Science & Tech

May 1, 2012

When Tech and Health Collide: LOL-ing and Driving

By Kiyan Rajabi

Texting while driving has become NBD. In fact, data from the University of California, San Diego’s Trauma Epidemiology & Injury Prevention Research Center suggests this act is quite widespread among college student...

April 24, 2012

UCSB Mechanical Engineering Professor Launches Investigation on Fluid Dynamics of Coffee Spills

By Kyle Naughton

Upon observing colleagues struggle to keep their coffee from spilling at a math conference, UCSB professor of mechanical engineering Rouslan Krechetnikov began a research project to study this phenomenon. Krechetnikov’...

April 17, 2012

UCSB Study on Bolivian Tribe Links Competition to Testosterone Levels

By Evan Crook

A recent study conducted by anthropologists from UCSB and the University of Washington found that Tsimane men of Bolivia have a baseline testosterone level 33 percent lower than that of American men. Their findings appea...

April 17, 2012

Exercise Your Brain Power: The Smarter Study Break

By Kiyan Rajabi

Contrary to popular belief, research suggests that not all procrastination is bad. In fact, hitting the gym before the books may actually help commit the dreaded Krebs cycle to memory. Conventional health advice consiste...

April 10, 2012

Tech Talk: Quantum Computing Research Makes Waves

By Alexander Lyte

If you’re a gadget-lover like me, you probably consider yourself fairly tech-savvy. In fact, you probably use technology your parents never dreamed of and don’t give it much thought. However, with the rapid technolog...

April 3, 2012

Health’s Newest Pop Sensation: The Latest on Popcorn’s Nutritional Benefits

By Kiyan Rajabi

In recent years, dieticians and health experts have recommended popcorn as a healthy substitute for sweets because of its low fat content and its high insoluble fiber. New findings from the University of Scranton suggest...

April 3, 2012

UCSB’s Free-Electron Laser Plays Critical Role in Electron-Hole Recollision Experiment

By Andrea Weinstein

UCSB professor and director of the Institute for Terahertz Science and Technology Mark Sherwin and his research group recently demonstrated how the recollision of electrons produced multiple frequencies of light using hi...

March 6, 2012

UCSB Research May Aid Development of New MRI and Quantum Technology

By Andrea Weinstein

Potential advances in MRI technology on the nanoscale as well as in the field of quantum computing are closer to being realized, according to a recent UCSB study. UCSB assistant physics professor Ania Jayich co-authored ...

March 6, 2012

New Devices Help Users Track Fitness Goals: How One Local Company Marries Tech and Health

By Kiyan Rajabi

As springtime approaches, many of us may have already returned to the couch, having forgotten our ambitious New Year’s resolutions. Nonetheless, we’ve all experienced or seen the “freshman 15” and are aware of th...

February 28, 2012

Studies Mimic Nature To Innovate Biosensors

By David Wallace

Researchers at UCSB have recently developed biosensors that can better detect concentration levels of certain molecular markers. Chemistry professor Kevin Plaxco and lead author of the study Alexis Vallée-Bélisle have ...

February 28, 2012

Attention Chocoholics: Scientists Confirm Cocoa As A Healthy Stimulant

By Kiyan Rajabi

February 21, 2012

170-Year-Old Stellar Outburst Provides Unique Research Opportunity

By Andrea Weinstein

Astrophysicists affiliated with UCSB and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network have recently begun researching 170-year-old Eta Carinae, a behemoth double-star system that erupted over a century ago. Frede...

February 14, 2012

From Fun to Food: Why Ch-ch-ch-Chia is Back

By Kiyan Rajabi

Upon hearing the word “chia,” the first thing that probably comes to mind is the obnoxious catchphrase, “Ch-ch-ch-chia!” Though these little plant pets are nostalgic for some, I’d like to shed light on the newe...

February 14, 2012

UCSB Researcher Team Develops Better Understanding of Leukemia Biology

By Andrea Weinstein

UCSB chemistry and biochemistry professor Norbert Reich and his team of researchers have recently discovered a molecular pathway that may explain the way acute myeloid leukemia develops. AML is a cancer that occurs insid...

February 7, 2012

Scientists Link Rising Ocean pH Levels and Declining Marine Life

By Kyle Naughton

An international group of scientists led by UCSB researchers demonstrated the effects of carbon dioxide on the acidity of the ocean’s surface. The study’s results indicate that human greenhouse gas emissions play a c...

February 7, 2012

Study Connects Human Activity with Increased Fires in Amazon Basin

By David Wallace

Scientists from UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis recently published a paper in collaboration with Eric Davidson of Woods Hole Research Center and several Brazilian scientists, re...