The deadly wall of water that devastated the coastal communities of nearly a dozen countries in South Asia on Dec. 26 was the ocean’s natural response to the massive underwater earthquake, UCLA geophysicists say. Read more...

As the list of victims of the South Asian earthquake and tsunami grows to an estimated 150,000 individuals, it is crucial for rescue workers who continue to search, survivors that begin to rebuild their homes, and those following news coverage of the event to take the time to recognize and cope with the shock and stress of the aftermath, in order to minimize future mental health problems, UCLA psychologists say. Read more...

The first urgent need is water. Immediately following that is food and shelter. Organizations carrying out relief efforts in South Asia are gravely aware of the supplies they must deliver to the hundreds of thousands of victims affected in the area. Read more...

Three UCLA professors are leading the way to the development of a new space observatory that will fly around the country in the belly of a modified Boeing 747 airplane. Read more...

In the past decade, legislative initiatives and the shifting of social norms have caused a noticeable decrease in the smoking prevalence among all groups, except for one: the college aged. Read more...

By Brooke Fox and Emily Chung Over-the-counter access to emergency contraception is a necessary precondition for women being able to make private choices about their reproductive health, yet it may not become a reality. Read more...

When fourth-year student John Vaszari tells people what his major is, questions about robots and artificial intelligence frequently follow. At interviews for medical school this fall, Vaszari has given the same well-rehearsed explanation to doctors and admissions boards when they ask the inevitable question about “cybernetics.” An undergraduate interdepartmental program at UCLA since 1972, cybernetics is the study of control and communication processes in biological systems ““ cell movement translated into the language of engineering, protein interactions described with math equations. Read more...