Science
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Albatross study shows regional differences in ocean contamination
As long-lived predators at the top of the marine food chain, albatrosses accumulate toxic contaminants such as PCBs, DDT, and mercury in their bodies. A new study has found dramatic differences in contaminant levels between two closely related albatross species that forage in different areas of the North Pacific. Researchers also found that levels of…
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UCSC researchers receive $1.6 million grant for biosensor project
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have received major funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop new sensor technology for biomedical applications. The project builds on earlier advances by UCSC researchers in optical and electrical sensing technologies and involves a broad interdisciplinary group of collaborators at UCSC and Brigham Young University.…
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UCSC to host a public lecture and discussion on the ethics of stem cell research on Monday, April 17
The ethical issues involved in stem cell research will be addressed in a free public lecture and discussion on Monday, April 17, at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Laurie Zoloth, professor of medical ethics and humanities and of religion at Northwestern University, will give a talk entitled “May We Make the World? Bioethics, Stem…
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UCSC chemist explores the membranous origins of the first living cell
Blowing bubbles is child’s play, showing how easily soap molecules can assemble into a sheet and curl around to form a bubble. To David Deamer, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and acting chair of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the formation of a soap bubble is no mere curiosity–it illustrates an…
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April lecture series marks centennial of 1906 San Francisco earthquake
With 1,100 miles of geologically active coastline and most of its 36 million people living near the coast, California is at risk from both earthquakes and tsunamis. In a series of lectures in Santa Cruz on April 19 and 20, titled “Quaking ‘n’ Breaking: Earthquakes to Tsunamis: Then and There, Here and Now,” experts will…
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Friends of Long Marine Lab will honor Secretary of State Bruce McPherson with Global Oceans Award
The Friends of Long Marine Lab will present a Global Oceans Award to California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson at the group’s annual Gourmet Dinner benefit event on Sunday, March 12. The award recognizes McPherson for his leadership in the Friends of Long Marine Lab and his commitment to the local coastal environment. Awards will…
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Student research focus of weekend symposium hosted by UCSC
Student research will take center stage on March 4-5 at the annual Koret UC Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) Research and Leadership Symposium, hosted by UC Santa Cruz. The event at UCSC’s University Center draws undergraduates from the nine University of California campuses displaying research they have done in UC labs. “This symposium…
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UCSC presents free public lecture on 1906 San Francisco earthquake on Wednesday, March 15
With the centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake approaching, UC Santa Cruz will host a free public talk next month on the earthquake that devastated San Francisco and marked the birth of modern earthquake science. Mary Lou Zoback, a senior research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, will speak on…
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Authors of The View from the Center of the Universe will discuss our place in the cosmos in a free public lecture on Thursday, March 9
In a free public lecture and multimedia presentation next month in Santa Cruz, cosmologist Joel Primack and his wife, Nancy Abrams, will offer a preview of the remarkable ideas in their forthcoming book, The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering Our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos (Penguin/Riverhead, April 2006). Primack, a professor of…
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Studies of ancient climates suggest Earth is now on a fast track to global warming
Human activities are releasing greenhouse gases more than 30 times faster than the rate of emissions that triggered a period of extreme global warming in the Earth’s past, according to an expert on ancient climates. “The emissions that caused this past episode of global warming probably lasted 10,000 years. By burning fossil fuels, we are…
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High-tech tags on marine animals yield valuable data for biologists and oceanographers
Researchers are enlisting seals, sea lions, tunas, and sharks to serve as ocean sensors, outfitting these top predators with electronic tags that gather detailed reports on oceanographic conditions and, in many cases, transmit the data via satellite. The data are proving useful to both biologists and oceanographers, yielding new information about the migrations and behavior…