Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a new RNA sequencing technique that reveals an abundance of modified fragments derived from transfer RNA molecules in both yeast and human cells. This discovery opens up a rapidly growing area of RNA research, increasing the detection of transfer RNA fragments by three-fold.
A new study reveals surprisingly high geothermal heating beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, contributing to melting of basal ice and potentially supporting microbial life. The measurement could help explain the ice sheet's rapid melting and destabilization, essential for predicting future behavior.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have determined the molecular mechanism involved in light-induced activation of Channelrhodopsin-2, a widely used protein in optogenetics. The discovery provides insights into creating tailor-made proteins optimized for use in optogenetics experiments.
A new study by UC Santa Cruz scientists reveals the 'hydrothermal siphon' drives global ocean water circulation through the seafloor. The process is sustained by fluid flow and heat transfer through thousands of extinct underwater volcanoes, with smaller seamounts favored as sites of discharge.
A study of Elkhorn Slough and Monterey Bay found that nutrient runoff from land use leads to low oxygen levels, affecting fish populations and commercial fisheries. The research suggests improvements in land management could benefit estuaries and fisheries.
Researchers found that PASD1, a protein associated with cancer cells, suppresses the circadian clock. The discovery offers new insights into the molecular mechanisms of the biological clock and its potential role in driving cancer growth. Understanding how PASD1 regulates the clock could lead to developing new therapies.
A study of disease dynamics in a California grassland reveals fundamental principles underlying the spread of pathogens among species. The researchers found that the amount of disease on each species depended on how common it was, as well as on the abundance of its close relatives.
Scientists have isolated bacteria that inhibit the growth of the white-nose syndrome fungus in laboratory tests. The bacteria may help protect bats from the disease when treated with a bacterial spray applied during hibernation.
The study explains why our solar system has a gap between Mercury and the outer planets. Jupiter's inward migration destroyed any newly-formed super-Earths, leaving behind rocky inner planets like Earth with thinner atmospheres.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz found that methane-rich groundwater contributes to lake emissions, which can exacerbate global warming. The study suggests that future warming in the Arctic could expand the active layer and increase methane transport to lakes.
A new study by UC Santa Cruz researchers found that female pumas kill more prey but eat less when their territories overlap with human development. The presence of humans leads pumas to abandon kills before consuming them, resulting in high energy costs and food loss.
A study documents the disappearance of pikas from low-elevation sites in California's mountains, primarily due to climate change. The researchers predict that by 2070, pikas may disappear from up to 75% of their historical range, depending on greenhouse gas emissions levels.
A new study found that bottlenose dolphins and Weddell seals experience cardiac arrhythmias during the deepest dives, with over 70% of deep dives affected. The conflicting signals to the heart from exercise-induced tachycardia and dive-induced bradycardia put the heart in an unsteady state.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz aim to build a new map of human genetic variation with a $1 million grant from the Simons Foundation. The Human Genome Variation Map will provide a critical resource for both medical and basic research in the life sciences, overcoming limitations of current models.
A study of Andromeda's stellar disk reveals a more disordered population than the Milky Way's, suggesting recent mergers with smaller galaxies. The researchers found that younger stars have relatively ordered rotational motion, while older stars display much more disordered motion.
Researchers reconstructed a partial genome of the common ancestor of crocodiles, birds, and dinosaurs, showing an exceptionally slow rate of genome evolution in crocodilians. The team found that population sizes declined sharply during the last ice age, with alligator populations experiencing a continuous decline.
A new study found that the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome, which causes bat populations to crash, can infect nearly every bat in a colony during hibernation. Bats that survive the winter can clear the infection after they become active again, but this leads to high mortality rates at the end of winter.
A new study found that eels' biting behavior led to remarkable diversification of skull shapes, whereas suction feeding constrains most fish. The research mapped out evolutionary relationships among eel species and their relatives to understand the factors promoting morphological diversity.
Researchers discovered that elephant seals dive more efficiently with moderate body fat by changing their buoyancy. As they add fat stores during months-long migrations, the seals become neutrally buoyant, reducing energy costs and increasing time spent feeding at depth.
The Center for Big Data in Translational Genomics aims to develop standard protocols and tools for handling genomic data efficiently, enabling the analysis of millions of genomic datasets. The center will test new approaches in four pilot projects, including cancer-related initiatives.
The study found that mountain lions use a 'stalk and pounce' strategy due to its high energy efficiency, with costs varying depending on prey size. The new SMART collar technology enabled researchers to track and quantify the energetic costs of these behaviors.
Scientists discovered genes in humans that make repressor proteins to shut down specific jumping genes, a type of retrotransposon. The findings suggest an ongoing battle between mobile DNA sequences and the genes that control them, leading to the evolution of greater genomic complexity.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz found that both sperm and eggs transmit a memory of gene repression to embryos, which is then transmitted through multiple cell divisions. This epigenetic memory plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression and development.
Scientists analyzed depictions of animals in ancient Egyptian artifacts to reconstruct the large mammal community that lived in the Nile Valley. The study found that species extinctions led to a decline in ecosystem stability, with only eight species remaining today compared to 37 six millennia ago.
A study published in Nature found that the chemical uniformity of stars in the same cluster is due to turbulent mixing in star-forming clouds. This mixing occurs before much of the gas has turned into stars, resulting in nearly identical chemical signatures among sibling stars.
Researchers, led by UC Santa Cruz's Seth Rubin, are developing a new class of drugs to treat breast cancer by targeting the inactivated retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein. The innovative approach may have fewer toxic side effects and be less vulnerable to drug resistance.
A new chip-based platform combines electrical and optical measurements to study single molecules and nanoparticles. The device allows for the discrimination of particles with different sizes and optical properties, enabling reliable counts of virus particles.
A comprehensive analysis of data from thousands of patients revealed that one in ten cancers would be classified differently using a new classification system based on molecular subtypes. The study provides a more refined, quantitative picture of cancer subtypes and could lead to different treatment options for those patients.
A new study by researchers at UC Santa Cruz shows that most of the moon's overall shape can be explained by tidal effects acting early in the moon's history. The results provide insights into the moon's early history, its orbital evolution, and its current orientation in the sky.
Researchers found that the daily energy demands of a female sea otter increase by 17% after giving birth to a pup and can be nearly twice what they are when she doesn't have a pup. The study reveals why female sea otters often appear in poor condition at the end of lactation period.
University of California - Santa Cruz chemist Rebecca Braslau has developed a new approach to create safe and affordable alternatives to widely used phthalates. Her research aims to replace phthalates in consumer products, which have been linked to reproductive and developmental abnormalities.
Research suggests that when women in developing countries own land, they gain power and are less likely to experience violence. Women use land as a proxy of power, strategically leveraging it to change the power dynamic in their relationships.
The APF facility consists of a 2.4-meter telescope and the Levy Spectrometer, which Vogt designed and optimized specifically for planet hunting. Repeated measurement of a star's spectrum enables astronomers to detect the tiny wobble induced in a star by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet.
Researchers successfully reintroduced the critically endangered marsh sandwort plant to multiple locations, guided by experimental findings and habitat variations. The discovery of a native indicator plant, water parsley, helped identify suitable habitats for the species.
Researchers analyzed chemical isotopes in hair and bone samples to track changes in Yosemite bears' diets over the past century. Management strategies implemented since 1999 successfully limited human food availability, but problems persist, with bears returning to dumpsters despite increased visitor numbers.
Researchers found that spotted seals have remarkably sensitive hearing in both air and water, detecting airborne sounds as well as terrestrial carnivores. In water, they hear almost as well as fully aquatic species like dolphins and porpoises, with a range of seven octaves.
Researchers used computer simulations to explore the destruction of a star by a black hole, finding that hydrogen lines are highly ionized and don't appear in spectra. The study provides new insights into the origin of emission lines in tidal disruption events and sheds light on the role of accretion disks.
Researchers discovered a sea lion, Ronan, has impressive rhythmic entrainment skills, beating to various tempos and music. This finding contradicts the long-held theory that beat keeping requires complex vocal mimicry.
Researchers detected a distant quasar illuminating a vast nebula of diffuse gas, extending about 2 million light-years across intergalactic space. The study provides the first image of extended gas between galaxies, offering insight into the overall structure of the universe.
A study by University of California, Santa Cruz researchers found a significant shift in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre's food web since 1850, driven by changes in nitrogen sources. The shift may be related to the expansion and warming of open ocean gyres, which limits nutrient delivery to surface waters.
The AGORA project aims to resolve issues in galaxy formation simulations by systematically comparing high-resolution codes using a common set of initial conditions and astrophysical assumptions. The comparisons will help researchers determine which simulation results are due to the code platform or underlying theoretical assumptions.
Researchers find remarkably low frictional heat produced by fault slip during magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, which triggered devastating tsunami. The low resistance to slip may explain the large amount of slip that occurred during the earthquake.
A new study reveals areas of high human impact on marine predators such as whales, seals, and turtles along the US west coast. The research used tracking data and mapping to identify key habitats and areas for conservation efforts.
A novel device that combines microbial fuel cells and photoelectrochemical cells generates hydrogen gas from sunlight and wastewater, achieving self-biased solar hydrogen generation. The device demonstrates efficient wastewater treatment and potential for large-scale applications.
A genetic and demographic analysis of river herring populations along the U.S. east coast has identified distinct genetic stocks, providing crucial guidance for efforts to manage their declining populations. The most severe declines have occurred in the Southern New England stocks and the Mid-Atlantic stocks, highlighting the need for ...
The Pan-Cancer Initiative has identified common genetic patterns across various tumor types, enabling researchers to extend therapies effective in one cancer type to others with a similar genomic profile. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment by recognizing similarities between seemingly distinct tumors.
A magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck deep beneath the Sea of Okhotsk, with seismic waves detected by thousands of stations worldwide. The event released three times as much energy as the next largest recorded earthquake and involved rapid shear faulting.
Researchers found a negative correlation between gravity and topography signals on Titan, attributed to large roots extending into the ocean beneath the ice shell. The study suggests that Titan's ice shell is rigid and at least 40 kilometers thick.
A study found that sea otter recolonization led to an increase in grazing invertebrates, which kept algae growth under control and allowed seagrasses to recover. The findings suggest that restoration of entire food webs may be necessary for coastal habitat recovery.
Researchers at UCSC have created a 3D+2D TV system that allows both 3D and 2D viewers to see images simultaneously, eliminating ghosting. The system uses unequal brightness between left and right images to create the illusion of depth for 3D viewers.