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Researchers demonstrate heat-induced pyroelectricity in viruses

September 25, 2023

Viruses are often associated with disease, but many viruses are benign and even helpful, like bacteriophages that eat harmful, antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now, Berkeley researchers have reported that engineered viruses also can generate electricity when exposed to heat, a finding that may pave the way for next-generation biosensors and diagnostic tools. As reported in the journal Advanced Materials, researchers…

Iain Clark selected as Innovation Investigator by Arc Institute

September 20, 2023

Iain Clark, assistant professor of bioengineering, was named an Innovation Investigator by the Arc Institute, a scientific research organization pioneering new models for scientific discovery and translation. As a member of the inaugural Innovation Investigators program, Clark will receive $1 million over five years to pursue “curiosity-driven, ambitious research.” Clark was among nine researchers selected from…

Fast-Track Strain Engineering for Speedy Biomanufacturing

September 19, 2023

The time and money required to engineer microbes to produce vital medicines and chemicals can be dramatically reduced with a new model-based method Using engineered microbes as microscopic factories has given the world steady sources of life-saving drugs, revolutionized the food industry, and allowed us to make sustainable versions of valuable chemicals previously made from petroleum.…

Triptych of three black and white images of researchers with each researcher holding up one of their hands to display drawing on their hand.

Nobelists show their hands in photo exhibit by noted German photographer

September 15, 2023

UC Berkeley CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna is one of 60 Nobel Prize winners captured by renowned German photographer Herlinde Koelbl in striking black and white portraits that spotlight on the palms of the scientists’ hands their discoveries and insights. Forty of these unique portraits will be on display in the second-floor atrium of Berkeleys Li…

Chris and Michelle Chang receive 2024 ACS National Awards

September 08, 2023

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has announced Chris Chang and Michelle Chang as recipients of ACS National Awards for 2024. Michelle Chang has been given the ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry, sponsored by the ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry. Chris Chang has been recognized with the Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry, supported by an…

Collage of ten profile photos of UC Berkeley faculty.

Bakar Fellows Program Announces 2023 Spark Award Recipients

August 28, 2023

There is a reason why UC Berkeley consistently ranks as one of the top universities for entrepreneurship. The 2023 Spark Award recipients are a prime example of the power of breakthrough research combined with an entrepreneurial campus ecosystem. This year, the Spark Award call expanded to include UC San Francisco faculty who are collaborating with…

Collage of biotal, a hand holding a plant, and a researcher holding up a recyclable plastic.

Making Renewable, Infinitely Recyclable Plastics Using Bacteria

August 03, 2023

Plastic waste is a problem. Most plastics can’t be recycled, and many use finite, polluting petrochemicals as the basic ingredients. But that’s changing. In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, researchers successfully engineered microbes to make biological alternatives for the starting ingredients in an infinitely recyclable plastic known as poly(diketoenamine), or PDK. The finding comes…