Science & Tech

Giant Insect Species are Santa Barbara Newbies

November 12, 2015 by

Two species of giant insects have broadened their migration patterns and found their way to Santa Barbara this past week. The giant swallowtail butterfly, Papilio cresphontes, and the giant sphinx mot...
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Promoting Gender Equity in S.T.E.M. Academia

November 5, 2015 by

UCSB is one of four California universities recently chosen to split a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This grant is part of the NSF’s ADVANCE program, which was implement...
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Study Shines Light on Photosensation

November 5, 2015 by

Light perception begins with activation of a light sensitive protein, called rhodopsin. One class of photoreceptor cell in humans couples activation of rhodopsin to opening of “transient receptor po...
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Commonly Abused Drugs – Ecstacy

October 29, 2015 by

Molly, Molly, Molly Methylenedioxyphenethylamine (MDMA), commonly known as “Ecstasy” or “Molly,” is one of the most popular recreational tablets that has been hitting the dance and party scene...
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Commonly Abused Drugs – Adderall

October 29, 2015 by

Adderall: Proceed with Caution Most commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), Adderall has gained popularity in recent years as a “study tool” among college students du...
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Commonly Abused Drugs – Heroin

October 29, 2015 by

Not So Heroic, Heroin First synthesized in 1895 by Heinrich Dreser, who worked for the Bayer Company in Germany, heroin was originally marketed as treatment for a variety of illnesses, such as asthma,...
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Commonly Abused Drugs – Cocaine

October 29, 2015 by

Although not a new trend, cocaine use has been portrayed in media — from soap operas to trap music — as an increasingly glamorized lifestyle. Cocaine has had a tumultuous history and continues to ...
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The Genetic ID Card — A Simple Medical Solution

October 27, 2015 by

Imagine that you have developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), and your entire body is under attack. It starts with just a fever, a cough and red eyes, so you don’t really think anything of it. But...
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A California Sharktober

October 22, 2015 by

With the increased amount of shark encounters that have occurred this past year due to the warming of the marine climate, surfers and beachgoers must be much more vigilant when out in open ocean. The ...
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Four-Year California Drought Leaves Trees Thirsty

October 22, 2015 by

  For the last four years, California has been in a severe drought resulting in record-high temperatures and record-low snow packs. Our state is lacking an alarming amount of water and our trees ...
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UCSB Professor Receives Pioneer Award for Initiative to Decrease Dengue Fever

October 20, 2015 by

UCSB Professor of Neuroscience and Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Craig Montell has been awarded the Pioneer Award, which includes $2.5 million for research allotted over a five-year period...
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Celebrating the Nobel Laureates of 2015

October 15, 2015 by

The Nobel Prize recipients were announced last week, and prizes for science were awarded in the fields of physics, chemistry and physiology or medicine. The three categories of awards were split among...
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Let There Be Light

October 15, 2015 by

The United Nations has declared 2015 the International Year of Light. To honor that, UC Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering along with the Institute of Energy Efficiency (IEE) hosted a light symp...
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Newly Discovered Parasite Named After UCSB Professor

October 8, 2015 by

You may see Armand Kuris, parasitologist and professor in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology department, wearing a new T-shirt, which has a picture of the new discovered fish parasite, Chlorom...
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Researchers Develop Improved Method To Screen for Neural Toxicity

October 8, 2015 by

Traditional methods for testing neural toxicity have often been costly and, at times, failed to detect certain compounds toxic to the brain. However, researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison, ...
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