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UC’s 10 Best Research Stories of 2021

  • by UC Office of the President
News
Steer lying in stable, wearing Tag No. 45.

Quick Summary

  • From UC Davis: Continued study of adding seaweed to cattle feed
  • Supplement led to 50% reduction in methane emissions in 2018 study
  • Follow-up this year showed the gas reduction is sustainable over time

Is 2021 over already?

The year brought its fair share of big news and research breakthroughs, COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 alike. Given UC is the , it’s no surprise that each campus produced numerous new ways of understanding our world.

We’ve rounded up some of the best stories from each campus: Some were extensively covered by the media, like UC San Francisco’s novel treatment for severe depression; others were underrated but deserving of more attention, like UC Santa Cruz’s study on the social factors that affect teen gender identity. Together, these stories show how the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ propels research that changes the world.

Sickled cells
Sickle cell disease is caused by a mutation in the beta-globin gene that makes red blood cells warp into a sickle shape (foreground) as compared to the normal circular shape seen in the background. The sickled cells clog arteries, leading to intense pain and organ damage. (Innovative Genomics Institute/UC Berkeley)

1. Curing sickle cell disease

UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Francisco

Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology discovered by UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna, physicians are launching clinical trials aimed at correcting the defect that causes sickle cell disease. The inherited blood disorder, which is painful and often fatal, affects about one in every 365 Black or African American births. The trials will be led by doctors at UCSF and UCLA and are expected to begin by mid-2022. Tapping into UCLA’s expertise in genetic analysis and cell manufacturing and the decadeslong expertise at in cord blood and marrow transplantation and sickle cell gene therapy, they have the potential to create a cure for sickle cell disease that is both affordable and accessible. Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry in for the CRISPR technology that makes these trials possible.

Learn more:

Color composite of the electron-capture supernova 2018zd
Las Cumbres Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope color composite of the electron-capture supernova 2018zd (the large white dot on the right) and the host starburst galaxy NGC 2146 (toward the left).

2. A new type of supernova

UC Santa Barbara

Scientists found the first convincing evidence for a new type of stellar explosion — an electron-capture supernova. The concept of an electron-capture supernova had been theorized for 40 years without any real-world proof. The discovery, led by UC Santa Barbara scientists at the global Las Cumbres Observatory, has been called the Rosetta Stone of astrophysics because it is helping scientists decode thousand-year-old records from cultures around the world, including a supernova from A.D. 1045 so bright it was seen for 23 days, even at daytime.

Learn more:

Group of young people, one wrapped in rainbow flag
A growing number of teens and young adults identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

3. Social factors affect teen gender expression

UC Santa Cruz

A UC Santa Cruz study showed that a growing number of Gen Z teens are identifying as nonbinary — but this is influenced by regional differences in levels of resources, rights, and visibility for sexual and gender diversity. While almost 25% of the LGBTQ+ youth surveyed expressed some form of nonbinary gender, it was more prevalent in those who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area compared to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ’s Central Valley. Additionally, teens who were assigned female at birth seemed more comfortable with these forms of gender expression, whereas those who were assigned male