News
Researchers recover ancient mammoth tusk during deep-sea expedition
November 22, 2021
A team of researchers from UC Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and University of Michigan are studying the tusk retrieved from deep waters off the California coast.
New book chronicles more than 50 years of elephant seal research at Año Nuevo Reserve
November 9, 2021
Professor Emeritus Burney Le Boeuf summarizes the findings of the UC Santa Cruz elephant seal research program, one of the longest running studies of any animal
Ecologist Erika Zavaleta named ESA Excellence in Ecology Scholar
October 28, 2021
Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been selected by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) as one of four ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars in the first cohort of this new initiative.
Data-driven animations of marine mammals combine biology, art, and computation
October 27, 2021
New tools for data visualization can transform data from animal-borne tags into cinematic and informative animations of marine mammal behavior.
Seagrass restoration study shows rapid recovery of ecosystem functions
October 25, 2021
Restored plots of eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough expanded rapidly, providing improved habitat for fish and invertebrates and other benefits of a healthy ecosystem.
Long-term study of elephant seal reproduction shows population’s resilience
October 20, 2021
Researchers found that a female elephant seal’s age and experience were more important than ocean conditions in determining the condition of her pup at weaning.
Biologist Beth Shapiro’s new book explores how humans have shaped life on Earth
October 18, 2021
‘Life as We Made It’ explains how our species has been manipulating nature for the past 50,000 years and what the future may hold, depending on how we use new technologies.
Biologist Roxanne Beltran wins prestigious Packard Fellowship
October 14, 2021
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering to Roxanne Beltran, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz.
Wild, wild life
September 28, 2021
Alumnus Sebastian Kennerknecht cares so deeply about animals that he built a career in wildlife conservation photography to help fight for their survival.
Natural Reserve System was instrumental in biologist’s ascent to grad school
September 24, 2021
UCSC graduate student Tim Brown works atop eastern California’s highest ranges, seeking to understand why a sparrow-sized mountain bird is riding the 'escalator to extinction.'
Long Marine Lab seawater intake repair wins environmental engineering award
September 3, 2021
The seawater intake repair project at the UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab was named the 2021 Environmental Engineering Project of the Year for the American Society of Civil Engineers, San Francisco Section.
UCSC signs $3M state contract to deliver a public health data platform for pathogen genomics
September 2, 2021
The one-year, $3 million contract with the California Department of Public Health will galvanize pandemic-related genomic data analysis efforts for the public good.
Enhanced wetland on UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus will benefit threatened frogs
September 1, 2021
Construction of a seasonal pond within an existing wetland area in the Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve will create potential aquatic breeding habitat for the California red-legged frog.
When humans disturb marine mammals, it’s hard to know the long-term impact
August 26, 2021
Scientists are developing new tools to determine when short-term changes in behavior caused by human activities have biological significance for protected populations.
Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth
August 12, 2021
An international research team has retraced the astonishing lifetime journey of an Arctic woolly mammoth that roamed the Alaska landscape 17,000 years ago.
Fostering anti-racism in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology
August 9, 2021
A UCSC team has assembled a toolkit of resources for academic departments to use in addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Salt marsh resilience compromised by crabs along tidal creek edges
August 9, 2021
A long-term study in Elkhorn Slough revealed the impact of superabundant crabs on salt marsh vegetation and the vulnerability of tidal creek banks to erosion.
New study shows how loss of drought-sensitive species could affect health of California grasslands
June 21, 2021
At a grassland site near San Jose, scientists studied experimental research plots to determine what might happen if the plants that ecologists expect to be hit hardest by drought actually disappeared.
Dialogues, collaborations, and the success of 'slow science'
June 15, 2021
With funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, the new Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions Initiative takes a methodical approach to worldwide social and environmental challenges
Snowflake morays can feed on land, swallow prey without water
June 7, 2021
While most fish need water to feed, the unique anatomy of moray eels gives snowflake morays the ability to grab and swallow prey on land.
Biologist Roxanne Beltran wins funding from Beckman Young Investigator Program
June 3, 2021
New project aims to provide the first large-scale recordings of sound in the open ocean, using elephant seals as a platform for a novel acoustic recorder.
Found in translation
May 20, 2021
Marine scientist Stacy Jupiter, the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award winner, translates science and analysis in ways that inspire people to change behaviors.
Missing the middle: the importance of regional-scale field research
May 19, 2021
Regional-scale research networks such as the UC Natural Reserve System are ideal for documenting the impact of climate change on plants and animals.
Ancient horse DNA reveals gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses
May 18, 2021
New findings show connections between the ancient horse populations in North America, where horses evolved, and Eurasia, where they were domesticated.
'The only way society gets to reopen safely is if we are all vaccinated'
May 6, 2021
UC Santa Cruz COVID experts Rebecca DuBois, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Susan Carpenter are urging all unvaccinated people to book an appointment to get their shots immediately, and follow CDC safety guidelines even after the vaccinations take effect.
Long-term monitoring shows successful restoration of mining-polluted streams
May 4, 2021
Despite differences in aquatic life and toxic metals in streams across a broad region of the western United States, scientists found common responses to cleanup of acid mine drainage.
Project to read genomes of all 70,000 vertebrate species reports first discoveries
April 29, 2021
A bold project to read the complete genetic sequences of every known vertebrate species has reached its first milestone, publishing new methods and the first 25 high-quality genomes.
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
April 28, 2021
PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.
William Doyle, founding director of UCSC’s Institute of Marine Sciences, dies at 91
April 28, 2021
William T. Doyle, professor emeritus of biology and founding director of the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at UC Santa Cruz, died peacefully at his home in Santa Cruz on April 21. He was 91.
Three UCSC professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
April 23, 2021
Angela Davis, distinguished professor emerita of history of consciousness and feminist studies; James Estes, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology; and Barbara Rogoff, distinguished professor of psychology, are among the newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Researchers rescue endangered black abalone buried by debris flows
April 23, 2021
Massive quantities of sediment washed onto the Big Sur coast from the Dolan Fire burn scar, burying black abalone in their rocky intertidal habitat.
IMS Director Dan Costa named a fellow of the Society for Marine Mammalogy
April 16, 2021
Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has been honored by the Society of Marine Mammalogy (SMM) in its inaugural class of SMM Fellows.
Erika Zavaleta honored for diversity efforts by Ecological Society of America
April 6, 2021
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has chosen Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to receive its 2021 Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award.
Pioneering plant scientist Jean Langenheim dies at 95
April 1, 2021
Jean Langenheim, an eminent plant ecologist and leading authority on amber and plant resins, died on Sunday, March 28, in Santa Cruz. She was 95.
UCSC ecologist Erika Zavaleta appointed to California Fish and Game Commission
March 25, 2021
Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to the California Fish and Game Commission.
UC Santa Cruz faculty recognized for excellence in ecology
March 25, 2021
The Ecological Society of America announced its 2021 Fellow and Early Career Fellow awards, and UC Santa Cruz’s faculty were the most decorated of any university on this year’s list.
Two UCSC research teams recognized for outstanding papers in PNAS
March 22, 2021
The Cozzarelli Prize recognizes selected papers as outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences.
Influential evolutionary biologist Barry Sinervo dies at age 60
March 22, 2021
Sinervo made landmark contributions ranging from evolutionary biology and game theory to the effects of climate change on animals and ecosystems.
For migrating elephant seals, ‘lightscapes of fear’ shape feeding, resting strategies
March 17, 2021
A new tracking study shows how elephant seals balance predator avoidance and the need to feed, shifting strategies as their body condition improves during a 7-month foraging migration.
Sea otters maintain remnants of healthy kelp forest amid sea urchin barrens
March 8, 2021
While kelp forests have declined dramatically along the California coast, sea otters in Monterey Bay are maintaining patches of healthy kelp forest, according to a new study.
Return to Rat Island: Conservation strategy leads to ecosystem rebound
March 8, 2021
Hawadax Island's birds and seashore ecosystem have returned to a natural balance after the removal of invasive rodents.
The collapse of Northern California kelp forests will be hard to reverse
March 5, 2021
Most of Northern California’s kelp forest ecosystem is gone, replaced by widespread ‘urchin barrens’ that may persist long into the future, according to a new study.
Scientists describe ‘hidden biodiversity crisis’ as variation within species is lost
March 1, 2021
Many of the benefits people receive from nature depend on diversity within species, but this intraspecific variation is poorly understood and declining rapidly.
Massive debris flow swamps Big Creek Reserve as heavy rains follow summer wildfire
February 26, 2021
Boulders the size of vehicles and decades-old redwoods were ripped from the banks of the Big Creek drainage when an atmospheric river inundated the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast in late January.
COVID and the road ahead
February 23, 2021
UC Santa Cruz infectious disease expert A. Marm Kilpatrick looked toward the future during his immersive Kraw Lecture about COVID vaccines, variants and the road ahead.
Oldest DNA sequences reveal how mammoths evolved
February 17, 2021
Analysis of ancient DNA sequences recovered from mammoth teeth reveal North American mammoths were descended from two earlier mammoth lineages.
Healthy oceans need healthy soundscapes, say marine scientists
February 4, 2021
A global team of researchers has documented the pervasive impacts of noise on marine animals and ecosystems and identified actions to return to the soundtrack of the healthy ocean.
Plant scientist Jean Langenheim honored by Graduate Women in Science
January 11, 2012
The Graduate Women in Science organization Sigma Delta Epsilon has awarded its highest honor, national honorary membership, to UC Santa Cruz plant scientist Jean Langenheim in recognition of her outstanding achievements in scientific research.
QUEST TV profiles biologist Dan Costa
July 27, 2011
UCSC biologist Dan Costa is featured in a new episode of KQED's QUEST TV program.
Loss of large predators has caused widespread disruption of ecosystems
July 14, 2011
The decline of large predators and other "apex consumers" at the top of the food chain has disrupted ecosystems all over the planet, according to a review of recent findings.
