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2019 Research

December 30, 2019
The mysterious case of the ornamented coot chicks has a surprising explanation
The bright colors of the chicks of American coots help their parents choose favorites, according to a new study.
December 19, 2019
How genetics and social games drive evolution of mating systems in mammals
From monogamy to promiscuity, a new model explains the evolution of diverse mating systems based on the conflict between cooperative and competitive behaviors.
December 17, 2019
Structural analysis reveals an unexpected mechanism for a cancer drug
Palbociclib is clinically approved for treating breast cancer, but it doesn’t work the way scientists thought it did.
December 10, 2019
California’s sea otter population could triple by recolonizing San Francisco Bay
A new study highlights the importance of estuaries as prime habitat for the endangered southern sea otter.
December 06, 2019
UCSC team chosen again to compete in Amazon's Alexa Prize Challenge
With funding and other support from Amazon, university teams compete to advance conversational AI.
December 05, 2019
UC Santa Cruz establishes new Center for the Middle East and North Africa
A new interdisciplinary Center for the Middle East and North Africa, directed by associate professor of history Jennifer Derr, will focus on the culture, history, and politics of the region.
December 05, 2019
Island 'soundscapes' show potential for evaluating recovery of nesting seabirds
Conservation biologists are taking a holistic approach to acoustic monitoring for evaluating the effectiveness of restoration efforts.
December 03, 2019
Composition of gas giant planets not determined by host star, study finds
Research led by astronomers at UC Santa Cruz and Carnegie Institution for Science has implications for understanding how planets form.
December 03, 2019
Study reveals dynamics of crucial immune system proteins
New findings show how a key part of the immune system functions and suggest potential applications in disease diagnostics and therapeutics .
November 26, 2019
UC Santa Cruz researchers funded to develop new technology for monitoring toxic algae
As the frequency and severity of harmful algal blooms increases along the California coast, ocean scientist Raphael Kudela is working to improve the technology for monitoring them.
November 21, 2019
Fish in California estuaries are evolving as climate change alters their habitat
Comparison of current stickleback populations with fish collected in the 1970s shows the populations are evolving as California's climate becomes hotter and drier.
November 19, 2019
List of most highly cited researchers features 18 UCSC scientists and engineers
The 2019 Highly Cited Researchers list includes 18 scientists and engineers at UC Santa Cruz.
November 12, 2019
UC Santa Cruz collaborates on $14M project to advance cryptographic computing technologies
Computer scientist Owen Arden will lead the UCSC effort in the Baskin School of Engineering.
November 06, 2019
Radical excellence: UC Santa Cruz joins Association of American Universities
The University of California, Santa Cruz, has joined the Association of American Universities, an achievement that underscores the impact and quality of the campus’s research and graduate and undergraduate education. Membership in the AAU provides UC Santa Cruz greater opportunity to shape and advocate for the future of higher education.
November 06, 2019
Biotech blooms on Santa Cruz’s westside
The biotech boom on the westside of Santa Cruz is the culmination of all the pieces falling into place—brilliant and driven graduate alumni and faculty members who are eager to make people’s lives better, vacant buildings in need of a new purpose, and a university partnering with the community to foster entrepreneurs.
October 30, 2019
Simulations explain giant exoplanets with eccentric, close-in orbits
A giant-impacts phase in the evolution of planetary systems can explain the observations of close-in giant planets with eccentric orbits.
October 30, 2019
Powerful new supercomputer supports campus research in physical sciences
UCSC faculty are using the new system for research in astrophysics, climate science, materials science, chemistry, and other fields.
October 29, 2019
Mangroves reduce flood damages during hurricanes, saving billions of dollars in property losses
A new report finds that mangroves provide valuable flood risk benefits and play a critical role in protecting coastal communities in Florida.
October 25, 2019
Pediatric cancer study shows usefulness of gene expression analysis
Analyzing gene expression in tumor cells from children with cancer is more likely to reveal targets for therapy than analysis of DNA mutations, according to a new study led by UCSC researchers.
October 24, 2019
Campus conference to honor renowned late UC Santa Cruz historian Hayden White
UCSC will present a conference in honor of the influential late historian on November 1-2 at the Merrill Cultural Center. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines will participate in an effort to channel the vital, open-ended, iconoclastic spirit of White, professor emeritus in the History of Consciousness Department.
October 22, 2019
When exoplanets collide
Scientists thought they found clues pointing to a collision between two exoplanets ten years ago. Now they found more evidence of a catastrophic collision.
October 21, 2019
Biophysicist David Kliger investigates how a protein goes wrong and causes blindness
Abnormal versions of the protein rhodopsin lead to blindness in people with the genetic disease retinitis pigmentosa.
October 18, 2019
Dee Hibbert-Jones receives 2019 International Documentary Association grant for new animated film
UC Santa Cruz professor of art Dee Hibbert-Jones has won a 2019 International Documentary Association (IDA) grant for "Run With It"--an animated documentary film she is currently working on in collaboration with San Francisco artist Nomi Talisman.
October 18, 2019
Novel nanoprobes show promise for optical monitoring of neural activity
A new approach for studying neural circuits offers advantages over both microelectrodes and fluorescence-based optical techniques that require genetic modifications.
October 18, 2019
Whole genome sequencing could help save pumas from inbreeding
The first complete genetic sequences of individual mountain lions point the way to better conservation strategies for saving threatened populations of the wild animals.
October 11, 2019
Student-led iGEM team aims to fight world hunger with synthetic biology
The team of 16 UCSC undergraduates is working to solve a real-world problem while building the skills they will need to be successful researchers.
October 10, 2019
Viagra shows promise for use in bone marrow transplants
By dilating blood vessels, Viagra enhances the mobilization of blood-forming stem cells from the bone marrow so they can be collected from the blood for transplants.
October 09, 2019
Reef fish caring for their young are taken advantage of by other fish
Biologists have reported the first evidence of brood parasitism in coral reef fish, finding unrelated young fish in groups of young being protected by their parents.
October 01, 2019
Biologist Upasna Sharma wins NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
The prestigious $1.5 million grant will fund Sharma’s research on how environmental effects can be passed down from parents to their offspring.
September 26, 2019
Galaxy found to float in a tranquil sea of halo gas
Analysis of radio pulses that passed through a galactic halo reveals a surprisingly quiescent halo with very low density and weak magnetic field.
September 24, 2019
NIH funds new centers to expand and diversify the human reference genome
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute will play a leading role in the ambitious new Human Pangenome Reference Sequence Project.
September 17, 2019
Elephant seal 'supermoms' produce most of the population, study finds
High mortality rates for young elephant seals means long-lived females dominate the reproductive output of the population.
September 05, 2019
Postdoc Hanh Lam awarded prestigious NIH grant
Hanh Lam, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, has received the NIH Pathway to Independence Career Development Award.
September 03, 2019
UCSC’s Genomics Institute settles into new Delaware Avenue headquarters
The move to 2300 Delaware Ave. coincides with the formal establishment of the Genomics Institute as an Organized Research Unit at UC Santa Cruz.
August 26, 2019
Finding his way—with a little help
All alumnus Patrick Bailey needed was some support, which he found in the Summer Research Experience program at UC Santa Cruz; this year, he defied the odds by earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology, and is now doing cancer research.
August 23, 2019
Ted Warburton named inaugural Senior Fellow of Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership
Edward (Ted) Warburton, professor of dance and interim dean of the arts at UC Santa Cruz, has been named the inaugural Senior Fellow at the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University.
August 16, 2019
Theater Arts professor Gerald Casel receives National Dance Project grant
Associate professor of theater arts Gerald Casel has received a grant from the National Dance Project to create a new work titled "Not About Race Dance." His project is one of 20 selected for funding to support the creation of new dance works that will tour the United States in 2020.
August 16, 2019
Optofluidic chip with nanopore 'smart gate' developed for single molecule analysis
A new chip-based platform developed by UCSC researchers integrates nanopores and optofluidic technology for high-throughput analysis of biomolecules.
August 14, 2019
Are the arts at the center of software’s evolution?
In his new book, The Software Arts, UC Santa Cruz professor Warren Sack presents an alternative history of computing that puts the arts at the center of software’s evolution.
August 08, 2019
UCSC researchers awarded a record number of patents last year
UC Santa Cruz researchers were awarded 26 new patents in the last fiscal year, a record number for the campus.
August 07, 2019
Researchers enlist citizen scientists to count animals on Año Nuevo Island
Volunteers will use drone photos uploaded to the Zooniverse platform to count birds, seals, and sea lions for an unprecedented census of the island.
August 06, 2019
Driven by research excellence, UC Santa Cruz ranks among top 50 public universities
Rankings released Aug. 5 show that UC Santa Cruz is No. 45 among U.S. public universities, No. 78 among all U.S. higher education institutions, and No. 208 in the world.
August 06, 2019
The compelling mathematical challenge of the three-body problem
For mathematician Richard Montgomery, falling cats and orbiting planets have led to fruitful lines of research.
July 30, 2019
Conservation biologists find new applications for AI tools
Deep learning algorithms can be trained to recognize anything from the types of vegetation in a coastal wetland to the sound of a bird hitting a power line.
July 26, 2019
New book by Dana Frank tells personal story of resistance, terror, and U.S. policy in Honduras
"The Long Honduran Night" is the latest book by UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of history, Dana Frank. One of the top academic experts on Honduras in the United States, she tells the dramatic story of life in that country after the military coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya in June 2009.
July 23, 2019
Donna Haraway elected to Fellowship of the British Academy
Donna Haraway, distinguished professor emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz, is joining a community of more than 1,400 scholars who currently make up the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences.
July 17, 2019
While the cat's away: Predators' fear of humans ripples through wildlife communities, emboldening rodents
A new study indicates that pumas and medium-sized carnivores lie low when they sense the presence of humans, which frees up the landscape for rodents to forage more brazenly.
July 17, 2019
Breakthrough Listen launches new optical search with VERITAS Telescope Array
SCIPP physicist David Williams will help lead effort using four 12-meter telescopes to search for nanosecond flashes of light from extraterrestrial civilizations.
July 12, 2019
The 2019 Dickens Universe explores a tale of two riots with students from South LA
One of the highlights at this year’s Dickens Universe will be a featured exhibit coming to the campus from Los Angeles along with Jacqueline Barrios, who is using a Dickens novel to explore the impact and history of the Los Angeles riots of 1992 with her high school students.
July 03, 2019
Plants don’t think, they grow: The case against plant consciousness
Botanist Lincoln Taiz and colleagues argue against the suggestion that plants have neurobiology or consciousness.
June 28, 2019
Students chowing down tuna in dining halls are unaware of mercury exposure risks
Survey reveals most students are not aware that eating large amounts of tuna exposes them to neurotoxic mercury, and some are consuming more than recommended.
June 28, 2019
UC Santa Cruz among the world’s best in two new global rankings
UC Santa Cruz and other UC campuses were named among the world’s best universities in two separate rankings this week.
June 27, 2019
Astronomers make history in a split second with localization of fast radio burst
In a world first, an international team of astronomers has determined the precise location of a powerful one-off burst of cosmic radio waves known as a fast radio burst.
June 26, 2019
Corals can survive in acidified ocean conditions, but have lower density skeletons
A two-year transplantation experiment near a natural low-pH submarine spring evaluated growth and physiological response of different coral species to ocean acidification.
June 25, 2019
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty honored with Dickson Emeriti Professorships
Leta Miller, professor emeritus of music, Linda Burman-Hall, research professor in cultural musicology and Diane Gifford-Gonzalez, distinguished research professor of anthropology, were each awarded Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorships in recognition of their outstanding achievements in scholarship and teaching.
June 17, 2019
Slug spirit shines bright on commencement weekend
Grads celebrated family and friends and cherished the moment during Commencement Weekend 2019 at UC Santa Cruz. Nearly 2,700 undergraduates had applied to participate in college commencement ceremonies.
June 14, 2019
Feminist studies professor Gina Dent receives Dizikes Award for teaching in Humanities
Professor of feminist studies Gina Dent was presented with the John Dizikes Teaching Award in Humanities at the Division’s 2019 Spring Awards celebration held at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn.
June 14, 2019
Startup presentations featured at SVLink Open House on June 18
SVLink, a startup incubator-accelerator located at the Silicon Valley Campus, is now fully subscribed.
June 12, 2019
UCSC celebrates graduation of first Feminist Studies Ph.D.s
Erin McElroy and Veronika Zablotsky will be the first students to graduate from UC Santa Cruz with a Ph.D. in Feminist Studies.
June 05, 2019
Campus prepping for commencement ceremonies
More than 5,200 UCSC students are earning undergraduate and graduate degrees for work completed during the 2018–19 academic year. Nearly 2,700 undergraduates have applied to participate in college commencement ceremonies.
June 03, 2019
2017 North Korean nuclear test was order of magnitude larger than previous tests
A new assessment of the explosion's size was led by UC Santa Cruz seismologist Thorne Lay and undergraduate researcher Dimitri Voytan.
May 31, 2019
Library awarded grant to digitize 670 tapes from Cabrillo Music Festival
UC Santa Cruz has received a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources to digitize 670 audio recordings featuring a wide variety of works performed at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music from 1964 to 1990.
May 30, 2019
History professor Marc Matera named 2019 ACLS Fellow
UC Santa Cruz associate professor of history Marc Matera has been named a 2019 ACLS Fellow by the The American Council of Learned Societies.
May 28, 2019
Study reveals structure of a 'master switch' controlling cell division
Understanding the structure of the FoxM1 protein and how it works could guide development of new cancer-fighting drugs.
May 24, 2019
Feminist Studies to present ‘Indigeneity & Climate Justice’ conference at Arboretum
The Feminist Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz will present "Indigeneity & Climate Justice," a two-day conference at the Arboretum on May 30-31. Organized by professors Karen Barad and Felicity Amaya Schaeffer, it will feature three keynote speakers and a graduate student panel, plus a tour of the Arboretum.
May 20, 2019
New CITRIS–UC Santa Cruz seed funding program supports interdisciplinary research
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Santa Cruz invites campus investigators to apply for research support through a new Campus Seed Funding program.
May 14, 2019
UCSC engineers to participate in research center on autonomous systems
Professor Ricardo Sanfelice will provide expertise in hybrid and cyber-physical systems to a consortium led by the University of Florida and funded by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
May 10, 2019
First Faculty Ethics Bowl at UC Santa Cruz to focus on the future
What role should thinking about the far future—1,000 years ahead and beyond—play in research on campus? That’s the key question that will be discussed at "Ethics and the Far Future"--the first UC Santa Cruz Faculty Ethics Bowl.
May 08, 2019
Ancient galaxies reveal new clues about a cosmic transformation
The unexpected brightness of early galaxies may explain "reionization," a transformative epoch in the history of the universe.
May 07, 2019
NIH grant funds research on role of prion proteins in neurodegenerative diseases
The prestigious NIH MIRA grant funds biochemist Glenn Millhauser to expand his research on the function of prion proteins and their role in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.
May 03, 2019
UCSC partners with LA Museum of Art for symposium on work of arts professor Isaac Julien
UC Santa Cruz is collaborating with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to present a daylong symposium on the works of influential British filmmaker and installation artist, Isaac Julien, who recently joined the campus as a distinguished professor of the arts.
May 02, 2019
Astronomers assemble wide view of the evolving universe
A team led by UC Santa Cruz astronomer Garth Illingworth used 16 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations to create a new portrait of the distant universe.
May 02, 2019
Two UC Santa Cruz professors elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Physicist Michael Dine and biologist Susan Strome were elected to the NAS in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
May 01, 2019
Microscope expert develops powerful new tools for biologists
With Sara Abrahamsson's arrival in the Baskin School of Engineering, UC Santa Cruz is becoming a hotbed of advanced microscopy and microscope development.
April 30, 2019
U.S. coral reefs provide flood protection worth $1.8 billion annually
New report finds coral reef barriers provide flood protection for more than 18,000 people and $1.8 billion worth of coastal buildings, infrastructure, and economic activity yearly.
April 29, 2019
Air Resources District funds air pollution research and teaching at UC Santa Cruz
Partnership between UCSC and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District supports a new course on air pollution and research on high-tech sensors to detect pollutants.
April 25, 2019
Biologist Olena Vaske wins major grant from American Association for Cancer Research
The 2019 AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research will support Vaske's research on pediatric cancer genomics.
April 18, 2019
Making art in trying times: DANM exhibition examines culture, society, and the digital world
Thirteen graduate students from the Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study at UC Santa Cruz with "Receivership"—an exhibition of their work running on campus April 26 to May 12.
April 16, 2019
UC Santa Cruz philosophy alumnus Jeffrey Stewart wins 2019 Pulitzer Prize for biography
UC Santa Cruz alumnus Jeffrey Conrad Stewart (Cowell College ’71, philosophy) has been awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for "The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke," his definitive biography of the father of the Harlem Renaissance.
April 16, 2019
UC Santa Cruz researchers win four CITRIS seed funding awards
UC Santa Cruz researchers are principal investigators of four collaborative teams chosen for funding by the the signature seed funding program of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute.
April 16, 2019
Biologist Joshua Arribere wins prestigious Searle Scholars grant
Funding from the Searle Scholars Program will support Arribere's research on cellular quality control mechanisms that catch mistakes in gene expression.
April 08, 2019
Iron volcanoes may have erupted on metal asteroids
NASA's upcoming mission to the asteroid Psyche could look for signs of past eruptions, and evidence of 'ferrovolcanism' may also turn up in iron meteorites.
April 04, 2019
New book by Carolyn Burke examines four artists who profoundly shaped 20th-century art
"Foursome"--the latest book by longtime UCSC humanities research associate Carolyn Burke--chronicles the lives of four of the most extraordinary and influential painters and photographers of the early 20th century.
April 04, 2019
Chemist Jevgenij Raskatov honored for peptide research
The American Peptide Society and the Boulder Peptide Society have both recognized Raskatov for his scientific achievements as an early-career investigator.
April 03, 2019
Coral study traces excess nitrogen to Maui wastewater treatment facility
Nutrient pollution has been blamed for algal blooms and degradation of coral reefs along Maui's west coast.
March 21, 2019
UC Santa Cruz showcases new music with 'April in Santa Cruz' festival
The UCSC Music Department will present the 'April in Santa Cruz Contemporary Music Festival'-- a month-long series of free concerts on campus featuring works by faculty and graduate students, including performances by two internationally known ensembles--April 6-27.
March 21, 2019
Study gives new perspective on production of blood cells and immune cells
Researchers tracked and quantified the production of different kinds of blood cells and immune cells to understand how the body maintains a balanced supply.
March 21, 2019
Biologist Daniel Costa appointed director of the Institute of Marine Sciences
Daniel Costa, distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, has been appointed to serve as the next director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, beginning in July 2019.
March 21, 2019
Climate change and drought threaten small mountain streams in the Sierra Nevada
Aquatic life in small headwater streams is especially vulnerable to the effects of prolonged drought, according to a study of mid-elevation streams in the Sierra Nevada.
March 20, 2019
Deforestation in Brazil could significantly increase local surface temperatures
New model quantifies how forests influence reflected sunlight and evapotranspiration, leading to changes in local surface temperature with deforestation.
March 20, 2019
New study shows effects on offspring of epigenetic inheritance via sperm
In experiments with worms, researchers showed that epigenetic marks on sperm chromosomes affect gene expression and development in offspring.
March 14, 2019
New anthology of essays about Chicana and Chicano art edited by arts professor Jennifer González
"Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology" offers an overview of the history and theory of Chicano and Chicana art from the 1960s to the mid-2000s.
March 11, 2019
Smile Train partners with UC Santa Cruz researchers on speech therapy game
Designed to support speech therapy for children after reconstructive surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate, SpokeIt uses game play to make speech therapy fun.
March 01, 2019
UCSC to bring art/science LASER series downtown for special evening at Rio Theater
On Tuesday, March 12, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz will bring its local LASER—now in its sixth year of quarterly talks on campus—downtown for a special evening at the Rio Theater.
February 27, 2019
UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute launches brain research project
UCSC engineers and genomics experts are partnering with UCSF neuroscientists to develop new technology for studying human brain evolution and development.
February 20, 2019
Fat bats withstand the effects of white-nose syndrome, study finds
New findings explain how some populations of little brown bats are persisting, even after initial population declines caused by the debilitating fungal disease.
February 19, 2019
Art professor to screen new documentary film at Museum of Modern Art
UC Santa Cruz art professor and multimedia artist Elizabeth Stephens and her artistic collaborator Annie Sprinkle will present their latest film at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
February 11, 2019
Diverse scents of woodland star wildflowers driven by coevolution with pollinators
Scientists found a surprising diversity of floral scent compounds produced by different species of woodland stars and even by populations of the same species in different locations.
February 07, 2019
Novel electrocatalyst outperforms platinum in alkaline hydrogen production
A ruthenium-based catalyst developed at UC Santa Cruz has potential applications in sustainable hydrogen production for clean energy and in industrial processes.
January 31, 2019
Study of brine discharge from desalination plant finds good news and bad news
Brine discharged from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant raises offshore salinity levels more than permitted, but researchers found no direct local impacts on sea life.
January 29, 2019
Why beaked whales return to Navy sonar range despite frequent disturbance
A new study using underwater robots reveals dense patches of deep-sea squid attract beaked whales to a Navy sonar test range off Southern California.
January 29, 2019
MaNGA data release includes detailed maps of thousands of nearby galaxies
Major data release from Sloan Digital Sky Survey includes galaxy maps, new data access and visualization tools, and a huge 'stellar library'.
January 18, 2019
Waves in Saturn's rings give precise measurement of planet's rotation rate
Saturn's ring system acts as a sensitive seismograph, enabling scientists to measure the giant planet's vibrations and determine its rotation rate.
January 16, 2019
Scientists to inaugurate a new type of gamma ray telescope at Whipple Observatory
The prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) is designed as a pathfinder telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array.
January 15, 2019
Idled farmland presents habitat restoration opportunities in San Joaquin Desert
Land no longer suitable for agriculture could be reclaimed as habitat for dozens of endangered species, according to a new analysis.
January 10, 2019
Professor honored by Linguistic Society of America for decades of work on endangered languages
UC Santa Cruz emeritus professor of linguistics Judith Aissen was awarded the prestigious Kenneth L. Hale Award last week in New York City at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA). The LSA is the major professional society in the United States that is dedicated to the scientific study of language.
January 09, 2019
Biologist Jeremy Sanford awarded prestigious $1.85 million grant from NIH
MIRA grant funds Sanford to extend his studies of the mechanisms of RNA processing and RNA-binding proteins, which are involved in inherited diseases and cancer.
January 02, 2019
NSF funds innovative stable isotope equipment at UC Santa Cruz
The new equipment will support research across a wide range of disciplines, ranging from oceanography and earth science, paleontology, anthropology, ecology and fundamental biochemical cycle research.