The discovery that DNA extracted from a fossilized finger bone found in a Siberian cave belonged to a previously unknown group of human ancestors attracted worldwide news coverage as soon as it was announced. Among the news outlets covering the discovery were the New York Times, Guardian, Daily Mail, Nature, Wired Science, and Discovery News.
National Geographic News ran a story about research by planetary scientists Francis Nimmo and Guillaume Robuchon on the possibility of an ocean beneath Pluto's frozen surface.
Computer science undergrad Greg Klein made internet news--New Scientist, Engadget, Ubergizmo, DVice, Escapist, Tecca--for his project working with fellow students and Google engineers to launch Google Nexus S phones to the edge of space in modified beer coolers carried aloft by helium-filled weather balloons.
A Santa Cruz Weekly cover story on video game developers featured computer scientists Jim Whitehead and Noah Wardrip-Fruin and several of their students.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel and San Jose Mercury News ran a story on work by geologist Gary Griggs and graduate student Nicole Russell to develop a guide to help coastal communities prepare for sea level rise.
The Sentinel ran a story about biologist Brandon Southall's research on the effects of sonar on whales. The Sentinel also wrote about SocDoc graduate student Rian Dundon whose photo essay on young people in Myanmar was published on Time.com. The Mercury News reprinted the same story and photos.
Ocean scientist Christina Ravelo's research on conditions in the Bering Sea during the last major warm period in Earth's history was covered by USNews.com, Examiner.com, and Planetsave.
Biochemist David Deamer was quoted in a LiveScience story about the difficulty of defining life.
Research by geologist Andrew Fisher and graduate student Andrew Racz on recharging the Pajaro Valley aquifer was covered by PhysOrg.com.
