The New York Times reported on new findings from UCLA astronomer David Jewitt, who discovered that Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák dramatically slowed its rotation to a stop and then began spinning in the opposite direction, an unprecedented event that may help explain how small comets ultimately break apart. Using images from the Hubble Space Telescope, Jewitt said the extreme shift suggests some comets may be “blown to bits by their own spin.” Read more about UCLA in today’s Time, Scientific American and other outlets.
More highlights from UCLA in the News: Feb. 12, 2026
UCLA surgeon named to Time100 Health 2026 | Time
About four years later, on May 4, 2025, Nassiri — now 37 and an assistant clinical professor of urology at the University of California, Los Angeles — and [UCLA’s Dr. Inderbir] Gill performed a bladder transplant on a 41-year-old father of four. The procedure, a world first, was a tremendous success. The patient recovered well and has excellent bladder function, Nassiri says.
Edison tried to build an EV battery in 1901. UCLA scientists just made it work | Gizmodo
In contrast, the new battery is a more direct reimagination of Edison’s idea, in that it focuses on the battery itself as opposed to its byproducts. The prototype, developed by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is a nanocluster of nickel and iron, packed within molecular byproducts from beef production. (UCLA’s Ric Kaner and Maher El-Kady were quoted. Also: Popular Science.)
Trump froze their research money. Now they’re asking California for safety net | LAist
This is exactly the type of work [Samantha] Herman set out to do when they joined the lab. “I wanted to do work that matters, that would help people,” they told LAist. Last summer, that work suddenly came to a halt when the Trump administration froze hundreds of federal research grants that had already been allocated to UCLA, accusing the school of tolerating antisemitism as a justification. That experience has led Herman and other researchers to lobby the state to make its universities less susceptible to national politics.
Four states sue over fed’s latest cuts to HIV programs | Los Angeles Times
Dr. Paul Simon, an epidemiologist at the UCLA Fielding School and former chief science officer for the county’s public health department, said slashing the program was a “dangerous” and “shortsighted” move that would leave public health officials in the dark as to what’s happening with the disease on the ground.
Hydrogen sulfide discovered in distant gas giant exoplanets | Scienmag
Hydrogen sulfide, a gas notorious for its characteristic rotten egg smell, is making headlines in an unexpected context: the atmospheres of four distant gas giant planets. This groundbreaking discovery by astronomers from UCLA and the University of California, San Diego, marks the inaugural identification of hydrogen sulfide beyond our solar system. Moreover, the innovative techniques employed in this research are anticipated to significantly enhance the search for extraterrestrial life across the universe. (UCLA’s Jerry Xuan was cited.)
Earth’s core may contain 45 oceans’ worth of hydrogen | Scientific American
The new research, published today in Nature Communications, also suggests that Earth’s water has been with the planet since it formed rather than having been delivered later by impacts from comets and other icy bodies. “It really changes the way we think of where our water comes from,” says Hilke Schlichting, a professor of Earth, planetary and space science at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the research.
Don’t let natural gas exports wreck the Gulf of California | Los Angeles Times
(Commentary co-written by UCLA’s Mary Nichols) As the effects of climate change intensify, it has become standard practice for major corporations to pledge their support for environmental sustainability. This is as it should be, because genuine corporate engagement is essential to the success of our collective response — and it makes good business sense.
A new game asks players to steal stolen art | New York Times
Next month, at the Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles, Myres and Mashigo will discuss Relooted with Erica Jones, a curator who in 2024 oversaw the repatriation of seven looted artifacts to the Asante kingdom in what is now Ghana. Jones said the collaboration made sense. What better way to get students interested in repatriation topics than a video game? “There is so much that aligns museums and video games,” Jones said. “In both cases, it is about storytelling.”
Stopping antidepressants during pregnancy can be a health risk | New York Times
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or S.N.R.I.s, and bupropion are considered comparably safe to S.S.R.I.s, said Dr. Misty Richards, a child and reproductive psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles. However, there is less data on their use during pregnancy.
Confused about when to disinfect or sanitize at home? | New York Times
People’s hands are the main transmitters of pathogens from surface to surface, said Dan Uslan, a doctor and chief infection prevention officer at UCLA Health, in a phone interview, so it’s important to prioritize proper handwashing, along with routine cleaning, to protect yourself from everyday bacteria and viruses.
By doubling down on ‘mansion tax,’ Los Angeles earns its fate | Daily Breeze
An April study from the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies found that the “tax does fall on mansions, but it also impedes the trade in commercial, industrial and multifamily property. In doing so it jeopardizes LA’s ability to build new housing, revitalize struggling commercial and industrial properties, and raise property tax revenue.”