Exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy quadruples the risk of child health problems, especially when combined with high humidity. The added weight and hormonal changes in pregnant women make them more susceptible to heat stress.
A team of scientists, led by UC Santa Barbara's David Siegel, embarked on a research expedition to the North Atlantic to study the ocean's carbon cycle. They found that tiny organic particles, known as marine snow, transport carbon from the surface to depths, and this process is critical for understanding Earth's climate.
Researchers used AI to study covert attention and found emergent properties in artificial neural networks, including new neuron types with response properties never highlighted before. The findings have implications for our understanding of the human brain and its ability to process information.
A new study reveals that global measures of food insecurity, such as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification System, tend to understate the severity of hunger crises. The researchers found that up to 66.2 million people, or one in five, may be going uncounted due to conflicting data and conservative assessments.
The MicroBooNE collaboration has ruled out the possibility of a light sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that had long been speculated as a solution to open questions in particle physics. This result narrows the field of possibilities for explaining one of today's biggest puzzles in neutrino physics.
Researchers from UCSB have challenged the prevailing view of how carbon is fixed in the ocean's sunless depths. They found that microbes beyond autotrophic archaea and heterotrophs could be responsible for fixing carbon dioxide, providing a new understanding of deep-ocean food web dynamics.
Researchers found that a small section of intact corpus callosum is enough to sustain full integration of the two brain halves, contrary to previous assumptions. The discovery has implications for epilepsy surgery and brain injury recovery.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara propose a cyst-targeted therapy using monoclonal antibodies to interrupt the runaway growth of fluid-filled sacs in polycystic kidney disease. The treatment, targeting a driver of cyst progression, shows promise in slowing or reversing the disease with minimal side effects.
Anthropologist Michael Gurven challenges youth-obsessed culture by exploring aging's physiological and societal aspects, asserting that evolution designed humans to live at least seven decades. Multigenerational cooperation played a key role in the evolution of a post-reproductive life stage.
Researchers aim to understand how mixtures of charged polymers form microscopic droplets with unique properties, enabling drug delivery and adhesive applications. The team uses high-resolution measurement techniques to study complex coacervates.
Three UCSB physicists, Sebastian Streichan, David Patterson, and Andrea Young, are among the selected researchers receiving funding to investigate the physics of tissue morphogenesis, chiral molecules, and quantum materials. This award aims to unlock new insights into fundamental research in experimental physics.
Lillian Hughes advances quantum science by creating two-dimensional ensembles of entangled spin qubits in diamond, enabling metrological quantum advantage and high-sensitivity sensing. This breakthrough brings quantum precision closer to reality with solid-state materials like diamond.
A new UCSB study provides a framework for policymakers and advocates to identify key factors driving coal plant retirement. By categorizing facilities into eight distinct groups based on technical, economic, environmental, and socio-political factors, the researchers offer evidence-based strategies to accelerate closures, particularly ...
Classic Maya cities rose due to climate downturns, intergroup conflict, and strong economies of scale, while deurbanization occurred when environmental degradation outweighed urban benefits. The study integrates population ecology theory and resolves the paradox of why agrarian populations would aggregate despite high costs.
Researchers find that farmed totoaba could alleviate poaching pressures by establishing a regulated trade. The study suggests that a market-based solution may be more effective than a regulatory approach in curbing poaching. A $6 million subsidy program could make farming cheaper and prevent further decline of the wild population.
Researchers at UCSB have created an algae-based gel as a platform for studying mammary epithelial cells, which can transform into cancer cells. The gel supports the development of normal mammary gland tissue and can be modified to direct cell growth, offering new insights into how cancer develops.
A new survey reveals near-universal acceptance of human-caused climate change and high levels of concern among small-island residents. They support an 'all hands on deck' approach to addressing the climate crisis, with a focus on historic and current major sources of pollution.
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment has narrowed down the possibilities for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a leading dark matter candidate. By analyzing 280 days' worth of data and using sophisticated techniques to rule out backgrounds, scientists have pushed the boundary into a new regime in their search for dark matter.
UCSB scientists found that cloud seeding could disrupt the El Niño Southern Oscillation, a major climate cycle. In contrast, stratospheric aerosol injection had virtually no effect on ENSO. The study highlights the importance of considering broad consequences before implementing geoengineering proposals.
The study found shocked quartz grains at three North American archaeological sites, indicating extreme heat and pressure. This supports the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis, which proposes that a fragmented comet exploded over Earth, leading to megafauna extinctions and Clovis culture collapse.
Researchers found that kelp forests support nearby beaches with high biodiversity due to nutrient subsidies. The connectivity between kelp and beach ecosystems is a local process, with the strongest benefit within 10 kilometers of kelp forests.
A non-electronic soft robotic device guides a soft tube into the trachea, improving success rates for both expert and non-expert users. The device yields a 100% success rate with highly trained users and an 87% success rate with non-expert providers after just five minutes of training.
UCSB researchers warn that the ocean's cumulative impact will double by 2050 due to climate change and human activities. The tropics and poles are expected to experience the fastest changes in impacts, with coastal areas bearing the brunt of the increased pressures.
Researchers have developed a new catalysis method that can generate a diverse array of valuable compounds, including six distinct molecular scaffolds, using reprogrammed biocatalysts and sunlight-harvesting catalysts. The method opens up new possibilities for medicinal chemistry and accelerates combinatorial synthesis of novel molecules.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have characterized low-frequency signals from breaking ocean waves, which can be used to monitor sea conditions. The team developed a method for identifying the acoustic and seismic signatures of breaking waves and located their sources along the coast.
Researchers found that the sediment surge after the Wenchuan Earthquake led to a significant increase in bedload flux, accounting for 65% of the overall sediment flowing through the river. The elevated flux persisted for at least ten years, with no evidence of declining back to background levels.
Researchers have discovered a way to selectively create links between sugar molecules, enabling precise control over the stereochemistry of oligosaccharides. This breakthrough could open up new avenues of biomedical research into these versatile molecules, providing access to previously difficult-to-construct oligosaccharides.
Researchers have found evidence of cosmic airbursts in ocean sediments and a shallow lake in Louisiana, which may support the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis. The discovery suggests that these high-energy events could be more common than previously believed and deserve closer attention.
Researchers found that improving access to technology can significantly reduce healthcare disparities among African Americans. The study highlights the importance of addressing both socioeconomic disparities and technology access to achieve equity in healthcare.
A study by researchers at UC Santa Barbara, Yale University and others found that a third of young stars have misaligned rotational axes with their protoplanetary disks. This challenges centuries-old assumptions about the alignment of stars and planets in our solar system and suggests that some stars may be born tilted.
New research highlights four components where nature-based climate actions have fallen short, including inadequate accounting for albedo and carbon leakage. The study proposes reforms to improve the performance and scalability of these strategies.
Research suggests that great-tailed grackles, a species expanding its range across the US, possess high levels of behavioral flexibility. This trait enables them to adjust their foraging behaviors and exploit human-provided resources. However, sociability and habitat use were not strongly correlated with flexibility.
The study reveals that grasslands adopt more aggressive strategies than forests when facing water shortages, with plants in grasslands using water aggressively until it's gone. In contrast, forests adopt more conservative strategies, cutting back on water use early to avoid disaster.
Researchers at University of California - Santa Barbara develop a new filter that can extract rare earth elements from end-of-life products like electronic waste. The technique combines solid-state extraction with precision chemistry to create a simple and environmentally attractive process, increasing the concentration of REEs fourfold.
Researchers used an optogenetic platform to discover dozens of molecules that can act as pan-antivirals, including two chemical scaffolds that could serve as development candidates. The compounds were tested on Zika, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and herpes, showing promising results.
Researchers discovered that rivers develop multiple channels if erosion outpaces deposition on their banks, leading to a widening and division of the channel over time. This understanding could revolutionize flood planning and restoration efforts for over 3 billion people worldwide.
Physicists Björn Birnir and Luiza Angheluta develop a new mathematical model to characterize Lagrangian turbulence, which captures its complex phenomena. The study reveals the presence of a Lagrangian scaling regime and connects three scaling regimes as the turbulent flow evolves.
Researchers developed a nonlinear model that captures plants' dynamic response to water stress, revealing 'water spenders' and 'water savers.' The model improves climate predictions and informs water management, providing insights into plant adaptations and soil drydowns.
A new executive order aims to deregulate the US seafood sector, but experts argue it will weaken scientific authority and environmental protections. The policy threatens the sustainability of wild fisheries and aquaculture development, which is crucial for food security.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have found that in 2D semiconductors, the interactions between electrons and phonons can conserve momentum and energy, leading to efficient hydrodynamic flow behavior. This discovery has significant implications for designing highly efficient electrical conductivity materials, even at room temperature.
The COSMOS-Web field maps nearly 800,000 galaxies spanning 98% of cosmic time, challenging existing notions of the infant universe. Researchers see roughly 10 times more galaxies than expected at incredible distances, sparking new questions about the early universe and its mysteries.
A new study finds that increasing atmospheric evaporative demand is making droughts 40% more severe globally over the past 40 years. As the atmosphere warms, air can hold more moisture, leading to increased water demand and pulling more water from soils, rivers, and plants.
Researchers found that adopting new digital systems to help oceangoing container ships get in line to offload their cargo at busy ports reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 16-24%. This intervention is cheap and utilizes existing technology.
Researchers found that women tend to use the ocean closer to shore than men, with implications for equitable marine planning and governance. This study highlights the importance of considering gender-based differences in marine spatial planning efforts.
Researchers propose Input-Driven Plasticity model, which integrates past and new information to guide memory retrieval. The model is robust to noise and uses it as a means to filter out less stable memories.
Jennifer Jacobs' innovative fabrication tools aim to redefine user interaction with machines like 3D printers and CNC mills, fostering improvisation, expertise, and adaptation. Her research focuses on designing systems that blend manual and automated operations, enabling creators to intervene during fabrication and adjust variables mid...
Researchers found that hormone fluctuations during the mouse estrous cycle impact the shape and behavior of hippocampal neurons. The study suggests that sex hormones influence cognitive functions like memory and learning.
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara and UCSF have developed a new method to design enzymes from scratch, enabling the creation of highly efficient and selective catalysts. The new approach allows for the combination of desirable properties into novel enzymes for various applications, including drug development and materials design.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara found that fruit fly larvae can detect electric fields and move towards the negative potential. The team localized the sensory neurons responsible for this ability, which could lead to new techniques in bioengineering and research into animal senses.
A field experiment in Chinese cities shows that increased transparency leads to a 37% reduction in high-polluting company violations and a 90% increase in regulatory inspections. Air pollution drops by 8-10%, with no evidence of direct public pressure as a factor.