Marine mammal research has attained new heights as scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 are deploying noninvasive suction-cup tags onto humpback whales using drones. Traditionally, researchers from the (MMRP) in the approached animals closely via boats, deploying tags using a seven-meter carbon fiber pole. Now, technological advances are allowing the team to tag whales from the sky, dramatically shifting how marine data is collected.

During their February 2026 field season off the coast of Maui, the MMRP team successfully utilized drones to deploy Customized Animal Tracking Solution (CATS) accelerometer tags. This innovative method provides a safer, less invasive tag deployment system for both the marine mammals and the human researchers. The team can deploy tags from several hundred meters away from their research vessel—greatly minimizing human intrusion.

“We do not need to get close to the whales to tag them, so we don’t disturb them,” said Lars Bejder, MMRP researcher. “Additionally, we are able to tag whales that we previously were not able to approach and get close to. This opens up many new opportunities for low-impact research on whales and dolphins to inform on their conservation and management.”

A prime example of this success occurred when the team successfully drone-tagged a skittish, singing male humpback whale during its final surfacing bout—a feat that would have been impossible using traditional pole-tagging methods.

Critical data collection

In total, the expedition deployed 22 tags on lactating females, a calf and adult males.

The high-resolution data collected—including fine-scale movements and energy expenditures—is critical for wildlife management. It allows researchers to quantify the biological consequences of disturbances, such as changing climatic events, vessel traffic or military activities, ultimately helping forecast population trajectories and establish vital evidence-based mitigation strategies to protect these marine species.

The fieldwork was supported by the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Navy’s Living Marine Resources program, Dolphin Quest and philanthropic donations.

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What began 15 years ago as a federally funded research, training and outreach program has grown into an uplifting public health movement across the Pacific. The (CHL), based at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补鈥檚 , is celebrating a decade and a half of pioneering work in childhood nutrition, health, and community empowerment.

The center launched in 2011 with a $25 million USDA grant to create partnerships and build capacity across the region. Since then, it has worked with communities to improve the health and nutrition of thousands of children in Hawaiʻi, Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States in Micronesia.

Putting communities first

“Our whole philosophy is really around promoting health and finding things that work, to always focus on the positive,” said Rachel Novotny, director of CHL. “The real work is with people: collaborating with communities on new playgrounds, adopting new policies about what kinds of foods are in schools, and working with kids on how to garden and grow their own fruits and vegetables, for example.”

A signature of CHL‘s impact is its . National health surveys often overlook Hawaiʻi and the remote Pacific jurisdictions; the center stepped in to track data on children鈥檚 diets, physical activity and early physical signs of conditions like prediabetes.

A global success story

CHL has accomplished something rare: proven success in lowering childhood obesity. Participating communities saw a 4% drop in child overweight and obesity rates during the two-year program compared to non-participating areas. Six years later, that difference widened to 12%, showing the program’s long-term power.

The program has also become a centerpiece for mentoring and professional development for community health. Former CHL staffers and students now serve as deans, directors and lead researchers throughout the Pacific and the world, multiplying the positive impact on global food security.

CTAHR Dean Parwinder Grewal noted, “This is a remarkable example of a collaborative innovation success story, where CTAHR faculty have taken an impactful, community-based and data-driven approach to address nutritional security challenges in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. I commend Rachel for her leadership in building such a broad coalition to conduct place-based research while also training the future workforce.”

“One of our advisors said to me, ‘You know, Rachel, this isn’t so much a research trial anymore, it’s a movement,’” Novotny said. “I considered that a positive thing. It’s true that we’re after real societal change, and I think we have been able to accomplish that because of the people and the communities.”

Equipped with cutting-edge marine robotics, hyperspectral imagers and aerial drones, five University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (MOP) alumni reunited aboard the R/V Searcher in June for a 22-day expedition into Papahānaumokuākea. Their mission was to deploy advanced autonomous systems to combat an invasive macroalgae called Chondria tumulosa.

The expedition highlights the impact of 糖心视频鈥檚 50-year-old undergraduate program, proving how MOP produces scientists, engineers and leaders who work fluently across disciplines, agencies and oceans.

“We have a unique opportunity to work with brilliant marine roboticists to develop tools to help combat one of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 most mysterious and potentially devastating marine macroalgae species, Chondria tumulosa,” said Chief Scientist Keolohilani H. Lopes Jr., a MOP alumnus and 糖心视频 Mānoa PhD candidate.

High-tech tools, interagency collaboration

The voyage brought together diverse expertise to monitor and protect fragile ecosystems. Three advanced marine robotic packages—equipped with computer vision cameras, a hyperspectral imager and an environmental DNA (eDNA) profiler—were provided by Matthew Dunbabin鈥檚 lab at Queensland University of Technology. Meanwhile, PhD student Anna Baker Mikkelsen of the Climate Resilience Collaborative (CRC) led aerial mapping of Sand Island at Kuaihelani (Midway) using a drone.

Shellie Habel, a coastal geologist with the CRC and , served as primary drone pilot for aerial mapping. At Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll), the team conducted aerial operations over shallow reef flats to supplement in-water surveys of macroalgae. The team also evaluated shoreline changes at Tern Island and East Island of Lalo (French Frigate Shoals) to support research led by Sara Kahanamoku and Haunani Kane at 糖心视频 惭ā苍辞补鈥檚 (SOEST).

Decades of trust, leadership

Crucial permit compliance, field safety, and historical context were overseen by MOP alumnus Jason Leonard, Marine Operations Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Leonard, who has visited the sanctuary for more than 25 years, credited MOP and its Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques field program with preparing exceptional marine field personnel.

糖心视频 Mānoa MOP Coordinator Jeff Kuwabara also served as expedition photographer.

“What made this expedition possible wasn’t just funding or equipment,” Kuwabara said. “It was a network of trust built over decades, by people who trained together, dove together, and learned to work across disciplines before they ever had professional titles. That network is MOP‘s quiet legacy: not a single discovery or expedition, but a generation of professionals who know how to collaborate because they were taught to from the start.”

Hawaiʻi faces a severe shortage of mental health specialists qualified to diagnose and support individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, often resulting in long wait times for evaluations and delays in accessing critical services. To help address this growing need, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has appointed internationally recognized clinical psychologist and autism researcher Meghan Miller to lead its (CDS).

A leading expert in the early identification of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Miller will strengthen the center’s efforts to train more specialists, expand access to services and support, and advance research that improves outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families.

“Hawaiʻi has incredible strengths in its communities and its commitment to supporting people with disabilities. At the same time, there is also a growing need for more trained professionals and greater access to services,” said Miller, who was appointed this year. “The Center on Disability Studies is uniquely positioned to bring together research, education and community partnerships to help build that workforce and ensure individuals with disabilities and their families have the support they need throughout their lives.”

The need for that work continues to grow. Autism diagnoses have risen dramatically nationwide—. Miller said expanding Hawaiʻi‘s workforce of trained specialists and increasing access to evidence-based services are critical to advancing CDS‘s mission of improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families across the state.

July also marks and is celebrated worldwide to honor the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990.

Research, training and community impact

CDS was established in 1987 as Hawaiʻi‘s federally funded University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. The center is part of a national network that conducts research, provides professional training and partners with communities to improve opportunities for people with disabilities across the lifespan.

Each year, CDS, which is part of the 糖心视频 Mānoa , collaborates with state agencies, schools, health care providers and community organizations to provide technical assistance, workforce training and community-based programs. Its initiatives focus on education, early intervention, and employment and community living, serving thousands of individuals and families throughout Hawaiʻi, including Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other historically underserved communities.

Expert takes CDS helm

Under Miller’s leadership, the center is working to strengthen interdisciplinary research, expand training opportunities for future educators and service providers, and pursue additional external funding to increase Hawaiʻi‘s capacity to meet the growing demand for disability services.

Miller brings nearly two decades of experience in neurodevelopmental disabilities research and practice. Her work has advanced understanding of the earliest signs of autism, developmental trajectories and early intervention, with findings published in leading scientific journals. She has also received national recognition for her research, including honors from the International Society for Autism Research and the Association for Psychological Science.

“Dr. Miller is an exceptional scholar whose research has helped shape our understanding of autism and early childhood development,” said College of Education Dean Nathan Murata. “Just as important, she shares the College of Education’s commitment to turning research into meaningful outcomes for Hawaiʻi families and communities while strengthening efforts to prepare future educators and service providers.”

糖心视频 President Wendy Hensel, who has spoken about the importance of disability inclusion in higher education, brings a personal perspective shaped in part by her experience as a parent and disability rights attorney.

“I know firsthand how critical early diagnosis and access to services can be for children and their families,” Hensel said. “Too many families in Hawaiʻi face long waits because we simply do not have enough specialists to meet the need. Dr. Miller’s leadership will help 糖心视频 expand that workforce and improve access to life-changing support. This is exactly what a public university should do, apply its expertise to address Hawaiʻi‘s greatest challenges and improve the lives of the people we serve.”

Since the first major bleaching event in 1996, Hawaiian corals have been subject to increasing heat stress and more prevalent bleaching events. New research from oceanographers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa used over the 21st century. Comparing this heat stress to previous estimates of the rate at which corals may adapt to changing conditions, the authors found that Hawaiian corals have the possibility of adapting to future heat stress, even under a high emissions scenario.

“Our research shows that Hawaiian corals may be exposed to unprecedented human-induced heat stress in the coming decades,” said Kate Feloy, lead author of the study, who conducted this work as part of her doctoral research in the in the 糖心视频 Mānoa (SOEST). “However, our results also provide some surprising hope that Hawaiian corals may be able to adapt to increasing temperatures.”

Feloy and co-authors used high-resolution ocean simulations, run under three different climate emissions scenarios. The modeling approach accounts for small-scale processes and can reveal important spatial patterns in local warming. This is the first time this type of high-resolution climate projection has been used to assess future heat stress around the main Hawaiian islands.

Differences across the island chain

Coral reefs have high cultural and economic value and are a critical source of food and coastal protection in Hawaiʻi. This study provides projected heat stress not just for the region as a whole but examines differences across and between individual islands. The team鈥檚 results show that not all coastal locations are projected to experience human-induced climate change at the same rate. They found that corals around Hawaiʻi Island are projected to experience higher heat stress than the other islands.

“The differences in warming are caused by complex ocean dynamics on small spatial scales in the waters around Hawaiʻi,” Feloy said. “These dynamics change the spatial patterns of human-induced coastal warming. Because of the spatial differences in projected heat stress, the rate at which corals will need to adapt in order to keep pace with increasing temperatures varies around the islands.”

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Two University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research projects have been selected for the inaugural , placing 糖心视频鈥檚 flagship research campus among a select group of universities and research institutions nationwide using artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate scientific breakthroughs.

In the , the DOE said the projects were selected to develop and demonstrate AI-enabled tools and workflows designed to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, science and national security. Each project is eligible for Phase I awards of $500,000–$750,000 over nine months, providing investigators with the opportunity to develop innovative AI-driven research while positioning them to compete for future Phase II awards of up to $15 million.

“The selection of not one, but two 糖心视频 Mānoa projects for this highly competitive DOE mission reflects the strength of the 糖心视频 research community and the creativity of our faculty in pursuing solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing society,” said 糖心视频 Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation Chad B. Walton. “At 糖心视频, we are committed to fostering an environment where bold ideas, interdisciplinary collaboration and emerging technologies can come together to create meaningful impact not only in Hawaiʻi, but across the nation, and around the world.”

The two 糖心视频 Mānoa projects selected are led by researchers in the and the .

AI security for critical infrastructure

One project, led by Assistant Professor Liuwan Zhu from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focuses on improving the security and reliability of AI systems used in critical infrastructure. The project, called STRATOS (Security and Trust Runtime Architecture for Time-critical Operational Science), will develop an AI security platform designed to detect and respond to cyber threats targeting AI systems used in real-time operations, such as electrical grid management and forecasting.

The research team will test the technology using a dual-site platform that includes the 糖心视频 Mānoa campus microgrid and real-time computing systems at Argonne National Laboratory. The project includes collaborators from Old Dominion University and Argonne National Laboratory.

AI advances the search for extremely rare decay processes

The second project, led by Professor Zepeng Li from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will develop an AI foundation model to support searches for neutrinoless double beta decay, one of the most important unanswered questions in nuclear and particle physics. Neutrinoless double beta decay is an extremely rare nuclear process that, if observed, could help scientists better understand the nature of neutrinos, the mysterious “ghost particles” that are abundant in the universe and are constantly passing through us without interacting. In particular, this rare decay process could tell us whether the neutrino is its own anti-particle.

Researchers around the world are searching for this phenomenon using different types of detectors, but each experiment typically relies on its own specialized software and analysis methods. Li鈥檚 project aims to create a shared AI framework that can learn from data across multiple detector technologies, helping researchers identify patterns, analyze results and improve collaboration among experiments studying this rare event. The project will develop a unified AI framework that streamlines data analysis across the diverse detector technologies used in neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments, accelerating the search for this rare process.

The Genesis Mission brings together DOE laboratories and universities to combine advanced AI, high-performance computing and scientific expertise. 糖心视频 Mānoa was among 168 universities selected for the first round of Genesis Mission projects, which included a total of 278 research efforts involving more than 340 institutions across the country. Through these projects, 糖心视频 researchers will contribute to emerging applications of AI in fundamental physics, energy systems and national security, while strengthening Hawaiʻi鈥檚 role in cutting-edge scientific research.

Three years after the 2023 Maui wildfires, residents are showing meaningful signs of recovery—but persistent food insecurity, housing instability, health concerns and weakening social support continue to place many families at risk. That is the central finding of a new community report released July 27 from the (MauiWES), led by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi.

The report, “,” follows many of the same adults and children over time, allowing researchers to examine how their health and living conditions have changed since the disaster. The findings show that recovery is underway, but that progress remains uneven across Maui families.

MauiWES has conducted more than 4,000 appointments and screenings to more than 2,500 participants, providing residents with mental health assessments, blood pressure checks, lung function testing, blood testing, social needs screening, health information and referrals.

Key findings

• Employment among returning adults increased from 62.0% to 80.9%.
• Health insurance coverage increased from 85.1% to 90.5%.
• Participants living in temporary housing declined from 40.6% to 34.4%, while those who felt secure in their housing increased from 72.2% to 79.6%.
• Food insecurity remained widespread, affecting 44.9% of returning adults. The most severe level of food insecurity remained essentially unchanged at approximately 23%.
• High social support declined from 62.3% to 53.7%, suggesting growing recovery fatigue and strain on families and community networks.
• Nearly one in two adults continued to report depressive symptoms, approximately one in four screened with moderate-to-severe anxiety and nearly one in three reported post-traumatic stress symptoms.

“These findings show that Maui鈥檚 recovery is moving forward, with real progress in employment, insurance coverage and housing stability,” said Ruben Juarez, co-director of MauiWES and –HMSA Distinguished Professor of Health Economics. “The opportunity now is to build on that progress by connecting housing, food, healthcare and social support so that every family has the foundation needed to recover and thrive.”

The report identifies four closely connected foundations of long-term health recovery:

• Food and income security
• Stable and secure housing
• Access to healthcare and follow-up
• Strong family and community support

Researchers found that residents facing food insecurity, housing insecurity or limited social support consistently experienced greater emotional distress. For example, half of adults who felt insecure in their housing reported moderate-to-severe post-traumatic stress symptoms, compared with about one-quarter of those who felt secure.

“The progress is real, and it should be recognized,” said Alika K. Maunakea, MauiWES co-director and professor. “But the biological, emotional and social consequences of a disaster do not disappear on the same timeline as debris removal or reconstruction. Long-term recovery requires continued health monitoring, early intervention and trusted pathways to care.”

Children remain a priority

The report highlights mixed findings among children and adolescents. Overall anxiety and mild-to-moderate depression declined, but severe depressive symptoms increased from 11.8% to 15.1%, and severe post-traumatic stress symptoms increased.

Children鈥檚 lung function screening results improved but remained concerning, according to researchers. Stage 1-range blood-pressure readings and obesity also increased, reinforcing the importance of continued pediatric screening, school-based mental-health support and family-centered services.

“Children may appear resilient while still carrying significant emotional and physical effects beneath the surface,” said Christopher Knightsbridge, a MauiWES mental-health therapist based in Lahaina. “Supporting children means supporting the entire family鈥攊ncluding their housing, food security, daily routines and access to trusted care.”

From screening to sustained care

The report calls for Maui鈥檚 recovery to move from separate emergency programs toward a coordinated health-recovery system connecting healthcare, behavioral health, housing assistance, food programs, schools, insurance enrollment and trusted community organizations.

“Screening cannot end with a result on paper,” Juarez said. “Every concerning result should become a supported pathway to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Families should not be left to navigate a complicated recovery system on their own.”

MauiWES is a community-based partnership involving 糖心视频 researchers, local healthcare providers, grassroots organizations and recovery partners across Maui.

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See more 糖心视频 News stories on MauiWES. For more on MauiWES and information on resources, .

Last fall, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers asked the question: Can Hawaiʻi grow rice again? Now, a new study has given a data-driven answer: Yes, and the quality might be higher than expected.

The report is the work of scientists from the 糖心视频 Mānoa (CTAHR) and the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. They found that high-quality Japanese rice types can thrive in fields with traditional irrigation systems, instead of traditional flooded paddies.

The collaboration evaluated two of Japan’s premier short-grain varieties, Koshihikari and Hitomebore, during the 2025 summer season.

The team tested upland cultivation in fields in Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi, owned by farmer Jerry Ornellas, a former CTAHR field technician. Yields in Kapaʻa reached 3.79 to 4.01 tons per hectare, comparable to many fields in Tokyo. Surprisingly, while the crops in Japan required 134 days to mature, 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 crops were harvested in 97 days. Shorter tropical daylengths accelerated their growth.

“This was an excellent start to the collaborative research to explore the potential of bringing back rice farming to Hawaiʻi,” said Professor Tomoaki Miura of CTAHR鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 stable temperatures and abundant sunshine generated heavier grains, yielding an outstanding grain-filling rate of up to 93.9%. The island-grown rice also achieved a superior whole-grain ratio and a lower protein content, a trait highly prized for creating a softer, stickier eating texture.

Hawaiʻi imports 100% of its rice, totaling 140 million pounds a year. Because residents consume three times the national average, establishing local production can play a major role in the state鈥檚 food security.

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa physicist is part of an international team behind a new approach to studying some of the universe鈥檚 most mysterious particles&@8212;using mountains instead of ice.

A paper published July 15 in outlines the scientific potential of the (TAMBO), a proposed neutrino observatory that would use a deep valley in the Peruvian Andes to detect some of the highest-energy neutrinos ever observed.

Neutrinos are tiny, nearly massless particles created during some of the universe鈥檚 most powerful events, such as exploding stars and supermassive black holes. Because they rarely interact with matter, they can travel across the universe almost unchanged, carrying clues about where they came from. That same property, however, also makes them extremely difficult to detect.

Neutrinos, rocks, cascades of particles

Unlike the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, which detects neutrinos using sensors embedded deep in glacial ice, TAMBO would use the natural landscape of a mountain valley. When a rare, high-energy tau neutrino passes through Earth’s crust and interacts with rock, it can produce a particle that escapes into the valley and creates a cascade of particles in the air. Thousands of detectors placed on the opposite side of the valley would capture that signal.

By focusing on high-energy tau neutrinos (one of three types of neutrinos), researchers expect TAMBO to identify cosmic neutrinos with far less interference from particles produced in Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. That could help scientists pinpoint the powerful cosmic objects that generate them and provide new opportunities to test fundamental laws of physics.

糖心视频 Mānoa Assistant Professor Peter Lewis is a member of the international TAMBO collaboration, which includes researchers from 26 institutions across nine countries. TAMBO was originally proposed by 糖心视频 alumnus Andres Romero-Wolf, who until recently served as the project鈥檚 manager.

“Neutrinos are exceedingly weird and challenging to detect, but we need to study them to understand the universe,” Lewis said. “TAMBO will fill a critical gap in our understanding of neutrinos. It will also continue a very long and rich tradition of neutrino detection leadership at 糖心视频 Mānoa. TAMBO will give our students a unique opportunity to collaborate with an international collaboration on fast-paced, innovative work in advanced detector design and neutrino physics.”

Researchers are evaluating the Colca Valley in Peru as a potential site for the observatory. Construction of TAMBITO, a prototype for the project, is already underway, with the full TAMBO observatory expected to be completed in 2028. The collaboration is also working with local communities and social scientists to help ensure the project is developed responsibly while supporting education and research opportunities in the region.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in 糖心视频 Mānoa鈥檚 .

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have found that certain gut bacteria are linked to how quickly the body ages, providing new insight into the connection between the gut, health and longevity.

The findings, , found that differences in gut bacteria explained about 15% of the differences in how quickly participants鈥� bodies were biologically aging. The work provides evidence that gut microbiome carries meaningful biological information related to how quickly the body ages at the molecular level.

“This study advances our understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiome and biological aging,” said senior author Alika K. Maunakea of the 糖心视频 Mānoa . “We found that microbial patterns in the gut were significantly associated with molecular measures of aging, even independent of chronological age. These findings open important new directions for understanding how modifiable biological systems influence long-term health trajectories and longevity.”

• Related 糖心视频 News story: Gut bacteria linked to how our genes switch on and off, September 22, 2025

Tracking the gut-body connection

The research analyzed stool and blood samples from 123 participants representing a broad adult age range. The team compared the types of bacteria found in participants鈥� guts with biological markers in their blood that estimate how quickly their bodies are aging. Unlike chronological age, which measures the number of years a person has lived, biological aging biomarkers attempt to capture how rapidly the body is aging physiologically.

The investigators observed that gut microbial composition was specifically associated with DunedinPACE, a next-generation biomarker that estimates the pace of biological aging. Several types of bacteria demonstrated particularly strong associations with aging trajectories. Among the findings, Bifidobacterium adolescentis emerged as one of the strongest microbial signatures associated with slower biological aging, while Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens showed one of the strongest associations with accelerated aging.

Lead author Braden P. Kunihiro said the findings highlight the growing scientific importance of the gut microbiome in precision health research.

“The gut microbiome is highly responsive to lifestyle, diet, environment and other everyday exposures,” Kunihiro said. “Our findings suggest that the microbiome may reflect important aspects of biological resilience and aging in ways that could eventually help inform future wellness and healthy aging strategies.”

The study also included a group of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander participants, populations historically underrepresented in aging and microbiome research. Co-author Ruben Juarez noted that the work may help researchers better understand how environmental and social factors become biologically embedded over time.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: Native Hawaiians face higher rates of accelerated biological aging, 糖心视频 study finds, July 29, 2024

“The microbiome exists at the intersection of behavior, environment and human biology,” Juarez said. “Studies like this help illuminate potential pathways through which lived experiences and social factors influence long-term health outcomes.”

The researchers emphasize that the study found a connection between gut bacteria and biological aging, but it does not prove that one causes the other. More research is needed to determine whether changing the gut microbiome can affect how the body ages.

“This is an important early step toward understanding the gut microbiome鈥檚 relationship with healthy aging,” Maunakea said. “Future research will help clarify the mechanisms involved and whether these microbial signatures may eventually contribute to precision approaches for promoting long-term health and wellness.”

Human activities are fundamentally altering the chemical makeup of local coral reefs, according to a study led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and published in . The research team discovered that 25 contaminants from agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical sources accumulated in the soft tissues of coral around Maui. Additionally, in areas impacted by human activities, the energy and nutrient availability within the coral鈥檚 tissue decreases, making them significantly less resilient to environmental stressors such as warmer or acidic waters.

“Our findings suggest that monitoring the pool of chemicals within the coral tissues, called metabolomes, can serve as a powerful tool for tracking the hidden impacts of anthropogenic [human induced] disturbance on marine life,” said Zach Quinlan, lead author and research biologist at the (HIMB) in the 糖心视频 Mānoa .

Quinlan and an international team of researchers tested the metabolomes of 380 lobe corals (Porites lobata) and rice corals (Montipora capitata) from 16 sites off west and south Maui. They found that human activities both within the adjacent watershed and in the marine ecosystem altered the composition of the corals鈥� metabolomes. In areas with more ecosystem disturbance, there was increased accumulation of contaminants and a decrease of nutrient and energy reserves in the coral tissues.

“It was extremely surprising that the metabolomes of both coral species had almost identical trends,” said Quinlan. “These corals have very different life strategies, and we wouldnʻt normally expect them to accumulate contaminants the same or even necessarily respond the same to disturbances.”

Clues from 2016 bleaching event

Using historical trends in coral from five of the sites they sampled, the team found that sites that had the most severe declines in coral cover after the 2016 bleaching event are the sites with the most impacted metabolomes. At more impacted sites, nitrogen and energy reserves were reduced, while stress chemicals were enriched.

The research team proposed two potential mechanisms by which human activities and contamination of marine environments lead to decreased coral resilience: 1) accumulation of anthropogenic molecules such as pharmaceuticals and industrial byproducts, and 2) increased pressure from anthropogenic activities requires coral to utilize portions of their nitrogen and energetic reserves.

Tracing contaminants through the ecosystem

The researchers propose that monitoring the metabolomes of coral or other coastal seafloor species can be used as a powerful tool to track human impacts on natural ecosystems.

“Beyond the implications for coral health and resilience, this study demonstrates how many anthropogenic contaminants are escaping into marine ecosystems,” Megan Donahue, senior author on the paper and HIMB director. “We see increasing evidence that anthropogenic contaminants have broad cumulative impacts that can undermine the resilience of coastal ecosystems.”

Looking ahead, Quinlan and team are searching for ways to enrich coral tissue nitrogen and energy reserves in controlled experiments to determine whether those increases lead to more resilient corals.

Additional co-authors include researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Newcastle (Australia), University of New South Wales (Australia), Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute (Australia), The Nature Conservancy, University of California Merced, Princeton University and James Cook University (Australia).

When talking about 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 food security, the conversation often focuses on physical infrastructure — warehouses, cold storage, and doubling crop production to combat importing 90% of our food. A new by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher contends that physical infrastructure and production are essential, but incomplete when looking at the challenges.

Published in Food Policy by Sothy Eng, an associate professor in the (CTAHR), the article emphasizes that cultural and social capital are under-recognized parts of achieving food self-sufficiency.

Cultural capital refers to the tastes, knowledge, and familiarity that influence what people value and consume; social capital refers to networks of trust, cooperation, and connection.

Eng, who teaches in CTAHR鈥檚 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, states that expanding food production requires deliberate attention to culture, inclusion, and trust. His draws on a statewide survey of 313 farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than asking for fertilizer, soil, or fencing, local growers identified peer-to-peer networks, resource sharing, and community engagement as their most critical needs to sustain operations and morale.

Strongest driver of farming efficiency

Global data indicate that social capital is often the strongest driver of farming efficiency, outweighing both human and natural capital. Trust is vital for coordination, inclusion, and resilience across farmers, institutions, and consumers. Cultural and social capital help explain why production alone may not translate into local food consumption or stronger food security.

To bridge the gap between what Hawaiʻi grows and what its communities actually eat, Eng advocates for investing in “relationship/symbolic infrastructure.” Practical solutions include expanding university campus farmers鈥� markets and recipe-sharing programs. These initiatives serve as cultural classrooms that build familiarity with local crops such as taro leaves and moringa, naturally driving local demand.

To achieve true food security, Eng concluded, food policy should grow relationships alongside crops. As he writes in the article, “Cultural and social capital are not substitutes for technology or infrastructure; they are the relational soil in which sustainability takes root.”

For many adults at risk for Type 2 diabetes, knowing where to begin can be one of the biggest obstacles to prevention. A new study from the Healthy Hawaiʻi Evaluation Team (HHET) at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (HDOH) found that a statewide media campaign helped encourage more adults to take that first step by enrolling in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

The study, published in , evaluated the statewide Beat Diabetes campaign, a HDOH initiative that ran from July through October 2024 across different media. The campaign encouraged adults at risk for Type 2 diabetes to enroll in the evidence-based DPP, which can reduce the risk of developing the disease by up to 58%. A follow-up survey was conducted from October through December 2024.

The Beat Diabetes campaign targeted Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander and Filipino adults—communities with higher prediabetes rates—using messages tested in focus groups reflecting those populations. Participants responded most strongly to messages urging immediate action, shaping the campaign’s call to enroll in a DPP.

Evaluating campaign impact

To evaluate the campaign’s effectiveness, researchers from HHET, housed in the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 , collaborated with HDOH’s (CDPHPD) to survey 860 Hawaiʻi residents ages 35 to 64 who reported at least one diabetes risk factor.

“Our programs leverage HHET’s expertise in chronic disease prevention and health communications. We’re excited to use these findings to improve our support for people at risk for diabetes,” said Blythe Nett of CDPHPD.

Among survey respondents, 40% reported seeing or hearing the Beat Diabetes campaign. Those who recalled the campaign were more likely to join the DPP than those who did not.

“Exposure to the campaign may increase one’s likelihood to join a DPP; however, it’s important to also address other structural and logistical barriers that can get in the way of actual enrollment into a DPP,” said Kara Saiki, the study’s lead author and HHET researcher.

The findings suggest that culturally relevant public health campaigns can encourage people to take the first step toward diabetes prevention. Researchers say future efforts may be even more effective by pairing motivational messaging with strategies that reduce barriers such as time, cost and access to prevention programs.

For more information and helpful tips on diabetes prevention, .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the reclassification of the Aʻeo, or Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni), from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act, a rare and hopeful milestone for a native Hawaiian species. The change, published in the Federal Register alongside a species-specific 4(d) rule, reflects more than 50 years of conservation work that has brought the long-legged waterbird back from the brink. The recovery is documented in a new study led by researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补鈥檚 (CTAHR) and their partners, published in .

Once abundant across the Hawaiian Islands, the Aeʻo dwindled to roughly 200 birds in the 1940s after decades of overhunting, the loss of wetlands to agriculture and development, and the spread of invasive predators. Following its listing as endangered in 1973 and sustained conservation efforts, the population has since climbed to more than 1,500 birds today.

Community partnering with conservation managers

The team analyzed more than five decades of data, representing more than 2,000 nests across nine wetlands on Oʻahu from 1963 to 2020. They found that nesting success and chick fledging success improved measurably over time, providing evidence that management actions such as predator control and habitat restoration are working.

“This is a bright spot story,” said Melissa Price, associate professor in CTAHR鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. “So many species across Hawaiʻi are in decline. The aeʻo demonstrates how community can work in partnership with conservation managers to achieve recovery and rebuild relationships with our native species.”

A promising path

Expanding managed wetland habitat is the key to increasing the Aeʻo population. Aeʻo readily colonize restored and managed wetlands, and recent work has documented the birds nesting in restored Indigenous wetland agro-ecosystems. As sea-level rise threatens existing coastal wetlands, these community- and culturally-grounded restoration efforts offer both new habitat and a model for stewardship.

The new rule accompanying the reclassification is designed to keep the momentum going. It allows certain activities that benefit the Aʻeo to continue, including habitat management and restoration work, even where such activities would otherwise be restricted under the Act. This flexibility is intended to sustain the partnerships and on-the-ground care that the species still depends on as it progresses toward full recovery.

The authors are careful to call the Aeʻo a “conservation success story in progress.” Like many native Hawaiian species, it remains conservation-reliant: dependent on ongoing predator control, water management and habitat protection.

“Downlisting doesn’t mean the work is done,” said lead author Jessica Idle, a manager with the 糖心视频 Mānoa Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. “It means the work is paying off. Continued monitoring and management, especially expanding protected wetland habitat, will be essential to keep the population growing.”

The research was a collaboration among 糖心视频 Mānoa, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Tufts University and other partners, reflecting the coordinated, cross-agency effort behind the bird’s recovery.

In a state where land is expensive, and the tropical heat can be a hurdle for certain crops, researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 (CTAHR) are looking up.

Kyle Marcelino, a PhD graduate from the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering (MBBE) at CTAHR, conducted this research under the mentorship of Professor Samir Kumar Khanal, principal investigator, and Surendra K.C., PhD, a research scholar on Professor Khanal’s team. Together, the team is exploring new ways to strengthen local agriculture through a hybrid controlled environment system. By combining vertical farming with advanced aquaponics, they are developing a sustainable path for more commercial food production in the islands.

The tech behind the tower: Nano bubbles

At the heart of this project is the integration of nanobubble technology. Traditional aquaponic systems can struggle to maintain enough dissolved oxygen for healthy plant roots and beneficial bacteria. This system injects pure oxygen directly into the water using nanobubble technology.

“One of the most important parts of aquaponics is trying to maintain dissolved oxygen,” Marcelino said. This boost in oxygen serves several critical functions:

• It reduces root decay or root rot caused by harmful bacteria.
• It supports the natural bacteria that convert fish waste into plant-available nutrients.
• It encourages bacteria to break down organic solids, preventing the buildup of sludge that can choke a system.

A system built for Hawaiʻi

With limited agricultural land available in Hawaiʻi, growing vertically offers an efficient alternative. The hybrid greenhouse system uses technology to regulate temperature, UV exposure and water quality.

While the system is ideal for leafy greens, researchers are expanding their horizons to include high-value crops like strawberries that struggle in Hawaiʻi鈥檚 humidity. It can also be used for radishes and other highly nutritious root vegetables.

The ultimate goal is to help move the technology from research to commercial use, giving local farmers another tool to grow fresh food more efficiently.

“The whole big goal is to try to eventually build this controlled environment system where farmers can control temperature, water quality, and oxygen levels to grow high-value crops and feed communities,” said Marcelino.

This research is supported by the CTAHR CARES Initiative and the Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation, and conducted under the leadership of Professor Khanal and K.C.

New research shows the Hawaiian mantle plume has gotten hotter by about 250°C (480°F) over the past 47 million years. Led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the study published in , reverses the long-held idea that hotspots start out very hot and progressively cool with time. Researchers also found that heat surges produced the two largest volcanoes along the Northwestern and Main Hawaiian Island chain.

The Hawaiian Ridge consists of 65 volcanoes spread over 3,500 km (2,179 miles) that were formed during the past 47 million years as the Pacific plate slowly moved over the Hawaiian hotspot, where a plume of molten material flows out of Earth鈥檚 crust. A team of researchers, led by Michael Garcia, Emeritus Professor of in the 糖心视频 Mānoa , set out to evaluate hypotheses that might explain the 100-fold fluctuation in lava volume along this ridge. By examining olivine basalts from 16 volcanoes, the researchers assessed four testable causes, including changes in lithosphere thickness, magma source composition, rate of the Pacific plate movement and plume temperature.

“It was a major surprise to find such a strong, direct correlation between mantle temperatures and volcano size,” said Garcia. “Other potential explanations simply failed to explain the data.”

Cutting-edge ‘geothermometer’

To uncover this connection, the team developed a cutting-edge “geothermometer” to estimate the temperature of the lava when it first formed deep within the Earth’s mantle. They paired these temperatures with recent, comprehensive ocean floor surveys to calculate more accurate estimates of volcano size along the Hawaiian Ridge.

The results show an overall increase in lava temperature with two heat surges: One at 14–20 million years ago (making the largest and longest lived shield volcano in the last 60 million years, Pūhāhonu) and the other making the Hawaiian Islands (0–6 million years ago).

“The development of the new geothermometer allows one to better understand the history of volcanoes and why some are larger than other volcanoes,” Garcia added.

The researchers suggest that the overall increase in the Hawaiian mantle plume temperature is possibly related to drifting of dense, hot material in the lowermost mantle.

For decades, scientists have studied whether oxygen-carrying liquids could help people breathe when their lungs are too damaged or underdeveloped to function normally. They have assumed those liquids could replace the lung’s natural surfactant—an ultrathin film that coats the tiny air sacs inside the lungs and prevents them from collapsing during breathing. Research from the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 suggests that assumption may be incorrect.

A new three-year, $491,121 National Science Foundation (NSF) award will enable Professor Yi Zuo and his team to investigate one of the most fundamental unanswered questions in lung biophysics while developing a new generation of experimental tools that could advance biomedical engineering, materials science and future liquid breathing technologies.

“The oxygen-carrying liquid does not simply replace the lung’s natural surfactant,” said Zuo from the and the . “Instead, the two appear to work together at the interface between two liquids. Understanding how that interface behaves is essential if we want to improve future liquid ventilation technologies.”

A century-old problem with new implications

Scientists have studied the pulmonary surfactant for more than 70 years to understand how it works when we breathe air. Much less is known about how it behaves when the lungs are filled with oxygen-rich liquids.

Liquid ventilation, in which oxygen-carrying perfluorocarbon liquids (synthetic liquids that carry large amounts of oxygen) partially or completely replace air in the lungs, has long been investigated as a potential treatment for premature infants and patients suffering from severe respiratory failure. Researchers have also envisioned future applications in emergency medicine, deep-sea diving and human space exploration. However, much remains unknown about the basic mechanics of how these liquids interact inside the lungs.

Inventing a new scientific tool

A major objective of the project is developing a new experimental platform capable of studying molecular behavior at liquid-liquid interfaces. Current techniques were originally designed nearly a century ago to investigate films on water exposed to air. Those methods work well for traditional surface science but cannot adequately study the interface between two liquids.

Building upon technology invented in Zuo’s laboratory, the team is developing a small device that lets scientists watch how molecules gather and interact where two different liquids meet.

“This project is really about developing a new way of studying one of nature’s most important interfaces,” Zuo said. “Once we have the technology, it can be applied far beyond lung biology.”

Impact beyond medicine

Liquid-liquid interfaces play essential roles in biological systems, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, drug delivery, energy technologies, food science and environmental engineering. The new instrumentation developed through this NSF project is expected to provide researchers with a versatile platform for investigating molecular self-assembly in many different applications.

Reliable operation of data centers has become essential to nearly all sectors of modern society, including healthcare, education, government services, power grid operation, banking, defense and disaster relief. New research published in and led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa revealed that future climate conditions may reduce the availability of one of the cheapest and most energy-efficient approaches to cooling data centers.

The research team, led by Christina Karamperidou, atmospheric sciences professor in the 糖心视频 Mānoa , assessed historical and projected temperatures and humidity levels around the world and compared them to the conditions required for “direct air free cooling,” wherein naturally cold outside air is brought in to cool a building or equipment.

A confluence of factors presents a substantial societal challenge: with the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the demand for data centers is increasing, just as climate conditions are limiting an efficient approach to cooling these facilities.

“We found that periods of time when temperature and humidity exceed recommended operating thresholds for direct air free cooling are becoming more frequent and lasting longer in many regions,” said Karamperidou. “This will reduce the availability of air free cooling for a growing number of data centers globally.”

Looking to the past and future

Karamperidou and co-authors combined high-resolution hourly weather observations with climate model simulations and a global database of data center locations. This allowed them to evaluate how often environmental conditions exceeded recommended operating limits for direct air free cooling, both historically and in future climate scenarios. By analyzing global datasets, they were able to identify large-scale patterns and trends that would not be visible from studies focused on individual facilities.

The researchers found over the past 45 years, the number of hours characterized by high temperature and humidity conditions that limit direct air cooling has increased significantly, particularly across the tropics and the southeastern U.S. A site- and market-level analysis further showed that the share of data centers exposed to conditions that limit air free cooling availability for at least one quarter of the year is rising. Projections through mid-century indicate continued expansion of these constraints with sustained warming and increasing humidity.

Worst-day conditions

One of their key findings is that the largest changes are not always seen in average conditions. In several regions, worst-day conditions are intensifying more rapidly than average conditions, indicating that environmental stress is becoming increasingly concentrated in rare but consequential events.

“From an operational perspective, those worst-day conditions often drive contingency planning, system overrides, redundancy requirements, and reliability decisions,” Karamperidou shared. “This suggests that infrastructure planning may need to account not only for average environmental conditions but also for how the most stressful days are changing over time.”

This work was developed in collaboration with researchers working on cyberinfrastructure and next-generation cooling technologies, including partners through the , where 糖心视频 is a key partner institution.

For centuries, plants like māmaki and noni have been used to heal and restore. Now, a researcher at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is using bioengineering to better understand how these plants produce their healing power and how to naturally boost those medicinal properties for the future.

Nan Jiang, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering in the (CTAHR), is leading a first-ever study to map the genetic and chemical blueprints of some of 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 most significant medicinal plants.

Bio-factories

His research focuses on the anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds found in noni, māmaki and moringa.

“We are looking at the ‘bio-factory’ inside the cells,” Jiang said. “If we can identify the limiting steps in how a plant produces an antioxidant, we can use natural breeding or environmental triggers to boost that production.”

To decode these complex processes, Jiang uses a new ally: Nicotiana benthamiana, a relative of tobacco, as a research tool. His lab tests specific enzymes from plants such as noni and moringa in Nicotiana plants, using them as natural incubators to see which genetic combinations yield the highest medicinal value.

The research has practical applications for 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 economy. Many local entrepreneurs produce teas, powders and supplements using native plants, and Jiang鈥檚 research has the potential to increase the potency and quality of these health products.

Growing resilience

The project, which has been underway for more than a year, is an example of the mission of the CTAHR. By focusing on plants that are uniquely suited to the islands’ environment, Jiang is helping to build a more resilient future for both local agriculture and community health. This research is supported by the CTAHR CARES Initiative and the Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation.

“Our greenhouse and lab work is designed to honor the plants that are native to this place and find ways to make their healing properties more accessible to everyone.”

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty member has received a $660,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award to study how fuel contamination can affect drinking water during the treatment process.

Emily Marron, an assistant specialist in the and cooperating graduate faculty and instructor in the , will lead the five-year project, which runs through June 2031.

The research focuses on what happens when chlorine—commonly used to disinfect drinking water—reacts with fuel that has entered water supplies after spills or leaks. While chlorine is regularly added to drinking water systems to help control bacterial growth and eliminate harmful pathogens, it can also react with fuel-related chemicals to create unintended byproducts that may pose health risks.

Marron and her research team will use advanced analytical chemistry techniques, such as high-resolution mass spectrometry, to identify the compounds formed during these reactions, measure how quickly they develop and better understand how fuel changes over time affect water treatment. The findings could improve how contaminated drinking water systems are evaluated and treated following fuel releases.

Clean drinking water, complex contamination

“Clean drinking water is something every community depends on,” Marron said. “I hope this research gives scientists and water professionals better tools to understand complex contamination events and make informed decisions that help protect public health.”

The project could also provide new insight into the types of chemical compounds people might have been exposed to in drinking water following the Red Hill fuel contamination in 2021. Rather than recreating the specific conditions of the Red Hill incident, the research will use controlled laboratory experiments to build a scientific framework for studying fuel-contaminated water. The research could also help inform public health decisions and improve response strategies during contamination events.

In addition to the research, the project includes education and community outreach. Marron will develop an undergraduate teaching module in partnership with local water professionals, including the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, to give students hands-on learning opportunities in environmental chemistry and drinking water treatment.

The project will also establish a community-centered laboratory that expands access to low-cost drinking water testing. The effort is designed to help residents better understand water quality, environmental chemistry and the science behind keeping drinking water safe.

The NSF CAREER program is among the foundation鈥檚 most notable awards for early-career faculty, recognizing researchers who integrate innovative research with education and community engagement.