Physicist Joel Primack honored with Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize from American Physical Society
UCSC Newscenter — The 2020 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize recognizes Primack for his outstanding contributions to physics and cosmology.
Younger Lagoon Reserve: An outdoor classroom for coastal research
Watch how our Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve is providing unparalleled opportunities for students to learn about the environment, implement field projects, obtain hands-on experience, and become actively involved in research and stewardship projects.
My first research internship revealed a whole new field of study—Birds!
During a research trip to study Rosy finches in the Sierra Nevada, undergraduate Sarah Albright reflects on her first internship experience at Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve—where it all began.
Santa Cruz County’s New Wave of Climate Controversy
Goodtimes — This fall, Santa Cruz County could become one of the first local governments in the country to take decisive action on sea-level rise by altering permitting rules for residents who want to build seawalls or other forms of armoring around valuable coastal real estate. Who will benefit from plans to armor the coast, adapt West Cliff and more?
Finding his way—with a little help
UCSC Newscenter — All alumnus Patrick Bailey needed was some support, which he found in the Summer Research Experience program at UC Santa Cruz; this year, he defied the odds by earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and is now doing cancer research.
A new idea to save endangered fish: Pay fishermen to retire
Hakai Magazine — Can paying off Mexican fishers’ social security give them the peace of mind they need to work more sustainably?
New study traces Io's volcanic tides
PhysOrg — “The magma in Io’s crust takes time to flow,” said Francis Nimmo, a geophysicist at the University of California Santa Cruz and co-author on the new paper. “If you squeeze and stretch the crust rapidly, nothing happens; but if you squeeze and stretch it more slowly, the magma has time to move far enough to fill a volcanic conduit, causing an eruption. It’s similar to the way you can run on wet sand, but if you walk slowly your feet sink.”
A study in Elkhorn Slough reveals the increasing threat of climate change to salt marshes.
Monterey County Weekly — Between crabs burrowing into the marshes and rising oceans, a recent study led by Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in collaboration with NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System found that it is not crabs alone that are potentially causing problems for the nation’s salt marshes.
Rumors are swirling around a black-hole discovery
Quanta Magazine — The object might be as massive as 100 suns—if it even exists.
Sea of Galilee earthquakes triggered by excessive water pumping
Science Magazine — Researchers have long known that humans can cause earthquakes by injecting fluid into the ground—a technique used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to break open rocks and release natural gas or petroleum. Pumping water into geothermal vents to generate steam for heating and electricity has also triggered temblors. But earthquakes set off by pumping fresh water out of underground aquifers haven’t received much attention, says study co-author Emily Brodsky, a seismologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “This is not the first example of groundwater extraction triggering earthquakes, but it’s uncommon,” she says.
A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it’s in California
LA Times — California officials have confirmed four cases of white-nose syndrome in Northern California. The disease has killed millions of bats nationwide since it was discovered in 2006. In this file photo, an infected bat has a white fungus growing on its muzzle.
Gifts accelerate research, from the galactic to the microscopic
UCSC Newscenter — Ken and Gloria Levy provided a rare fellowship opportunity to Astronomy graduate Enia Xhakaj for her work on dark matter halos—dark matter that envelopes galaxies.