UC Science Today

It turns out that remote coral reefs can thrive despite climate change.

The new findings, published by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, particularly underscore previous calls for coral reef preservation because the report revealed that despite threats posed by ocean warming, reefs surrounding remote islands were dramatically healthier than those in populated areas exposed to a variety of human impacts, including overfishing and coastal development.

In this full-length interview, study leader Jennifer Smith describes their landmark report on the impact of fishing on a group of fish known to protect the health of coral reef ecosystems.

Original photo: Eduardo Contreras

It turns out that remote coral reefs can thrive despite climate change.

The new findings, published by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, particularly underscore previous calls for coral reef preservation because the report revealed that despite threats posed by ocean warming, reefs surrounding remote islands were dramatically healthier than those in populated areas exposed to a variety of human impacts, including overfishing and coastal development.

In this full-length interview, study leader Jennifer Smith describes their landmark report on the impact of fishing on a group of fish known to protect the health of coral reef ecosystems.

Original photo: Eduardo Contreras

Diagnosing cancers and detecting recurrences can be difficult when tumors are deeply embedded within a persons’ tissues. And even then, the cells within a tumor can be diverse. Researcher John Witte of the University of California, San Francisco says that liquid biopsies may offer a less invasive and more accurate technique to pick up this complexity, or the heterogeneity of tumors.

"Certain places are very difficult to biopsy. The second issue is whether or not you actually get the particular cancer while you’re biopsying. Depending on the cancer, you can have different foci of the disease, so it kind of depends where you stick your needle, what you pick up."

The blood tests will pick up tumor DNA floating in a person’s bloodstream.

"Looking at cell-free DNA in the blood is also going to pick up kind of this heterogeneity of the cancer, because presumably the cells are coming out from all different parts of the tumor. But the hope is that you’ll be able to actually kind of reconstruct the tumor heterogeneity from the liquid biopsy."

Diagnosing cancers and detecting recurrences can be difficult when tumors are deeply embedded within a persons’ tissues. And even then, the cells within a tumor can be diverse. Researcher John Witte of the University of California, San Francisco says that liquid biopsies may offer a less invasive and more accurate technique to pick up this complexity, or the heterogeneity of tumors.

"Certain places are very difficult to biopsy. The second issue is whether or not you actually get the particular cancer while you’re biopsying. Depending on the cancer, you can have different foci of the disease, so it kind of depends where you stick your needle, what you pick up."

The blood tests will pick up tumor DNA floating in a person’s bloodstream.

"Looking at cell-free DNA in the blood is also going to pick up kind of this heterogeneity of the cancer, because presumably the cells are coming out from all different parts of the tumor. But the hope is that you’ll be able to actually kind of reconstruct the tumor heterogeneity from the liquid biopsy."

Diagnosing cancers and detecting recurrences can be difficult when tumors are deeply embedded within a persons’ tissues. And even then, the cells within a tumor can be diverse. Researcher John Witte of the University of California, San Francisco says that liquid biopsies may offer a less invasive and more accurate technique to pick up this complexity, or the heterogeneity of tumors.

"Certain places are very difficult to biopsy. The second issue is whether or not you actually get the particular cancer while you’re biopsying. Depending on the cancer, you can have different foci of the disease, so it kind of depends where you stick your needle, what you pick up."

The blood tests will pick up tumor DNA floating in a person’s bloodstream.

"Looking at cell-free DNA in the blood is also going to pick up kind of this heterogeneity of the cancer, because presumably the cells are coming out from all different parts of the tumor. But the hope is that you’ll be able to actually kind of reconstruct the tumor heterogeneity from the liquid biopsy."

One way researchers can track the spread of Zika virus is by closely monitoring mosquito populations. As part of a NASA-funded study, epidemiologist Chris Barker of the University of California, Davis is using surveillance data to help estimate the risk of Zika spread in the United States. Researchers are already doing this for West Nile Virus.

"I think with Zika it will be similar, except that we’ll rely a lot on detection of human cases. We do a lot here with translating our research results into tools online. So we provide risk calculators that combine the temperature data from NASA, with the surveillance estimates to give overall estimates of risk for West Nile virus. And the NASA project is really aiming to develop tools that are very similar for Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya viruses."

NASA technology may also contribute to this large-scale surveillance.

"So that will involve pairing that lab work with data from satellites; to try to figure out what we can estimate at broad scales, in terms of risk."

Understanding what’s involved in the onset Alzheimer’s disease is complicated. But it turns out that lifestyle changes can make a huge difference, even in patients who are already impaired. Karen Gylys of the UCLA School of Nursing says this suggests that people can start making choices earlier and possibly lessen their risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease.

"So things like exercise, things like Mediterranean diet, fish oil, there’s evidence that that these things can move the dial on neuropsychiatric tests in elderly subjects and in some studies in elderly subjects who are beginning to be impaired."

And these studies have an added benefit.

"One of the things that goes along with this - lifestyle changes and lifestyle benefits - is that the evidence is beginning to lie up with things that are good for your heart is also good for your brain. So ti makes a lot of sense."

While Gylys admits that one solution is not enough, understanding these results is encouraging for those working in this field.

One way researchers can track the spread of Zika virus is by closely monitoring mosquito populations. As part of a NASA-funded study, epidemiologist Chris Barker of the University of California, Davis is using surveillance data to help estimate the risk of Zika spread in the United States. Researchers are already doing this for West Nile Virus.

"I think with Zika it will be similar, except that we’ll rely a lot on detection of human cases. We do a lot here with translating our research results into tools online. So we provide risk calculators that combine the temperature data from NASA, with the surveillance estimates to give overall estimates of risk for West Nile virus. And the NASA project is really aiming to develop tools that are very similar for Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya viruses."

NASA technology may also contribute to this large-scale surveillance.

"So that will involve pairing that lab work with data from satellites; to try to figure out what we can estimate at broad scales, in terms of risk."

Understanding what’s involved in the onset Alzheimer’s disease is complicated. But it turns out that lifestyle changes can make a huge difference, even in patients who are already impaired. Karen Gylys of the UCLA School of Nursing says this suggests that people can start making choices earlier and possibly lessen their risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease.

"So things like exercise, things like Mediterranean diet, fish oil, there’s evidence that that these things can move the dial on neuropsychiatric tests in elderly subjects and in some studies in elderly subjects who are beginning to be impaired."

And these studies have an added benefit.

"One of the things that goes along with this - lifestyle changes and lifestyle benefits - is that the evidence is beginning to lie up with things that are good for your heart is also good for your brain. So ti makes a lot of sense."

While Gylys admits that one solution is not enough, understanding these results is encouraging for those working in this field.

Understanding what’s involved in the onset Alzheimer’s disease is complicated. But it turns out that lifestyle changes can make a huge difference, even in patients who are already impaired. Karen Gylys of the UCLA School of Nursing says this suggests that people can start making choices earlier and possibly lessen their risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease.

"So things like exercise, things like Mediterranean diet, fish oil, there’s evidence that that these things can move the dial on neuropsychiatric tests in elderly subjects and in some studies in elderly subjects who are beginning to be impaired."

And these studies have an added benefit.

"One of the things that goes along with this - lifestyle changes and lifestyle benefits - is that the evidence is beginning to lie up with things that are good for your heart is also good for your brain. So ti makes a lot of sense."

While Gylys admits that one solution is not enough, understanding these results is encouraging for those working in this field.