Bertuccio says that the excited cries of the audience surprised him even more.

Isaac Mizrahi in Person
Sunday 7 p.m. (sponsored by Irvine Barclay Theater)

Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.

Anteater Express buses showcase UCI shining stars

This week, we’re highlighting some of the UCI shining stars whose images appear on the sides of Anteater Express buses. The ad campaign features 10 students, faculty, staff and alumni who are dedicated to enhancing lives through teaching, cutting-edge research or public service. Be on the lookout for buses with these stellar Anteaters. #UCIPride

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