Science
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An unusual RNA structure in the SARS virus offers a promising target for antiviral drugs
Research on the genome of the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has revealed an unusual molecular structure that looks like a promising target for antiviral drugs. A team of scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has determined the three-dimensional shape of this structure, an intricately twisted and folded segment of…
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Femtosecond laser technique opens new opportunities for research on nerve regeneration
In a breakthrough for research on nerve regeneration, a team of scientists has reported using femtosecond laser pulses to precisely cut individual axons of nerves in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, one of the most versatile and widely used experimental organisms for genetic and biomedical research. The nerves severed by this precision technique regrew within 24…
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$200,000 gift to UCSC establishes graduate fellowship in marine mammals
A gift of $200,000 from Rebecca and Steve Sooy of Foster City has established an endowed fellowship fund to support graduate students studying marine mammals at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Sooys have been volunteer docents at Año Nuevo State Reserve for many years, where they became fascinated by the northern elephant seals…
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Deep Down Things, a new book by physicist Bruce Schumm, explores the astonishing world of particle physics
Particle physicists have developed an amazingly successful theory describing how the universe works on the most fundamental level. This theory, known as the Standard Model and hailed as one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the 20th century, is still only understood and appreciated by a limited number of people who tend to have advanced…
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Antibiotic rifampicin shows promise for fighting Parkinson’s disease in laboratory tests
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have shown that rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis, can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with the death of brain cells in people with Parkinson’s disease. The drug also dissolved existing fibrils in laboratory tests. The researchers studied the effects of rifampicin…
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Unusual material that contracts when heated is giving up its secrets to physicists
Most solids expand when heated, a familiar phenomenon with many practical implications. Among the rare exceptions to this rule, the compound zirconium tungstate stands out by virtue of the enormous temperature range over which it exhibits so-called “negative thermal expansion,” contracting as it heats up and expanding as it cools, and because it does so…
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Marine biologist John Pearse to give Emeriti Faculty Lecture at UCSC on Tuesday, Nov. 23
John Pearse, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology, will give the Emeriti Faculty Lecture at UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday, November 23. His talk, “Reproduction in Freezing Oceans: Paradigm Shifts in the 20th Century,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the UCSC Media Theater. This event is free and open to the public. Pearse…
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A puzzle posed by black-headed ducks yields to persistent biologists
Some 100 species of birds are what scientists call “obligate brood parasites”–instead of building nests and raising their own young, they lay their eggs in the nests of other species and let those birds do the hard work of parenting for them. The black-headed duck of South America is one of these, but it stands…
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Order of Species Loss has Important Biodiversity Consequences, Grassland Study Reveals
In a study that mimicked the natural order of species loss in a grassland ecosystem, researchers found that declining biodiversity greatly reduced resistance to invasive species and that the presence of even small numbers of rare species had profound functional effects. The results, which appear in the November 12 issue of Science, have important implications…
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UCSC scientists harness powerful new supercomputer at NASA Ames for research on cosmology and astrophysics
Astrophysicists and cosmologists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are among the first scientists to have access to the powerful new Columbia supercomputer at the NASA Ames Research Center. The UCSC scientists have been using the new system’s unprecedented computing power to run simulations of complex phenomena such as supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, and…
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UCSC Arboretum will hold Dried Flower and Succulent Wreath Sale on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13 and 14
Wonderful holiday decorations and gifts will be available from the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum at the annual Dried Flower and Succulent Wreath Sale on Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14. Exotic dried flower arrangements, living succulent wreaths, rare and unusual succulent plants, and materials for making your own gifts are among the offerings at…
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Seymour Center hosts sneak preview of ‘Coastal Clash,’ a KQED documentary on California’s coastal conflicts, on November 11
On Thursday, November 11, the Seymour Center at UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory, in partnership with KQED Public Television, presents a sneak preview of Coastal Clash, a new documentary that takes an in-depth look at the struggle between public and private interests along the California coast. After the screening, Deanna Zachary, host of KUSP Radio’s Talk…