Science & Tech

February 8, 2011

Climate Change May Decrease Rainfall Levels in Eastern Africa

By Brittany Avila

UCSB geography researchers have published a study that presents a link between warming temperatures over the Indian Ocean and projections of decreased precipitation in East Africa. The study, published online in the jour...

February 1, 2011

Glacial Impurities Delay Ice’s Destruction

By Tiare Hoegerman

A study co-written by UCSB scientists demonstrates a link between debris on some Himalayan glaciers and the cessation of glacial melting. Debris layers of two or more centimeters found on certain Himalayan glaciers have ...

February 1, 2011

Dispersants Fail to Biodegrade Following Use in Gulf Oil Spill

By Nader Heidari

While the methane levels from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have returned to normal, the chemical dispersants used during the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may be here to stay. According to a study published ...

January 25, 2011

Space Telescope Gazes Into Origin of Universe

By Nader Heidari

Over one million kilometers away from Earth, a lone satellite orbits near the second Lagrangian point, scanning the sky for the fallout left behind from the Big Bang.

January 18, 2011

UC Briefs

By Nader Heidari

Researchers at UCLA have discovered that coffee’s protective effects against Type 2 diabetes may be attributed to a protein that regulates sex hormones...

January 13, 2011

Scientists Find Nanomaterials Accumulate in Small Predators

By Tiare Hoegerman

Researchers at UCSB have found that certain nanoparticles may have not-so-nano impacts within simple food chains. Published online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the study suggests that the toxic effects of protoz...

January 13, 2011

Organisms Clean Up Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

By Daily Nexus Staff

Methane-munching bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico have surprised scientists with their ability to quickly consume the hazardous compound after the record-breaking Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in April 2010. Th...

January 4, 2011

Science Awards ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ to UCSB Researchers

By Mackensie Minniear

A quantum device designed by a group of UCSB physicists has recently been named the 2010 Breakthrough of the Year by the journal Science.

January 4, 2011

Science Over The Break

By Nader Heidari

The human mind is very much like a traveler — when it needs to reach a desired destination, it uses a map...

December 20, 2010

Lunar Eclipse To Appear in Night Sky Amid Cloudy Conditions

By Roger Jackson

On the morning of December 21, there will be a total lunar eclipse. This eclipse will be the second to occur this year. However, it will be the first total lunar eclipse to occur during a winter solstice since 1638, acco...

November 23, 2010

Bacteria Gain Evolutionary Edge With Toxic Darts

By Nader Heidari

Biologists at UCSB have published a study in the journal Nature that found that certain bacteria fight for evolutionary dominance using “toxic darts” to attack and disable their competitors.

November 16, 2010

Geologists Make Case for Gradual Diversity Changes in Cambrian Era

By Nader Heidari

The seemingly sudden spike in species diversity that occurred during the “Cambrian Explosion” around 542 million years ago has been of interest to scientists for quite some time...

November 9, 2010

New Nemertean Worm Species Named After UCSB Scientist

By Nader Heidari

UCSB zoology professor Armand Kuris has received one of the greatest honors biologists can hope for — having a newly discovered species named after him.

November 3, 2010

Study Explores Motor Abilities

By Amy Montemayor

A recently published article from UCSB psychology professor F. Gregory Ashby has demonstrated how individuals process a newly learned motor skill until it becomes automatic — using their frontal lobe. Ashby was joined ...

November 3, 2010

Coastal Catches Cause Changes for Coral Reefs

By Mackensie Minniear

A recent study on coral reefs by marine scientists at UCSB has shown that fishing has caused interesting effects on the behavior of prey and the ecosystem. Elizabeth Madin, a Ph.D. student at UCSB, is lead author on two ...

October 27, 2010

Scientists Use Lasers To Detect, Control Diamond Quantum States

By Connor Oakes

The physicists and researchers of UCSB’s Awschalom Group are one step closer to harnessing the potential of quantum computers, according to a paper published on Oct. 14, 2010 in the online version of Science. UCSB phys...