More than 5,000 planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, allowing scientists to explore planetary evolution and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Now, a UC Riverside study published in Physical Review D suggests that exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, could also serve as tools to investigate dark matter.

More trees will cool the climate and suppress fires, but mainly if planted in the tropics, according to a new UC Riverside study. 

Peng Wei, an associate professor of physics at UC Riverside, has filed for a U.S. patent on a novel process that enhances the performance of quantum computers by coating niobium metal superconductor surfaces with an ultra-thin layer of gold.

Stressed DNA sets off a cascade of failures in the body linked to heart conditions, neurodegeneration, and chronic inflammation. A new, UCR-designed tool interrupts this process, preserving DNA before the damage causes disease.

As China slashed sulfur dioxide emissions by roughly 75 percent, a new study finds Earth began warming much, much faster.

Researchers have uncovered how to manipulate electrical flow through crystalline silicon, a discovery that could lead to smaller, faster, and more efficient devices by harnessing quantum electron behavior. 

A University of California, Riverside-led team has made an advance in the basic understanding of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, that could make novel, highly targeted anti-malarial therapies possible.

For a decade, scientists have believed that plants sensed temperature mainly through specialized proteins, and mainly at night when the air is cool. New research suggests that during the day, another signal takes over. Sugar, produced in sunlight, helps plants detect heat and decide when to grow.