Office of Research
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Albatross study shows regional differences in ocean contamination
As long-lived predators at the top of the marine food chain, albatrosses accumulate toxic contaminants such as PCBs, DDT, and mercury in their bodies. A new study has found dramatic differences in contaminant levels between two closely related albatross species that forage in different areas of the North Pacific. Researchers also found that levels of…
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UCSC researchers receive $1.6 million grant for biosensor project
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have received major funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop new sensor technology for biomedical applications. The project builds on earlier advances by UCSC researchers in optical and electrical sensing technologies and involves a broad interdisciplinary group of collaborators at UCSC and Brigham Young University.…
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UCSC chemist explores the membranous origins of the first living cell
Blowing bubbles is child’s play, showing how easily soap molecules can assemble into a sheet and curl around to form a bubble. To David Deamer, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and acting chair of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the formation of a soap bubble is no mere curiosity–it illustrates an…
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UCSC gene researcher Joshua Stuart awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has selected Joshua Stuart, an assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as a Sloan Research Fellow. The prestigious two-year fellowship provides an award of $45,000 to support Stuart’s research, which focuses on the development of computational tools for studying how genes work and identifying…
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New book explores dramatic political life of black activist
A new biography by UC Santa Cruz associate history professor David Anthony traces the history of black activist Max Yergan–a prominent African American leader of the 20th century who made a dramatic shift from the political left to the right over a period of three decades. Max Yergan: Race Man, Internationalist, Cold Warrior (2006, New…
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Studies of ancient climates suggest Earth is now on a fast track to global warming
Human activities are releasing greenhouse gases more than 30 times faster than the rate of emissions that triggered a period of extreme global warming in the Earth’s past, according to an expert on ancient climates. “The emissions that caused this past episode of global warming probably lasted 10,000 years. By burning fossil fuels, we are…
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High-tech tags on marine animals yield valuable data for biologists and oceanographers
Researchers are enlisting seals, sea lions, tunas, and sharks to serve as ocean sensors, outfitting these top predators with electronic tags that gather detailed reports on oceanographic conditions and, in many cases, transmit the data via satellite. The data are proving useful to both biologists and oceanographers, yielding new information about the migrations and behavior…