Science
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Two geographic sites in Antarctica named in honor of UCSC biologists
Costa Spur and Terrie Bluff, once nameless features of the austere Antarctic landscape, have now been officially named in honor of Daniel Costa and Terrie Williams, professors of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Both scientists have done extensive field research on marine mammals in Antarctica. The U.S. Board on…
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Stephen Thorsett named dean of physical and biological sciences at UCSC
The University of California, Santa Cruz, has appointed Stephen Thorsett to serve as dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences. The UC Board of Regents approved the appointment today, effective July 1. Stephen Thorsett Photo by Andrea Michels Thorsett, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has served as acting dean of physical and…
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Seismologists detect a sunken slab of ocean floor deep in the Earth
Halfway to the center of the Earth, at the boundary between the core and the mantle, lies a massive folded slab of rock that once formed the ocean floor and sank beneath North America some 50 million years ago. A team of seismologists led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, detected the…
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Hubble surveys find gamma-ray bursts and supernovae in different environments
Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are associated with the deaths of only the most massive stars and occur relatively rarely in spiral galaxies such as our own Milky Way, according to research published online in Nature this week. That’s good news, because a nearby gamma-ray burst could wreak havoc on Earth by destroying the ozone layer…
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New capture scenario explains origin of Neptune’s oddball moon Triton
Neptune’s large moon Triton may have abandoned an earlier partner to arrive in its unusual orbit around Neptune. Triton is unique among all the large moons in the solar system because it orbits Neptune in a direction opposite to the planet’s rotation (a “retrograde” orbit). It is unlikely to have formed in this configuration and…
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Greenbeards have blue throats in a breakthrough study of the evolution of altruistic behavior
A new study of side-blotched lizards in California has revealed the genetic underpinnings of altruistic behavior in this common lizard species, providing new insights into the long-standing puzzle of how cooperation and altruism can evolve. The study, led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, offers the first evidence in vertebrates of an…
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Two UCSC faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences
Two faculty members at the University of California, Santa Cruz, were elected to the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering, and Stan Woosley, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, are among 72 new members of the academy elected this…
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Three UCSC professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Three faculty members at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are among the newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are Harry Berger, Jr., professor emeritus of English literature and history of art and visual culture; David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering; and Harold Widom, professor emeritus of mathematics. The…
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Global warming expert to speak at UCSC on Wednesday, May 10
Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, will give a lecture on global climate change on Wednesday, May 10, at UC Santa Cruz. His talk–“Global Climate Change: Past and Future”–will take place at 7 p.m. at the Seymour Center at UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory. The event is free and…
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Stem cell expert Irving Weissman to speak at UCSC on Thursday, May 11
Irving Weissman, director of the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University, will give the 2006 Sinsheimer Lecture in Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Thursday, May 11. “Stem Cells: Units in Regeneration, Cancer, and Natural Selection” is the title of Weissman’s talk, which will take place at…