Science
-
Three to receive top honors from UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association
A senior writing lecturer, an epidemiologist in the international fight against AIDS, and a staff member who helps nontraditional students thrive have been selected to receive the UCSC Alumni Association’s highest honors for the 2005-06 year. Don Rothman will receive the Distinguished Teaching Award; Cheryl Scott, the Alumni Achievement Award; and Corinne Miller, the Outstanding…
-
Simulations shed light on Earth’s history of magnetic field reversals
A new analysis of computer simulations of Earth’s magnetic field suggests that its behavior was different early in Earth’s history, resulting in greater stability and fewer reversals of the magnetic field. The findings by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are helping to reconcile the geologic record of magnetic field reversals with the…
-
Unmanned submersible sheds light on an undersea volcano
Rock samples collected last year show surprising variation in the chemistry of an undersea volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge near Seattle. The variation comes from the mantle, the source of the magma that erupted from the volcano to form the rocks, and may influence the microbial communities that now inhabit the volcano, said…
-
Ancient sediments show influence of southern ocean circulation on climate
About 34 million years ago, the Earth’s climate transitioned from a “greenhouse climate” to the “icehouse climate” of today, forming a massive ice sheet on the Antarctic continent. A new study by Linda Anderson, an ocean sciences researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that oceanographic features in the Southern Ocean–the intensity of…
-
Thar she glows! Seymour Center lights up Ms. Blue for the holidays
The 87-foot blue whale skeleton at UC Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory will again brighten the holiday season this year. Fondly known as Ms. Blue, the massive whale skeleton will glow each evening in December at the lab’s Seymour Center. It is believed to be the world’s largest assembled whale skeleton on public display. “The…
-
$4 million in federal funding secured for two major UCSC research programs
Funding for two major interdisciplinary research programs led by the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been included in a federal appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006. The bill includes about $2 million for each of the programs: the Center for Integrated Marine Technologies (CIMT), an ongoing effort to improve long-term monitoring of ocean ecosystems,…
-
Genome sequencing aids investigation of an ancient and mysterious life-form
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are using the latest in genetic technology to investigate an ancient form of life–the poorly understood microorganisms known as Archaea. Many Archaea live in hostile environments, from salt lakes to acidic hot springs, but they can be very difficult to grow and study in the laboratory. So…
-
Rapidly accelerating glaciers may increase how fast the sea level rises
Satellite images show that, after decades of stability, a major glacier draining the Greenland ice sheet has dramatically increased its speed and retreated nearly five miles in recent years. These changes could contribute to rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet and cause the global sea level to rise faster than expected, according to researchers…
-
UCSC physicists deliver detector for NASA’s GLAST telescope
After more than a decade of work, a team led by physicists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has completed a major detector subsystem for NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST). Completion of the tracking detector is a significant milestone for the telescope project, scheduled for launch in 2007. GLAST will give astronomers…
-
Living with the Changing California Coast: Essential reading for coast dwellers from UCSC geologists
The famously beautiful California coast is a powerful attractor, drawing people to live and build in the coastal zone despite ongoing erosion, periodic storm damage, and regulatory hurdles. For those determined to live next to this dynamic shoreline, the new book Living with the Changing California Coast should be required reading. Written by Gary Griggs,…
-
California’s oak woodlands face a new threat: climate change
California’s iconic oak woodlands have endured many assaults over the years–they’ve been cut for fuel, cleared for vineyards and housing developments, and their seedlings face intense grazing pressure and competition from invasive grasses. But the future will bring a new threat–climate change–which could drastically reduce the areas in which oaks can grow. Researchers at the…
-
A birdwatcher considers his craft in The Ardent Birder, a new book by UCSC’s Todd Newberry
In The Ardent Birder, published this month by Ten Speed Press, Todd Newberry shares the wisdom of a lifelong birder, an accomplished scientist, and an extraordinary teacher. The book is packed with valuable tips on how to become a better birder, as well as interesting stories and information about birds, but its real subject is…