Science
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Environmental, social changes shift how elephant seals communicate
UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. candidate Caroline Casey retraced biologist Burney Le Boeuf’s scientific footsteps and discovered the seals’ threat calls no longer had geographic distinctions. Instead, as the northern elephant seal population had increased, the males’ calls had grown more individualized and complex.
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Kepler telescope captures extraordinary observations of a star’s death throes
Kepler’s observations of the supernova known as SN 2018oh showed an unexpected fast rise in brightness that may be an important clue to understanding the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, which cosmologists use to study the expansion of the universe and dark energy.
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Ocean scientist Jonathan Zehr elected 2018 AAAS Fellow
Jonathan Zehr, professor of ocean sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
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Grassland expansion—not human hunting—drove ancient African extinctions
A new study revealed ecological changes in the African savanna, not the emergence of our hominin ancestors, led to the extinction of African ‘megaherbivores’ millions of years ago.
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Study reveals importance of ‘cryptic connections’ in disease transmission
Innovative study of fungal disease in bats quantifies unseen interactions that play a key role in the spread of disease through populations and between species.
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Planet discovered orbiting the second closest stellar system to the Earth
Measurements from high-precision instruments, including Keck’s HIRES and Lick’s Automated Planet Finder, reveal a cold super-Earth around Barnard’s star.
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Escape responses of coral reef fish obey simple behavioral rules
Loom-sensitive neural circuits characterized in previous lab studies are shown to underlie complex evasive behaviors observed in a natural environment.
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In Memoriam: Frank Talamantes (1943–2018)
Frank Talamantes, professor emeritus of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at UC Santa Cruz, died October 8 in El Paso, Texas. He was 75.
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ENVS doctoral candidate Paulo Quadri takes top honors for NYC talk
Paulo Quadri, a doctoral candidate in environmental studies, was recognized for giving one of the three best talks during the American Museum of Natural History’s annual Student Conference on Conservation Science.
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Long noncoding RNA identified as a key regulator of inflammation
New findings add to growing evidence that previously dismissed “junk DNA” actually produces RNA molecules with important regulatory functions.
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UCSC chemists develop safe alternatives to phthalates used in plastics
Growing concern over the health effects of phthalates has spurred a search for alternatives that can add flexibility to plastics without leaching out.
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Exhibit showcases art inspired by the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves
‘Reserves of Inspiration: Exploring UC Santa Cruz Natural Landscapes’ opens November 6 at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery in Cowell College.