Science & Tech

November 7, 2019

Fungus Among Us: Researchers Map Lineages of Chytrid Fungus Affecting Sierra Nevada Frogs

By Sean Crommelin

Not unlike the plot of a B-list horror movie, a fatal disease in frogs, chytridiomycosis, has spread all across the world on a pandemic scale in mere decades.

November 7, 2019

UCSB Professor To Study Public Perception of NSF Synthetic Cells Projects

By Jacqueline Wen

With ambitious goals to build synthetic neurons and lipid-free cells, many questions can emerge, including the societal significance of synthetic cells as well as the potential benefits, risks and possibilities they brin...

November 5, 2019

Convergent Evolution in Deep-Sea Fish

By Sean Crommelin

Last week, the Oakley lab invited Matt Davis from St. Cloud State University to speak about his research on the evolution of ray-finned fishes in the deep sea.

October 31, 2019

Exploring the Cognitive Science of Supernatural Concepts

By Jacqueline Wen

The class discusses the research and theory behind why beliefs of supernatural concepts have pervaded across numerous cultures and why our brains are susceptible to such notions.

October 24, 2019

How to Improve Running Efficiency

By Jacqueline Wen

Running is the most energy-costly mode of locomotion for humans, according to Hawkes’ study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

October 24, 2019

Turning the Tide: Researchers Conduct Study of Climate Change Effects on Mexican Fisheries

By Sean Crommelin

UCSB researchers aimed to devise a method to evaluate climate change-driven impacts on fisheries with limited data, as well as appropriate ways to respond to anticipated changes.

October 17, 2019

Chemical Engineering Professor Receives Grant To Study Reporter Proteins and “Dark Matter of Biology”

By Jacqueline Wen

Mukherjee’s research lab is working to develop bioluminescent reporters able to produce light in the context of anaerobic systems that Mukherjee terms the “dark matter of biology.”

October 17, 2019

UCSB Professor Awarded Funding To Evaluate and Rank Climate Models

By Sean Crommelin

With a focus on Arctic sea ice, Ding will cross-reference many different climate models to better understand how to optimize their effectiveness, and which models at present are the most efficacious in predicting conditi...

October 10, 2019

New Research Sheds Light on Prehistoric Migrations of South and Central Asia

By Sean Crommelin

A UCSB professor has helped to paint a clearer picture of the human story of ancient migration to South and Central Asia, and the spread of language and practices which coincided with this.

October 10, 2019

Potential Positive Impacts of Seaweed on Climate Change

By Hannah Hirou

A recent UCSB study examined the potential impacts of seaweed aquaculture on carbon offsetting.

October 3, 2019

UCSB Selected to Host New Quantum Foundry

By Jacqueline Wen

The NSF has granted UCSB $25 million over six years to advance the “discovery and control of materials that support protected quantum states with unprecedented coherence and scalable entanglement."

October 3, 2019

Genetic Variation Can Affect Embryo Formation

By Jacqueline Wen

Because humans and other vertebrates share a common regulatory mechanism for endoderm development with nematodes, the study’s results may have potential implications for drug therapies.

September 26, 2019

UCSB Continues to Perform Well on 2019 Sustainable Campus Index Metrics

By Sean Crommelin

UCSB is among 134 institutions which have been awarded with a gold rating or higher by the AASHE, out of the 970 campuses currently registered.

September 26, 2019

Mechanism to Develop Mineralized Skeletons Likely Evolved Independently Across Diverse Taxa

By Sean Crommelin

A paper from UCSB researchers details how they managed to pinpoint evidence of biomineralization in a wide variety of fossils from the Cambrian period.

September 19, 2019

UCSB Researchers Discover Mechanism Potentially Accelerating Progression of Polycystic Kidney Disease

By Jacqueline Wen

While researchers in the natural sciences field studying kidney stones have observed dilated tubules before, “it has not previously been recognized as an active protective mechanism,” the paper states.