UC San Diego

A pair of new studies have reported novel links between fungal microorganisms and cancer. The research reports different types of tumors seem to harbor unique fungal populations, raising the possibility of new ways to diagnose and treat cancer.

Scientists have recently had success in curing mice of a serious type of pneumonia, using what are described as "microrobots." The bots were actually live algae cells, which carried life-saving medication throughout the rodents' lungs.

Respiratory ailments may hamper the body's ability to draw oxygen from the lungs, which is why patients' blood oxygen levels often need to be checked. New research now suggests that people could track those levels at home, using their smartphone.

Scientists at UCSD have built a lithium battery that can not only operate at freezing cold and scorching hot temperatures, but may store double the energy of current devices and be friendlier to the environment while it's at it.

Scientists have demonstrated an intriguing new variation on the CRISPR gene-editing system, which involves fixing a mutation on one chromosome by copying a healthy version from the other. “Nicking” the DNA also seemed to work better than cutting it.

Your smartphone continuously emits Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals, even when it isn't paired to a Bluetooth device. Scientists are now reporting that by analyzing those signals, it could be possible for someone else to track your whereabouts.

Because GPS doesn't work indoors, it can be difficult for robots to determine where they are within a structure. A new system could help, by using a building's existing Wi-Fi access points to guide wheeled or walking robots.

While we've already seen skin-worn patches that can detect individual substances in the bloodstream, a new one goes considerably further. It simultaneously measures glucose, alcohol and lactate, and could have multiple applications.

A prototype smartphone app has been developed to screen for the very earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The app tracks minute changes in a person’s pupil size, which previous research has shown can indicate pre-clinical neurological disease.

Discarded shoes are a particularly bulky form of waste, with their molded rubber soles joined to often synthetic uppers. Blueview shoes reportedly offer a greener alternative, however, as they're claimed to completely biodegrade once thrown away.

Research from the UCSD School of Medicine into the effects of chronic pod-based e-cigarette use found a variety of raised inflammatory markers in different organs depending on e-cigarette flavor, with neuroinflammation the most prominent adverse effect.

Researchers are beginning to see broad impacts of the pandemic on public health, as studies warn of increases in cancer deaths over the coming years as pandemic-related delays to diagnoses are seeing cases caught at significantly later stages.