UC Berkeley NewsCenter: News from the University of California, Berkeley

Earth-size planets common in galaxy

Last year, astronomers were excited to discover that the number of exoplanets increases towards smaller sizes, suggesting that there are many Earth-size planets in the galaxy. A new analysis of three years of Kepler data shows that this increase plateaus around twice Earth size. Nevertheless, Earth-like planets occur around at least 17 percent of sun-like stars.

Exocomets may be as common as exoplanets

Astronomers have found thousand of potential exoplanets and many stars with massive disks of gas and dust that suggest planets are forming, but not much of the stuff intermediate between dust and planets, such as asteroids, planetesimals and comets. UC Berkeley astronomer Barry Welsh has looked closely at a number of stars with dust disks and found evidence that they also have comets.

Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy

Cheap, easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy

UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna discovered that an enzyme used by bacteria to defend against viruses makes a simple, precise and cheap method of cutting DNA in order to insert new genes. The technique, now proved to work in human cells, could revolutionize genome engineering and transform gene therapy.

Berkeley’s triple hitters: 27 students have three majors

Berkeley's 27 triple majors

Anyone who makes it into UC Berkeley is exceptional. But 27 students hold special status: They’re triple majors, and according to a San Francisco Chronicle feature about them, they don’t feel remarkable. (Photo by Michael Macor.)