An SDSU volcanologist finds that the same source rock made its way west over time, a discovery that will help us understand past and future eruptions.

A study released today in Nature Microbiology reveals patterns of a virus that half the people in the world are carrying. The collaboration of 117 scientists across the globe focuses on crAssphage, a virus that feeds on human gut bacteria.

After being diagnosed with lung cancer, SDSU virology professor Roland Wolkowicz was determined to continue teaching but didn’t anticipate he could attend his students’ commencement celebration. Despite Wolkowicz’s battle, he unexpectedly arrived to surprise his students during their May 18th commencement at Viejas Arena.

“There’s a big illusion that when tobacco smoke disappears, we’re safe,” said SDSU psychology professor Georg Matt, director of the resource center. “Unfortunately, some of the most toxic compounds clinch to surfaces. They get embedded in carpets, they coat walls, they penetrate into walls. They become part of the indoor environment.”

Astronomers have discovered a third planet in the Kepler-47 system, securing the system’s title as the most interesting of the binary-star worlds. Using data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope, a team of researchers, led by astronomers at San Diego State University, detected the new Neptune-to-Saturn-size planet orbiting between two previously known planets.

“Our work, which, to our knowledge, is the first to describe the kinematics of evasive leaps by bipedal rodents avoiding actual attacks from predators, supports the idea that bipedalism may have been favored in kangaroo rats because it allows for the rapid and powerful leaps needed to avoid ambush predators such as vipers and owls,” said Grace Freymiller of San Diego State University, the student lead author of the second paper.

“Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve is one of the most critical corridors for wildlife and habitat biodiversity, we connect the Palomar Mountains to the East, and Santa Ana Mountain to the West for wildlife. Wildlife and animals use the river valley as a highway,” 20-year reserve manager Pablo Bryant said.

For the final, critical step— purification of the phage cocktail—Strathdee turned to San Diego State University and the research team in the Viral Information Institute (VII). Their translational research applies knowledge from basic biology and clinical trials to techniques and tools that address critical medical needs. After receiving phage therapy, Patterson recovered.

“Dr. Glembotski is exactly the kind of professor that sets SDSU apart,” said Stephen Welter, vice president of Graduate and Research Affairs. “His critical research advancing the field of heart disease, combined with his commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists, is a true credit to this institution.”

“This is an exciting discovery for our group,” Gu said, whose research is supported by the National Science Foundation. “We recovered hydrogen from water using a low-temperature, low-pressure method with small-scale equipment in the lab. And we are among a very few in the field that is able to precisely control the position of metal atoms in the catalyst.”