Office of Research
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Family ties bind desert lizards in social groups
UCSC researchers have found that a species of lizard in the Mojave Desert lives in family groups and shows patterns of social behavior more commonly associated with mammals and birds.
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Newly discovered planet may be first truly habitable exoplanet
A team of planet hunters has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star’s “habitable zone.”
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UCSC lecturer releases new CD showcasing music of Thomas Jefferson
When most people think about the life of Thomas Jefferson, the subject of music rarely comes up. So it might come as a bit of a surprise to learn that our third president was an accomplished–and self-taught–classical violinist, who also had an unusual interest in traditional folk tunes…
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Undergrad’s “crazy idea” leads to a promising biotech device
In Nader Pourmand’s bioinstrumentation class, students are encouraged to come up with their own ideas for new biotechnology devices and applications. Sometimes, their “crazy ideas” turn into important research projects.
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Sea otter deaths linked to toxin from freshwater bacteria
A potent toxin produced by bright-green blooms of freshwater bacteria has been flowing into the ocean and poisoning sea otters.
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Jerry Nelson receives Kavli Prize at ceremony in Oslo, Norway
UC Santa Cruz astronomer Jerry Nelson received the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics at a ceremony on Tuesday, September 7, in Oslo, Norway.
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‘Slow light’ on a chip holds promise for optical communications
A tiny optical device built into a silicon chip has achieved the slowest light propagation on a chip to date, reducing the speed of light by a factor of 1,200.
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UC Santa Cruz professor one of top academic experts on Honduras
In late June, UC Santa Cruz history professor Dana Frank traveled to Honduras to observe the one-year anniversary of the country’s 2009 military coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya. Frank is one of the top academic experts on Honduras in the United States
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Local group funds UCSC cancer researchers
The Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group, a local charity supporting cancer research and patient care, has awarded grants of $10,000 each to three researchers at UCSC.
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Summer interns gain research experience in Silicon Valley nanotech labs
Dozens of students gained valuable experience in nanotechnology and energy research labs this summer through an internship program at the Advanced Studies Laboratories, a collaborative partnership led by UCSC and NASA Ames.
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Professors to present New Orleans lecture on anniversary of Katrina
August 29 marks the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Crescent City.
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Not one, but two great earthquakes caused 2009 Samoa-Tonga tsunami disaster
Scientists studying the massive earthquake that struck the South Pacific on September 29, 2009, have found that it actually involved two great earthquakes…