Science
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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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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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UCSC interns among top high school presenters at Sigma Xi Student Research Conference
Five high school students participating in UCSC’s Science Internship Program took top honors for geosciences and for physics and astronomy in the high school division.
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Researchers plant baby oysters at Elkhorn Slough
First attempt in California to restore native oysters through aquaculture is led by Kerstin Wasson, adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz.

