June 2005
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Discovery of planet with a massive core lends support to a planet formation theory
Astronomers have discovered an extrasolar planet with the largest core of any known planet. The discovery is especially exciting to planet formation theorists, because it provides extremely strong observational evidence in support of the “core accretion” theory, one of two main theories for how giant planets form. The findings were made by a consortium of…
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Department of Energy grants fund work on new hydrogen fuel technologies at UCSC
Nanotechnology may hold the key to developing a viable hydrogen economy, according to Jin Zhang, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Zhang will receive $535,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for his part in two research projects aimed at developing new technologies for the production…
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Voice-operated computer system developed under UC contract with NASA scheduled for space station demonstration
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will soon be testing a sophisticated voice-operated computer system designed to guide them through complex procedures. This advanced spoken-dialogue system, called Clarissa, reads the steps of a procedure to an astronaut, answers questions, and responds to spoken commands. “Instead of scrolling through written procedures on a laptop or handheld…
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New findings show persistent El Niño-like conditions during past global warming
During the most recent period in Earth’s past with a climate warmer than today, the tropical Pacific was in a stable state of El Niño-like conditions, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Whether this represents a likely scenario for the future, given the current rise in global…
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UC Santa Cruz biologist receives Fulbright Scholar award
Ingrid Parker, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and do research at the University of Panama during the 2005-06 academic year. The grant will support Parker’s work on a project titled “Applied plant ecology in Panama: Building intellectual…
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UCSC library announces publication of oral history, exhibit, and reception celebrating Cowell Press
The University Library’s Regional History Project has announced the publication of The Cowell Press and Its Legacy: 1973-2004. This oral history, conducted and edited by book-arts scholar and UCSC alumnus Gregory Graalfs, focuses on the history and impact of the legendary Cowell College press at UC Santa Cruz. The Cowell Press helped shape the careers…
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UCSC takes over operation of NASA Ames Airborne Sensor Facility
The University of California, Santa Cruz, has taken over the operation of NASA’s Airborne Sensor Facility, a major program for observation and monitoring of Earth’s environment based at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field. The transfer of management strengthens the links between NASA and UCSC and will enhance the campus’s remote sensing capability and…
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Astronomers discover the most Earthlike planet yet outside the solar system
A team of astronomers has reached a major milestone in the search for Earthlike planets with the discovery of the smallest planet ever detected beyond our solar system. About seven and a half times as massive as Earth, with less than twice the radius, it may be the first rocky planet ever found orbiting a…
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UC Santa Cruz hosting ‘green’ campus conference
Creating “greener” campuses won’t be all talk and no action when UC Santa Cruz hosts the fourth annual statewide Sustainability Conference, June 20-21. One of the exhibitors on hand, Biosystem Solutions, will compost some of the food waste from the conference, turning it into premium earthworm castings. A wide range of other products-from water-saving plumbing…
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New findings show a slow recovery from extreme global warming episode 55 million years ago
Most of the excess carbon dioxide pouring into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels will ultimately be absorbed by the oceans, but it will take about 100,000 years. That is how long it took for ocean chemistry to recover from a massive input of carbon dioxide 55 million years ago, according to a…
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Long Marine Lab’s annual ‘Whale of an Auction’ set for Friday, June 17
The Friends of Long Marine Lab will hold its 20th annual “Whale of an Auction,” the group’s popular annual fundraiser, on Friday, June 17. The event will take place in the Porter College Dining Hall on the UC Santa Cruz campus, starting at 6 p.m. Over the past 20 years, the auction has grown from…
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Exploding star left no visible core
In 1987, earthbound observers saw a star explode in the nearby dwarf galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Astronomers eagerly studied this supernova–the closest seen in the past 300 years–and have continued to examine its remains. Although its blast wave lit up surrounding clouds of gas and dust, the supernova appears to have left no…