Research

Why diving marine mammals resist brain damage from low oxygen

Certain animals--including dolphins, whales, and sea otters--appear to be protected from low oxygen by elevated levels of oxygen-carrying proteins in their brains, according to a new study by UCSC researchers.

Losses of long-established genes contributed to human evolution, scientists find

The evolution of new genes is not the only way for a species to change. UCSC scientists have now carried out the first systematic computational analysis to identify long-established genes that were lost during human evolution.

California Coastal Commission approves UC Santa Cruz's Coastal LRDP

At a hearing today in San Francisco, the California Coastal Commission approved UC Santa Cruz's Coastal Long Range Development Plan (CLRDP), a land-use blueprint for possible future development at the site of UCSC's Long Marine Laboratory.

UCSC faculty receive $4.5 million in new grants for stem cell research

Two UCSC faculty members have received major grants totalling $4.5 million for stem cell research from the California Insitute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

UCSC geologist probes undersea seismic zone as part of new deep-drilling experiment

The first effort to drill into an undersea zone where massive earthquakes and tsunamis are generated has yielded new data on the stresses that build up there, according to UCSC geologist Casey Moore.

Study finds oral traditions effectively warn people about tsunamis and reduce mortality

Oral traditions are a very efficient means of tsunami education, according to a new study that researchers say shows the power of education to reduce mortality from tsunamis.

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation commits $200 million support for Thirty-Meter Telescope

The University of California and the California Institute of Technology have received a $200 million commitment over nine years from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation toward the further development and construction of the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT).

Discovery of gene for black coat color in dogs has broad implications

The discovery of a gene responsible for black coat color in dogs may help researchers understand fundamental processes in humans, including the regulation of body weight and stress hormones.

UCSC hydrogeologist provides expert advice on Pajaro Valley's water supply

When a community forum was held in Watsonville on November 1 to discuss the future of the Pajaro Valley's water supply, organizers turned to Andrew Fisher, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, to describe the state of the region's ground water.

Nations embracing jury system as part of 'wave of judicial reform,' says UC Santa Cruz expert

Countries around the world are embracing the jury system in a wave of judicial reform that is democratizing jurisprudence in nations as diverse as South Korea, Mexico, and Japan, according to jury expert Hiroshi Fukurai.

Theoretical physicist says polymers in a vacuum may yield valuable data

A theoretical analysis of polymer behavior suggests that large molecules should behave very differently when they are in a vacuum than when in solution, suggesting new opportunities for analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry.

How to make the brightest supernova ever: explode, collapse, repeat

UCSC astrophysicist Stan Woosley provided an explanation for a supernova so bright--about 100 times as luminous as a typical supernova--that it challenged the theoretical understanding of what causes supernovae.

Environmental protection can't be bought, says author of new book Shopping Our Way to Safety

Like a marketer's dream come true, Americans have responded to environmental hazards by shopping, as if buying bottled water and organic vegetables will protect them and their loved ones. But sociologist Andrew Szasz says "buying green" offers little real

Ancient retroviruses spurred evolution of gene regulatory networks in primates

Ancient retroviruses helped a gene called p53 become an important "master gene regulator" in primates, according to a new study.

Scientists discover record-breaking fifth planet orbiting a star beyond our solar system

A team of American astronomers announced the discovery of a fifth planet around a star called 55 Cancri.

Chemistry Professor Anthony Fink wins Outstanding Faculty Award

UCSC's Division of Physical and Biological Sciences has awarded its highest honor, the Outstanding Faculty Award, to Anthony Fink, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

New Social Sciences research award honors Martin Chemers

The new Martin M. Chemers Award for Outstanding Research in the Division of Social Sciences recognizes senior faculty members who have made major impacts through their research.

Undergraduates tailor UCSC Genome Browser to aid malaria research

UCSC undergraduates have created a genome browser for studying the malaria parasite, enabling a team of UCSC researchers to discover previously unknown genes that could help in the search for antimalarial drugs.

UCSC astronomer Sandra Faber and chemist Jin Zhang elected 2007 AAAS Fellows

Two UCSC scientists--Sandra Faber, University Professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics, and Jin Zhang, professor of chemistry and biochemistry--have been honored as 2007 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Researchers cite limitations of genetic ancestry tests, urge consumers to use caution

Even as consumers embrace commercial genetic ancestry tests to trace ancestral roots or fill in gaps in the family tree, a team of researchers today (Oct. 19) is urging buyers to use caution when interpreting test results.

UCSC professor explores Northern California's 'kitsch monuments'

Small-scale fishing in Mexico rivals industrial fisheries in accidental turtle deaths

New research shows that a small-scale Mexican fishery--operated by hand from small open boats--can kill as many critically endangered loggerhead sea turtles as all of the industrial fishing fleets in the North Pacific Ocean put together.

Avant-garde video-game blog earns art exhibition at UC Irvine's Beall Center

UCSC computer scientist Michael Mateas presents four works of artificial intelligence and empathy at a new art exhibit.

Film professor provides expert commentary in new box set of rare films

Discovery of retinal cell type ends four-decade search

Researchers have discovered a type of retinal cell that may help monkeys, apes, and humans see motion.

UCSC awarded $5 million grant for genome research

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announced a $5 million grant to UCSC as part of a four-year project to build a "parts list" of biologically functional elements in the human genome.

UC Santa Cruz anthropologist Nathaniel Dominy wins prestigious $625,000 Packard Fellowship

Nathaniel J. Dominy, a gifted young anthropologist at UC Santa Cruz, has received a prestigious Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, it was announced today (Tuesday, October 9).

UCSC professor's documentary to premiere at Mill Valley Film Festival

Scientists study tiny galaxy halfway across the universe

A tiny galaxy nearly halfway across the universe, the smallest in size and mass known to exist at that distance, has been identified and studied by an international team of over a dozen scientists, including four at UCSC.

Baskin School of Engineering will showcase faculty research projects on Friday, October 12

Research Review Day at UCSC's Baskin School of Engineering will showcase groundbreaking research by the engineering school's faculty and graduate students.

Multiwavelength images of distant universe now available on Google Sky

A massive project to map a distant region of the Universe in multiple wavelengths--from x-rays through ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio waves--is releasing its data this week to both fellow scientists and the general public.

Three-way mating game of North American lizard found in distant European relative

New findings suggest "rock-paper-scissors" dynamic may be a fundamental evolutionary pattern among social animals.

Extra gene copies were enough to make early humans' mouths water

To think that world domination could have begun in the cheeks. That's one interpretation of a discovery, published online September 9 in <i>Nature Genetics,</i> which indicates that humans carry extra copies of the salivary amylase gene.

Major gift supports crucial piece of Automated Planet Finder

The Gloria and Kenneth Levy Foundation has donated $600,000 to fund an innovative spectrometer for the Automated Planet Finder at UC's Lick Observatory.

Thirty-Meter Telescope Project Receives $15 Million from Moore Foundation

UC and Caltech have each received $7.5 million in additional funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for the development of the Thirty-Meter Telescope.

New light-sensing ability discovered in disease-causing bacteria

The bacteria that cause brucellosis can sense light and use the information to regulate their virulence, according to a study by UCSC researchers.

UCSC students present research at World History Association conference

Under the direction of professor Edmund Burke III, director of the UC Santa Cruz Center for World History, seven UCSC current and past graduate students in history presented papers at the 16th annual

New program color-codes text in Wikipedia entries to indicate trustworthiness

The online reference site Wikipedia enjoys immense popularity despite nagging doubts about the reliability of entries written by its all-volunteer team. A new program developed at UCSC aims to help with the problem by color-coding an entry's individual ph

Silicon chip beams light through a liquid-core waveguide to detect one particle at a time

By guiding light through liquid-filled channels smaller than a human hair, researchers at UCSC and Brigham Young University have succeeded in building a silicon chip that can detect tiny particles one at a time.

UCSC to host weeklong philosophy conference on Wittgenstein

UCSC graduate awarded $10,000 for best American thesis on modern India

Study shows lizard moms dress their children for success

UCSC researchers have found that female side-blotched lizards are able to induce different color patterns in their offspring in response to social cues, "dressing" their progeny in patterns they will wear for the rest of their lives.

State funds stem cell research facility at UC Santa Cruz

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has approved a $2.7 million grant to fund a stem cell research facility at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC researchers achieve atomic spectroscopy on a chip

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have performed atomic spectroscopy with integrated optics on a chip for the first time, guiding a beam of light through a rubidium vapor cell integrated into a semiconductor chip.

UC Santa Cruz celebrates 40 years of leadership in sustainable agriculture and organic farming

Decades before Wal-Mart began selling organic food, a charismatic Englishman and a group of students transformed a brush-covered hillside at the University of California, Santa Cruz, into a lush garden where vegetables and flowers were grown without chemi

New book Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) explains how self-deception dooms marriages, starts wars, and promotes a culture of unaccountability

In the new book <i>Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)</i>, Elliot Aronson spells out how the psychological mechanism of self-justification puts us on a slippery slope of self-deception that frequently gets us into enormous trouble when we are unable to ac

Scientists reconstruct prehistoric behavior and ecology of northern fur seals

A team of researchers has documented major changes in the behavior, ecology, and geographic range of the northern fur seal over the past 1,500 years using a combination of techniques from archaeology, biochemistry, and ecology.

Adaptive optics pinpoints two supermassive black holes in colliding galaxies

Astronomers have used powerful adaptive optics technology at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii to reveal the precise locations and environments of a pair of supermassive black holes at the center of an ongoing collision between two galaxies 300 million

Large blooms of toxic algae in Monterey Bay are affecting marine animals

Researchers have detected large blooms of toxin-producing algae in Monterey Bay that appear to be poisoning marine mammals and seabirds.

Frictional heating explains plumes on Saturn's moon Enceladus

Rubbing your hands together on a cold day generates a bit of heat, and the same process of frictional heating may be what powers the geysers jetting out from the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Assistant philosophy professor awarded President's Research Fellowship

UC Santa Cruz professor honored in 11th annual Webby Awards

UCSC receives $157,000 to support open archive of congressional proceedings

UC Santa Cruz research team sheds light on diet of early human ancestors

The diet of early human ancestors probably included bulbs and rhizomes, according to researchers at UC Santa Cruz who have shed new light on a conundrum that has puzzled anthropologists for eight years.

The 'twilight zone' holds key to ocean's role in climate change

Researchers have identified a critical link in the processes that determine the ocean's ability to absorb and store the carbon dioxide that is accumulating in our atmosphere.

G. William Domhoff, expert on dreams and power relations, receives UC-wide faculty emeriti award

G. William Domhoff says the best thing that ever happened to him professionally was being hired as a founding faculty member at UC Santa Cruz in 1965. The second-best thing was retiring early, which gave him the freedom to focus on his research.

Climate change could usher in "boom and bust" population cycles and make species prone to extinction, says UC Santa Cruz conservation biologist

Climate change could trigger "boom and bust" population cycles that make animal species more vulnerable to extinction, according to Christopher C. Wilmers, an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Two UC Santa Cruz humanities professors awarded Guggenheim Fellowships

Pioneering sociologist William Friedland receives emeriti faculty award from UC Santa Cruz

Sociologist William H. Friedland may be best known for his critique of mechanized tomato harvesting, but he's been a thorn in the side of corporate agriculture for almost half a century.

UCSC engineer Claire Gu honored by International Society for Optical Engineering

Claire Gu, professor of electrical engineering at UCSC, has been elected a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE).

UCSC molecular biologist Harry Noller wins 2007 Gairdner Award

Harry Noller, the Sinsheimer Professor of Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz, is among the five winners of the 2007 Gairdner International Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in biomedical science.

Seismologists discover complex structure in Tonga mantle wedge

The subduction zones where oceanic plates sink beneath the continents produce volcanic arcs such as those that make up the "rim of fire" around the Pacific Ocean. A new study finds that the structure of the mantle wedge above the subducting plate may be f

UCSC graduate student's research leads to environmental victory in Coronado Islands

Graduate student Shaye Wolf's findings have helped save endangered seabirds from the potentially devastating effects of a liquified natural gas facility planned for a site in Baja California.

Supernova Sage: Stan Woosley

Stan Woosley, one of the world's leading theoretical astrophysicists, studies the evolution of massive stars--and their explosive demise.

A Legacy of Success: Two pioneering UC Santa Cruz programs prepare minority students for careers in science

The Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) and the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) programs are two closely coordinated initiatives designed to ensure that more minorities are prepared to lead in the nation's science labs and classrooms.

UCSC students monitor peregrine falcons after release at Long Marine Lab

Three peregrine falcons released by the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group are testing their wings around Long Marine Laboratory under the watchful eyes of a group of UCSC students.

UCSC lecturer Ryan Coonerty publishes Etched in Stone, a tribute to 50 memorials and monuments

Anyone who has ever gotten goose bumps visiting the Lincoln Memorial will be drawn to the new book <i>Etched in Stone: Enduring Words from Our Nation's Monuments</i>.

RNA enzyme structure offers a glimpse into the origins of life

UCSC researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of an RNA enzyme, or "ribozyme," that carries out a fundamental reaction required to make new RNA molecules. Their results provide insight into what may have been the first self-replicating

New technology shows old faults are smoother than young ones

A new study by UCSC geologists finds old earthquake faults are smoother than young ones, worn smooth over time by friction like the brake pads of an old car.

First systematic test finds plant pathogens spread to distant relatives far more readily than thought

SANTA CRUZ, CA--The first systematic test of how widely pathogens can spread among distantly related plants reveals far greater range than conventional wisdom would suggest, raising questions about the adequacy of current regulatory approaches for plant q

HP joins UC Santa Cruz and NASA in groundbreaking collaborative venture

HP has joined UC Santa Cruz and NASA in a new venture focused on developing revolutionary science breakthroughs in the coming decades.

AEGIS survey reveals new principle governing galaxy formation and evolution

Faced with the bewildering array of galaxies in the universe, from orderly spirals to chaotic mergers, it is hard to imagine a unifying principle that describes them all with mathematical precision. But that is just what astronomers have now discovered.

UC Santa Cruz receives $1 million in grants for stem cell research

Sun Microsystems creates OpenSPARC Center of Excellence at UCSC

Sun Microsystems has established a Center of Excellence at UCSC that will focus on the OpenSPARC initiative, a true "open-source" approach to high-speed microprocessor technology.

Sloan Research Fellowships awarded to three UC Santa Cruz faculty

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has selected three UCSC faculty members to receive 2007 Sloan Research Fellowships.

SF Bay Area's poor and minorities face disproportionate burden of exposure to environmental hazards

From African American residents of West Oakland's diesel-choked neighborhoods to Latinos in San Francisco's traffic-snarled Mission District, poor and minority residents of the San Francisco Bay Area get more than their share of exposure to air pollution

UCSC's New Teacher Center receives $175,000 from MetLife Foundation to fund next generation of mentoring tools

MetLife Foundation has awarded $175,000 to the New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as part of the foundation's Teacher Development and Retention Initiative.

UC Santa Cruz physicists tackle new challenges in neurobiology

UCSC physicists are using technology and expertise gleaned from the field of high-energy physics to address challenging problems in neurobiology.

UCSC ranked first in nation for research impact in physics

In a new analysis of research publications from top U.S. universities, the University of California, Santa Cruz, ranked first for the impact of its faculty in the field of physics and fifth in the field of space sciences.

Chance discovery sheds light on the fates of young salmon

Fisheries scientists are gaining unexpected insights from the serendipitous discovery on Año Nuevo Island of tiny tags that had been implanted in juvenile salmon and steelhead in coastal creeks.

New book explores the effects of whales and whaling on ocean ecosystems

<i>Whales, Whaling, and Ocean Ecosystems,</i> a new book from the University of California Press (December 2006), explores an aspect of whale ecology that until now has received surprisingly little attention--the role of whales in ocean ecosystems.

Geoffrey Pullum to deliver 40th annual Faculty Research Lecture at UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz assistant arts dean reports discovery of ancient ruin in Peru

DOE awards support UCSC research on dark matter and supernovae

The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded valuable computing time on one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to two research projects led by scientists at UCSC.

UC Santa Cruz honored during Ecological Farming Conference Jan. 24-27

SANTA CRUZ, CA--The contributions of UC Santa Cruz to sustainable agriculture will be in the spotlight during this year's Ecological Farming Conference, with a focus on the 40th anniversary of the campus's pathbreaking Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticu

Astronomers find the most distant star clusters hidden behind a nearby cluster

Astronomers have discovered the most distant population of star clusters ever seen, hidden behind one of the nearest such clusters to Earth.

American Mathematical Society honors Harold Widom, professor emeritus of mathematics

Harold Widom, professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will share the 2007 Norbert Wiener Prize in Applied Mathematics with UC Davis professor of mathematics Craig Tracy.

Astronomers discover an enormous halo of red giant stars around Andromeda

Astronomers have found an enormous halo of stars bound to the Andromeda galaxy and extending far beyond the swirling disk seen in images of the famous galaxy, our nearest large galactic neighbor.