Media Coverage
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Was Pres. Donald Trump’s order to strike Iran constitutional? Bay Area experts weigh in on what happens next
“Most polling shows the majority of the nation did not want the United States to get involved at all, let alone further involved, in the Israel and Iran conflict. So, it is quite historical to see a president really disregard public opinion in such a way, when it comes to war,” said Nolan Higdon, a…
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How changing ocean colors could impact California
Earth’s oceans have been getting greener at the poles and becoming bluer closer to the equator, according to a study published Thursday in Science. The shift reflects changes in marine ecosystems, which experts say could affect fish populations and create problems for fisheries, including in California. “It has lots of potential implications for the way…
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Mike Rotkin, former mayor and an essential figure in Santa Cruz progressive activism, dies at 79
Mike Rotkin arrived in Santa Cruz in 1969, not long after the University of California, and soon not only became a pillar of UCSC’s Community Studies Program but launched into the progressive politics that reshaped the city. Additional coverage in Santa Cruz Sentinel and on KSBW.
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Scientists warn of critical missing piece in humans’ understanding of animals: ‘Not quite sophisticated enough’
Animals use various strategies to adapt to climate change, but scientific studies usually measure only one factor over a period of time or space. A new paper says considering multiple factors within one study could create a more holistic understanding. “The picture that we all have in our heads for species on the move, we’re…
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The Mysterious Inner Workings of Io, Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon
Researchers disagree on the best interpretation of the Galileo data. The magnetic signals “were taken as probably the best evidence for a magma ocean, but really they weren’t that strong,” said Francis Nimmo, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a coauthor of the new study. The induction data couldn’t distinguish…
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Waymo no-go zones: Don’t even try to get a robotaxi in SF this weekend
Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Engineering Leilani Gilpin commented on robotaxi safety challenges during periods of civil unrest.
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In the Arizona desert, a farm raising fish raises questions about water use
The seafood industry needs to reduce its reliance on catching small wild fish to feed bigger farmed ones that humans eat, said Pallab Sarker, an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who studies sustainability in the aquaculture industry. He said seabirds and mammals rely on small species like anchovies and mackerel commonly…
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Big Waves and High Tides Can Be Just as Insidious as Hurricanes
“Large waves and high tides are already beating up the shoreline,” said Gary Griggs, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A 2019 study by a UC Santa Cruz associate professor, Borja Reguero, and others used satellite data and modeling to suggest waves had grown 0.47% more powerful…
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A dawn bus ride, a Capitol showdown and a last-minute deal: How Santa Cruz activists fought health care cuts
Students from UC Santa Cruz’s Everett Program for Technology and Social Change travelled to Sacramento to urge California lawmakers to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed cuts to Medi-Cal for undocumented immigrants.
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Celebrating Pride while fighting Trump’s anti-LGBTQ policies
Phil Hammack, professor of psychology & director of the Sexual & Gender Diversity Lab at UC Santa Cruz, discusses how LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating and fighting back against the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
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Pluto’s hazy skies are making the dwarf planet even colder, James Webb Space Telescope finds
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered that a hazy sky over frozen Pluto is helping to cool the dwarf planet’s atmosphere. The discovery of the haze was predicted back in 2017 by planetary scientist Xi Zhang of the University of California, Santa Cruz, to explain why Pluto’s thin atmosphere is so leaky. Additional…
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Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation
Juan Pedroza, a sociology professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said uncertainty and rapid changes to immigration laws and regulations “opens up new opportunities for scam artists to get creative.”