Earth & Space
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Q&A with Malin Pinsky: On ocean warming, moving fish, and why it all matters
Marine ecologist Malin Pinsky explains how record-breaking ocean warming is driving unprecedented shifts in marine life, disrupting ecosystems and economies, and challenging both science and policy to keep pace with rapid environmental change.
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James Webb telescope confirms cooling effects of Pluto’s haze
New study in Nature Astronomy affirms hypothesis made by UC Santa Cruz’s Xi Zhang in 2017
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AI is good at weather forecasting. Can it predict freak weather events?
New study tests neural networks’ ability to handle ‘gray swan’ events.
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Whales and the stories they carry about climate change are the subject of new art and science exhibition at the IAS
A new exhibit at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz merges cutting-edge whale research with immersive art to tell powerful, interdisciplinary stories about climate change and ecological justice.
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‘Selfish’ genes called introners proven to be a major source of genetic complexity
UC Santa Cruz researchers are studying the ways certain genetic elements hide and make copies of themselves, so they can propagate within a species’ DNA, or even hop from one species to an unrelated one in a process called “horizontal gene transfer.”
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The ripple effect of small earthquakes near major faults
Minor quakes can disrupt natural tectonic patterns deep underground and change stress landscape, new study finds
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Stories in the sky: UC Santa Cruz student connects cultural tradition through the stars
Piramon Kumnurdmanee amplifies inclusivity in astronomy, showcasing indigenous stories and practices on her self-produced website, Culture in the Cosmos.
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Planting seeds of change: Sheyna Burns reimagines agriculture practices
UCSC undergraduate researcher Sheyna Burns (Oakes ’26) is pioneering inclusive agricultural research and entrepreneurship through her campus-based Sankofa Sky Farm, developing a statewide food hub aimed at supporting more equitable farming, and more.
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Rhythmically trained sea lion returns for an encore—and performs as well as humans
Ronan, the only non-human mammal to demonstrate highly precise beat keeping, continues to challenge our understanding of biomusicality
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Acclaimed evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro elected to National Academy of Sciences
The academy provides science, engineering, and health-policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.
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The Science Division announces recipients of Distinguished Alumni Awards
Gabriel Filippelli, Aradhna Tripati, and Seath Brook Ahrens are this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for the Science Division
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Exploring the edges of science
Alumnus Jonathan Trent is a marine biologist and former NASA scientist whose groundbreaking work spans ocean research, space science, and sustainable technology.