As marijuana becomes increasingly popular in Los Angeles, UCLA researchers are studying the drug’s potential benefits and risks.
Jeffrey Chen, the executive director of the Cannabis Research Initiative, said the initiative is collecting data on variables that might be affected by cannabis legalization, such as crime, alcohol and opioid consumption, high school graduation rates and traffic accidents.

UCLA researchers found chemotherapy and other radiation cancer treatments may be linked to worsened cognitive performance.
The study, published this week, showed DNA damage from radiation therapies was associated with worsened cognitive performance in patients.

While some companies have profited off fears of blue light, Colin McCannel, a professor of clinical ophthalmology at UCLA’s Stein Eye Institute, said many of these fears aren’t based on scientific research.

This post was updated Oct. 2 at 4:58 p.m.

UCLA researchers developed a virtual reality visualization of zebrafish hearts for use in medical treatment and surgical training.

UCLA researchers are developing a pill to relieve hangovers.
Yunfeng Lu, a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor at UCLA, and Cheng Ji, an associate professor at the University of Southern California, created a pill that decreased blood alcohol by 45 percent in inebriated mice within four hours.

A new initiative at UCLA’s medical school brings together graduate students from different disciplines to help improve patients’ access to the medical system.
The David Geffen School of Medicine implemented the American Association of Medical Colleges’ hotspotting program in this academic year.

A newly revamped chemistry course allows undergraduate students to conduct independent research and publish a paper in a science journal.
This quarter, the chemistry department remodeled the curriculum of Chemistry C174: “Inorganic and Metalorganic Laboratory Methods” to allow students to pursue an independent group research project rather than follow an established lab procedure.

A new addition to UCLA’s meteorite gallery suggests the moon and Earth are made up of similar elements.
The gallery hosted a free public lecture on lunar meteorites Sunday after obtaining a rare lunar meteorite named La’gad, in January.

UCLA Health is collaborating with marketing experts to incentivize patients to screen themselves at home for cancer.
Starting in May, UCLA Health, with the help of researchers at the Anderson School of Management, provided custom letters with take-home colorectal cancer screening kits to encourage patients to use them.

Campus Queries is a series in which Daily Bruin readers and staff present science-related questions for UCLA professors and experts to answer.
Q: Is 3200 Phaethon potentially hazardous?