UC San Diego is highlighting a range of scientific research projects this Halloween, showcasing the university’s work in fields as diverse as virology, marine biology, film studies, and astrophysics.
Researchers at UC San Diego’s School of Biological Sciences are investigating bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria and are the most numerous organisms on Earth. These viruses may offer solutions to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Scientists have discovered that bacteriophages can hide behind protective layers and use certain genes to undermine rival viruses within bacterial cells. The university’s Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics is North America’s first dedicated phage therapy center and aims to develop these viruses into tools against drug-resistant infections.
Another project involves deep-sea dragonfish. In 2019, researchers from the Jacobs School of Engineering revealed how these fish have nearly invisible teeth due to microscopic structures that prevent light reflection. This adaptation allows them to ambush prey undetected in dark ocean environments.
In the Department of Music, associate professor Michelle Lou teaches “The Sound of Horror,” a course exploring how sound design in films enhances fear. Lou says, “Horror movies really lean into sound and musical scoring. It activates your imagination. There’s so much art that goes into them to carefully craft fear and anxiety through sound design.”
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has also contributed to understanding mass seabird die-offs linked to domoic acid poisoning. Marine ecologist Tammy Russell explained that toxins produced by certain phytoplankton can move up the food chain, affecting birds and marine mammals along California’s coastlines during harmful algal blooms.
Research at UC San Diego’s Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is targeting Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as brain-eating amoeba. Anjan Debnath leads efforts at the Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases to find more effective treatments for this rare but often fatal infection.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography maintains a vast Marine Vertebrate Collection with approximately two million preserved specimens representing over 5,600 species. A recent study led by graduate student Solomon Chang used samples from this collection to revise the evolutionary tree for Stomiiformes—a group including hatchetfishes and dragonfishes—doubling recognized families within this order.
Astrophysicist Shelley Wright from UC San Diego’s School of Physical Sciences is part of PANOSETI (Panoramic SETI), an initiative searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence using advanced telescopes capable of detecting nanosecond-scale flashes of visible light at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. The system enables scientists to search for possible interstellar communications with unprecedented speed.
These projects reflect UC San Diego’s broad engagement in both fundamental research and public education across multiple scientific disciplines.
