Science
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Astronomical Society of the Pacific awards highest honor to UC Santa Cruz astronomer Robert Kraft
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has awarded the 2005 Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal to Robert P. Kraft, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and former director of the UC Observatories/Lick Observatory (UCO/Lick). Kraft is the sixth astronomer associated with the Lick Observatory to receive this award,…
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Dedication of the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics at UCSC on May 17
A dedication and celebration of the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics, a new facility for developing innovative instrumentation for adaptive optics applications in astronomy, will take place on Tuesday, May 17, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Where: Thimann Courtyard, UC Santa Cruz Who: Speakers at the dedication will include the following: Denice D. Denton, UCSC Chancellor…
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Music and stargazing entice summer visitors to Mt. Hamilton’s Lick Observatory
The University of California’s Lick Observatory offers its 25th season of evening programs for music lovers and astronomy buffs this summer, featuring concerts, lectures, and opportunities to view the night sky through the observatory’s history-making telescopes atop Mt. Hamilton. Music of the Spheres is a benefit summer concert series whose proceeds support the UC Observatories/Lick…
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Lacking a decent meal, killer whales reach for the popcorn
A study comparing the nutritional demands of killer whales with the caloric content of their prey has startling implications for the potential impact of these large predators on populations of other marine mammals. The study also raises issues relevant to the establishment of marine reserves and efforts to reintroduce large predators into terrestrial ecosystems, said…
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Are Santa Cruz beaches destined to shrink?
Wide sand beaches are a prized feature of Santa Cruz and other communities along the northern coast of Monterey Bay. But are they just a temporary aberration, destined to shrink in the years to come? That is the hypothesis championed by Gerald Weber, lecturer emeritus in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of…
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Biologist Melissa Jurica earns prestigious grant from Searle Scholars Program
The Searle Scholars Program has awarded Melissa Jurica, assistant professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a three-year, $240,000 grant to support her research. Jurica, who studies the complex system by which human cells process genetic information, is one of just 15 young scientists awarded the prestigious grants…
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UCSC Arboretum has something for every garden at the annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 16
The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum will hold its annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 16, from noon to 4 p.m. Spring is always a great time to visit the Arboretum, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, and pick out some favorite plants while the gardens are in full bloom. The plant sale will take place…
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Study shows introduced foxes transformed vegetation on Aleutian Islands from lush grassland to tundra
Huge colonies of seabirds accustomed to nesting on islands free of predators began disappearing when fur traders started introducing foxes onto islands in the Aleutian archipelago in the 18th century. The ground-nesting birds made easy meals for the foxes. A study published this week in the journal Science now shows that the effects of the…
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National Public Radio science correspondent Richard Harris to speak at UCSC on Wednesday, April 6
Award-winning journalist Richard Harris, science correspondent for National Public Radio, will speak at UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday, April 6, as part of a distinguished lecturer series. Harris, a UCSC alumnus, will give a talk entitled “Telling Tales Out of School: How One Reporter Cracks the World of Science.” The event, which is free and…
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Survey finds silver contamination in North Pacific waters, probably from industrial emissions in Asia
The highest levels of silver contamination ever observed in the open ocean turned up in samples collected during a survey of the North Pacific in 2002. Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz, measured silver concentrations 50 times greater than the natural background level. Though still well below levels that would be toxic to…
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Friends of Long Marine Lab will honor photographer Frans Lanting with Global Oceans Award
The Friends of Long Marine Lab will present a Global Oceans Award to renowned nature photographer and conservationist Frans Lanting at the group’s annual Gourmet Dinner benefit event on Sunday, March 20. The award recognizes Lanting for his outstanding contributions to public awareness of the natural environment. Awards will also be presented to two promising…