Science
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Sea otters use tools when feeding to survive a changing world
Sea otters are one of the few animals that use rocks and other objects to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools—most of whom are female—can eat larger prey and reduce tooth damage when their preferred prey becomes depleted.
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Francis Nimmo elected to prestigious fellowship of UK’s Royal Society
Francis Nimmo, professor of earth and planetary sciences, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences. The society announced today the election of 90 researchers from around the world as new fellows, citing their “invaluable contributions to science.”
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Student Kristi Truong finds home in UCSC’s soccer program
Kristi Truong (Stevenson ’26, global community health) played soccer since she was seven years old. When choosing where to attend college, she overcame pressures to attend a school with a D1 program, and chose UC Santa Cruz.
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UC Santa Cruz biologist tapped to contribute to national report on nature’s role in society
For America’s first-ever report on nature’s inherent worth, and its contributions to the economy, our health and well-being, UC Santa Cruz’s Malin Pinsky will co-author a chapter on nature and climate change. He is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and one of 10 authors contributing to the chapter.
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New study discovers cellular activity that hints recycling is in our DNA
Introns are perhaps one of our genome’s biggest mysteries. They are DNA sequences that interrupt the sensible protein-coding information in your genes, and need to be “spliced out.”
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Improved nutrition, sanitation linked to beneficial changes in child stress and epigenetic programming
A new study led by a global-health researcher at UC Santa Cruz provides some of the clearest and most comprehensive evidence to date on what is known about stress physiology and “epigenetic programming.”
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Ecological Society of America names Dan Costa a lifetime fellow
Dan Costa, distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of Marine Sciences, has been named a 2024 Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.
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UC Santa Cruz physics department honored for improving undergraduate experience
The Physics Department has been honored by the American Physical Society (APS) for improving undergraduate physics education. At its April meeting, APS announced UC Santa Cruz as one of just three universities nationwide whose physics departments share in this year’s award.
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UC Santa Cruz scientists reveal new path to increasing lactation for nursing mothers
Scientists at UC Santa Cruz have discovered a cellular process in the breast that can increase milk production by pregnant women, revealing a potential path to addressing lactation insufficiency syndrome—the inability of a nursing mother to produce sufficient milk to meet their infant’s nutritional needs.
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Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2023 AAAS fellows
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members have been named 2023 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Diane Gifford-Gonzalez, emerita distinguished research professor of anthropology; longtime journalist Robert Irion, emeritus director of UC Santa Cruz’s science communication master’s degree program; and acclaimed paleo-geneticist Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
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UC Santa Cruz researchers receive grants for early-stage technology innovations and climate action solutions
Eight UC Santa Cruz research teams focusing on some of the most pressing issues of our time, such as cancer detection, data encryption, and climate change, received more than $350,000 in awards as part of this year’s Innovation Catalyst Grant program, administered by the university’s Innovation & Business Engagement Hub.
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UC Santa Cruz ‘Shadow the Scientists’ program honored for astronomical DEI efforts
A science-inclusion program based at UC Santa Cruz that has allowed thousands of school-age children, educators, and inquisitive individuals to look through world-class telescopes alongside trained astronomers has been honored for opening up scientific exploration to those from underrepresented backgrounds around the world.