2025 Media Watch Archives
UC Irvine Scientist Draws Inspiration from Ultrahard, Wear-Resistant Mollusk Teeth
Bioenginner.org -
One of the study’s most striking revelations is the comparison of chiton teeth to human-made materials. According to Professor David Kisailus, lead author and materials science expert at UC Irvine, these biological structures surpass human tooth enamel not only in hardness and stiffness but also exceed industrial benchmarks set by high-carbon steel, stainless steel, zirconium oxide, and aluminum oxide ceramics. Read More
Commentary: A ‘truce’ over free speech in Iran?
The Christian Science Monitor -
Iran is nearing “water bankruptcy,” according to Amir AghaKouchak, a University of California, Irvine professor of engineering. But the roots of the problem are not just environmental; they are “deeply political and systemic,” he told CNN last week. “Iran’s water crisis cannot be separated from its broader governance crisis.” Read More
Bringing Metallurgy Into the 21st Century
Caltech -
Using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at the UC Irvine Materials Research Institute, the Caltech researchers were able to show that alloys produced using their HIAM method form more homogenously, resulting in higher degrees of symmetry throughout their crystal structure, [the lead author of the paper Thomas] Tran explains. Read More
Could Iran's water crisis be the regime's tipping point?
The Week -
Tehran is running out of water. … The country is in the midst of a terrible drought, but the water supply crisis has been compounded by "excessive groundwater pumping, inefficient farming practices and unchecked urban water use," said CNN. The result "can only be described as water bankruptcy," said Amir AghaKouchak, a civil engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine. Read More
Iran capital Tehran could run dry 'within weeks'
Radio New Zealand -
Human activities, including excessive groundwater pumping, inefficient farming practices and unchecked urban water use have pushed the region “toward what can only be described as water bankruptcy,” said Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine. … The capital “is grappling with a systemic, long-term imbalance that threatens the very foundations of water security for its residents,” AghaKouchak told CNN. Read More
The energy source that could survive Trump’s attack on California’s green ambitions
Los Angeles Times -
Jack Brouwer, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Irvine who is not involved with the [Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility] project, said it could serve as proof-of-concept for the rest of the region and country. “They are one of the first to actually work through all the details of this to see if it can actually be cost-effective today,” said Brouwer, who is also the director of UC Irvine’s Clean Energy Institute. … Brouwer, of UC Irvine, said hydrogen’s role as both a transition fuel and a long-term climate solution is all but inevitable. Read More
This city could run dry ‘within weeks’ as it grapples with an acute water crisis
CNN -
Human activities, including excessive groundwater pumping, inefficient farming practices and unchecked urban water use have pushed the region “toward what can only be described as water bankruptcy,” said Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine. … The capital “is grappling with a systemic, long-term imbalance that threatens the very foundations of water security for its residents,” AghaKouchak told CNN Read More
Squid use Bragg reflectors in their skin to change colour
Physics World -
“Our new result not only helps advance our understanding of structural colouration in cephalopods skin cells, it also provides new insights into how such gradient refractive index distributions can be leveraged to manipulate light in both biological and engineered systems,” says Alon Gorodetsky of the University of California, Irvine, who co-led this research study together with then-PhD student Georgii Bogdanov. Read More
Irvine Connect shuttle system is picking up steam, but can an Irvine-wide transit network work?
The Orange County Register -
“There is no congestion in Irvine,” said Michael McNally, a longtime civil and environmental engineering professor at UC Irvine and a researcher at the university’s Institute of Transportation Studies. … “Drive on the city streets, even in the peak hours, traffic is flowing fast at the speed limit.” That’s one of several reasons why UCI professor Michael Hyland, also with the institute, said he’s “generally skeptical of a kind of robust, high-quality transit network in Irvine.” Read More
How to Tell If Your Home Is in a Flood Zone
Time -
“Sometimes we like to look at these lines on maps and think that they are very strong determinants—like flooding won't happen here because I'm on the other side of this line, but that's not necessarily true,” says Brett Sanders, professor of civil and environmental engineering and urban planning and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. … “The reality is that there's a variety of gradual variation in risk across the land surface.” In fact, insurance claim data shows that many flood loss claims that are made to insurance companies often fall outside of map hazard zones, says Sanders. Read More