UC San Diego Will Lead a New California Effort to Make Fusion Energy a Practical Reality
November 12, 2025
UC San Diego has been selected to lead a new multi-institution research effort aimed at solving materials, fuel, diagnostic and workforce challenges required to make clean, affordable fusion energy a commercial reality. Full Story
Upgraded UC San Diego Facility Accelerates Efforts to Develop Materials for Fusion Reactor Walls
November 12, 2025
A newly upgraded fusion research facility at UC San Diego is expected to reduce the time and cost required to develop and demonstrate new materials that are fit to line the walls of fusion reactors. Full Story
Sweat-powered Sticker Turns Your Drinking Cup into a Health Sensor
November 10, 2025
Engineers have developed a battery-free electronic sticker that attaches to everyday objects like a drinking cup and monitors vitamin C levels from a person’s fingertip sweat. The technology could make personal nutrition monitoring as effortless as holding a cup of coffee. Full Story
New Alloy Design Could Power Solid-state Batteries that Charge Faster and Last Longer
November 7, 2025
Engineers have developed a new design strategy for metal alloy negative electrodes that could significantly improve the performance and durability of next-generation solid-state batteries. The work could help advance the path toward practical, high-performance energy storage for electric vehicles. Full Story
How Can Computer Science Educators Teach Students to Calibrate their Trust in GenAI Programming Tools?
November 3, 2025
How much do undergraduate computer science students trust chatbots powered by large language models like GitHub CoPilot and ChatGPT? And how should computer science educators modify their teaching based on these levels of trust? These were the questions that a group of U.S. computer scientists set out to answer in a study that will be presented at the Koli Calling conference Nov. 11 to 16 in Finland. In the course of the study’s few weeks, researchers found that trust in generative AI tools increased in the short run for a majority of students. But in the long run, students said they realized they needed to be competent programmers without the help of AI tools. Full Story
Scientists Produce Powerhouse Pigment Behind Octopus Camouflage
November 3, 2025
Scientists have described a new way to produce large amounts of xanthommatin, a natural pigment used in animal camouflage, in a bacterium for the first time. This breakthrough unlocks a promising pathway for designing nature-inspired materials. Full Story