Research
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Global study of street networks reveals growing urban sprawl
Local streets of the world’s cities are becoming less connected, part of a global trend that is driving urban sprawl and discouraging the use of public transportation.
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UC Santa Cruz helps develop Egyptian Center of Excellence for Water
UC Santa Cruz is partnering with the American University in Cairo, nine other Egyptian and U.S.-based universities, and industry partners to help Egypt make the most of its limited water supply.
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Women of color underrepresented as speakers at scientific conferences, study finds
Scientists from racial and ethnic minority populations are likely to have relatively fewer speaking opportunities at scientific conferences, according to the results of a new study.
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Santa Cruz County faces significant gap in food security, study finds
As the season of holiday feasting approaches, a new study reveals that Santa Cruz County residents who are most at risk of food insecurity may be missing an average of five meals a week.
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Letourneau’s datasets propel research that shows biodiversity improves crop production
When Environmental Studies Professor Deborah Letourneau was getting ready to retire, she gave several of her datasets to younger researchers so they could make use of them. And did they ever.
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Climate engineering: International meeting reveals tensions
At this point, the greatest danger of climate engineering may be how little is known about where countries stand on these potentially planet-altering technologies. Who is moving forward? Who is funding research? And who is being left out of the conversation?
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Learning on the playground: How elementary school recess enhances every aspect of child development
Recess is a lot like school lunch: Some kids get lasagna with an organic green salad, some get a burrito out of a box, and some do without. Like lunch, who gets recess—and who gets good recess—is often determined by what school district a student lives in.
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Whole genome sequencing could help save pumas from inbreeding
The first complete genetic sequences of individual mountain lions point the way to better conservation strategies for saving threatened populations of the wild animals.
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New Human Rights Lab trains students to investigate wrongdoing
The new Human Rights Lab went live this fall with 19 students who have learned high-tech, digital-verification skills they will use to investigate alleged human rights abuses around the globe.
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Anthropologist Adrienne Zihlman publishes 450-page opus on ape anatomy and evolution
Anthropology Professor Emerita Adrienne Zihlman has published a 450-page volume that presents the “big picture” of what she has learned about human origins from her painstakingly thorough study of modern ape anatomy over the last four decades.
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Youth activism is on the rise around the globe, and adults should pay attention, says author
Greta and Malala get the headlines, but Jessica Taft says that for every young leader pictured on a magazine cover, thousands more are working tirelessly for causes like climate justice, racial and gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and economic change.
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Talking about scientific results without overstating the findings
Developmental psychologist Maureen Callanan has coauthored a new paper about researchers’ use of “generic language” when they report scientific findings, a tendency that leads to bolder claims that may sacrifice precision.