UCSC

Astrophysicists have done a bit of crime scene investigation. They’ve traced radioactive elements on the seafloor back to the cosmic explosions they might have come from – and potentially linked the event to evolutionary changes in viruses in Africa.

Back in 2018, scientists at Duke University discovered that each time our eyes move, our ears make an imperceptible squeaking noise. Now, the researchers have developed a method of telling where a person is looking by analyzing those sounds.

‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar interloper detected passing through our solar system, raised many questions. According to a new model, the object’s unusual shape and trajectory may be the result of a devastating close encounter with a star.

While exploring the “dark heart” of the human genome, geneticists have now found some of the most ancient pieces of DNA, inherited from Neanderthals and an as-yet-unknown human relative, which may be affecting our sense of smell to this day.

Metallic asteroids​ in the early days of the solar system may have had volcanoes spewing molten iron instead of lava. Based on models of how metallic asteroids form and cool, a new study by planetary scientists at UC Santa Cruz opens the window on such a spectacular possibility.

​Imagine if instead of paying for downtown parking, you could just have your car cruise the streets by itself while you attended to your business, and then return to pick you up when summoned? A new study suggests that's exactly what driverless cars could do – and it may cause a big problem.

NOAA flew a scientific aircraft right through Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Now, the researchers have reported their findings, including the detection of a beam of antimatter being blasted towards the ground, accompanied by flashes of x-rays and gamma rays.

​Even though blue whales don't have hands, or even feet, a new study has shown that most of them are in fact right-handed. This can be seen in the way that they feed. Interestingly, however, there's one particular situation in which they tend to go left instead.

​​Greenhouses already receive a lot of sunlight, so why not incorporate solar panels into them? That's just what Soliculture has done. But there's one thing to note about its greenhouses – their roof glass is colored magenta. According to a new study, though, it doesn't harm plant growth.

Researchers have tapped into a mysterious jelly that allows sharks, skates and rays to detect weak electric fields produced by their prey.

Unmanned aerial vehicles could replace people in monitoring forest regeneration projects in the tropics, with consequent savings in time and money as well as much-improved data collection. Drone-based monitoring could also spread conservation efforts to new regions, thereby curbing deforestation.

Researchers at the University of California Santa Cruz have developed a 3D display which can also be viewed in 2D without glasses, and without the blurred effect caused by overlapping images.