Earth & Space
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The best pollinators can drive evolutionary changes in flowers, new study finds
Researchers find hummingbirds to be better pollinators of mountain flowers than bees, prompting the plants to adopt traits that favor the fast, feathered carriers over the fuzzy, buzzy ones
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Astrophysicist Stan Woosley awarded two of astronomy’s top prizes for seminal studies of supernovae
Longtime professor wins the 2026 Shaw Prize in Astronomy and the 2026 Gruber Cosmology Prize back to back
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UC Santa Cruz partners with NASA’s Ames Research Center to create opportunities for students and research collaborations
The partnership, established as a Space Act agreement, builds on a collaboration between campus and the government research center that was first forged in 2003
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Astronomers clarify exoplanet atmospheres with new cloud-detection technique
Discovery led by UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. of daily cloud cycle on a hot Jupiter exoplanet provides unique window into its make-up
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Astrophysicist Stan Woosley awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize for theoretical work on supernovae
UC Santa Cruz professor shares one of cosmology’s highest honors with Alex Filippenko at UC Berkeley and Ken Nomoto at the University of Tokyo
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Hands-on experiences help students tell powerful climate-resilience stories
Internships at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center give students in-demand multimedia experience with video production and digital storytelling about how science can lead to meaningful solutions for coastal communities
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Land-based origins of life explored in UCSC-led special issue of ‘Astrobiology’
The scientists hypothesize that an entire landscape might be implicated in life’s beginning
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The 2026 Science Division Distinguished Alumni Award recipients
Gregory Reyes (Kresge ’76, biology), Larry de Ghetaldi (Merrill ’76, biology and chemistry), and Nicholas Suntzeff (Ph.D. ’80, astronomy) are recognized for careers of exceptional distinction in biomedical research, healthcare policy, and observational cosmology.
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A 25-year commitment
UC Santa Cruz alumnus and Director of the Año Nuevo Reserve Patrick Robinson shares what philanthropy makes possible for the reserve and why he gives.
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Collaborating ecology professors earn national honors and discuss their work together
Professors of ecology and evolutionary biology Roxanne Beltran and Erika Zavaleta have been recognized individually by the Ecological Society of America. But they also partner on research that bridges ecology, inclusive education, and field-based learning
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Over 5,000 biodiversity observations across more than 1,300 species equals first place in national competition
The campus chapter of the Ecological Society of America’s flagship education program SEEDS blew away all other competing chapters around the country, thanks to Santa Cruz’s thriving natural habitats
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UC Santa Cruz receives California Department of Fish and Wildlife funding to assess health of state’s streams
A $2.2 million grant will scale a pioneering environmental DNA-based index, adding a broad biodiversity assessment tool that benefits statewide management of vital freshwater ecosystems