Best of Scientific Breakthroughs

May 29, 2025 by , , , , , , and

A look back on notable scientific happenings and achievements at UCSB during the 2024-25 school year. 
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The hidden environmental cost of groundbreaking AI models

January 30, 2025 by

Although large language models are an exciting piece of innovation that have vastly transformed the landscape of information technology, the environmental impacts of AI are often ignored and swept und...
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Letter from the editors: What does a second Trump presidency mean for the fate of science?

November 14, 2024 by and

In light of last Tuesday’s election, we are faced with an urgent question: what will a second Trump presidency mean for public trust in the integrity of science? 
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Simply Stated: The mind game of fantasy football

October 10, 2024 by

Fantasy sports are on an upward trend of popularity, but what are the psychological motivations and effects of this new form of gambling that is now becoming an American pastime? 
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The CrowdStrike crisis

July 31, 2024 by

On July 18, 2024, a CrowdStrike update caused the major I.T. outage whose effects were widely felt on the following day, impacting every Microsoft Windows operating system that had the CrowdStrike app...
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Best of Scientific Breakthroughs

May 30, 2024 by , , and

A look back on notable scientific achievements from UCSB researchers during the 2024-2025 year.
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Simply Stated: The science behind blacking out

May 2, 2024 by

After a night of heavy drinking and regrets, one can experience fear and anxiety when all the memories of the previous night are nowhere to be found.
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Simply Stated: Are aphrodisiacs a hoax?

February 15, 2024 by and

What is an aphrodisiac? An aphrodisiac is a substance or food that can provoke arousal, sexual desire, behavior and even pleasure. There are three typical usage types for aphrodisiac foods: increasing...
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UCSB Lab Studies Emergence and Disease Risk of Mosquito-Borne Viruses

November 9, 2023 by

Diseases like dengue are becoming much more common due to the expansion of the range of the mosquito species that transmit it. Andrew MacDonald, an assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren Sch...
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MethaneMapper: A new effective AI-based tool for methane detection

April 27, 2023 by

From erratic weather patterns to increasing occurrences of hurricanes, the climate crisis is worsening by the minute. The main component of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions, with methane in ...
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Simple Dicho: ¿Que tan poderoso es ChatGPT?

April 24, 2023 by and

Desde el comienzo de la pandemia, el aprendizaje en línea ha tentado a los estudiantes a abandonar la integridad académica. Algunos programas familiares incluyen Photomath, Quizlet y Socratic, que e...
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Simply Stated: How Powerful is ChatGPT?

February 2, 2023 by

ChatGPT is foreign waters. There is a possibility for more school systems to regulate or even ban the use of the program. With how realistic the results are to human-made products, the differentiatio...
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