🎉Version 500!!!🪅 Happy birthday, @ucsantacruz.bsky.social Genome Browser! 🎂 Five hundred versions later, the Browser serves thousands of genome assemblies across the tree of life, tens of thousands of annotation tracks, and a global community of researchers, clinicians, educators, and students.

UCSC Genome Browser@genomebrowser.bsky.social · 4w ago

26 years ago today, the first public assembly of the human genome went online at UC Santa Cruz. Today, we release version 500 of the UCSC Genome Browser. From Jim Kent's first assembly to thousands of genomes, the data is still free and open. genome.ucsc.edu/gold...

From community college to astrophysicist! 🚀 Meet Dr. Christina Vides, who is joining UC Santa Cruz as an Astronova Fellow. Supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation, she is building next-gen tech to detect protoplanets orbiting distant stars. Read her story: news.ucsc.edu/2026/07/astr...)

Postdoctoral researcher to develop instrumentation to detect distant protoplanets

Supported by the new Astronova Fellowship program, Christina Vides will advance her research in a technique that sharpens the images from astronomical telescopes in order to detect faint planets in th...

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A new UC Santa Cruz study reveals how lower-income & marginalized communities face steep barriers to accessing California's coast. The researchers offer practical solutions for equity, like lower parking fees & representative safety staff. 🏖️ news.ucsc.edu/2026/07/coas...

Beach season is here—just not for everyone

Marine and social scientists at UC Santa Cruz explain why privileged people enjoy more recreational, economic, and emotional benefits of the ocean than underresourced groups, and offer holistic remedi...

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New research led by UC Santa Cruz professor, Kathleen Kay, debunks a classic myth, finding that tropical mountain flowers have evolved to attract hummingbirds over bees mainly because hummingbirds are better pollinators! 🌺 Read the full article: news.ucsc.edu/2026/06/flow...

The best pollinators can drive evolutionary changes in flowers, new study finds

Researchers find hummingbirds to be better pollinators of mountain flowers than bees, prompting the plants to adopt traits that favor the fast, feathered carriers over the fuzzy, buzzy ones

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Barry J. Bowman, professor emeritus of molecular, cell, & developmental biology and devoted supporter of UC Santa Cruz, passed away May 9 at his home in Santa Cruz. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of discovery, service, and community. news.ucsc.edu/2026/06/in-m...

In Memoriam: Barry Bowman

For nearly 40 years, Barry Bowman and his wife, Emma Jean (Rusty) Bowman, worked side by side in UC Santa Cruz’s Sinsheimer Laboratories, conducting research to build our understanding of a part of th...

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“We are here ... We’re not something of the past. We are something of the present." Join in person/Zoom on Mon. 5/4 to launch Shadow Indigenous Worlds, which aims to immerse learners globally in Indigenous forms of inquiry and understanding. Learn more and RSVP here: news.ucsc.edu/2026/04/shad...

🌏 Join us tonight for "The Power of One," a free Earth Day event at UCSC! Film screening + panel with filmmakers Alex Valdez and Pablo De la Fuente, followed by a habitat restoration project tomorrow on the San Lorenzo River. Free and open to all. UCSC students are especially encouraged to attend!

Congrats @sarahsteelescience.bsky.social – She joins us as a 51 Pegasi b postdoc fellow this fall to probe the moon's magnetic past for clues about its formation and interior. A fuller understanding of the moon will make it a firmer stepping stone for future science research and space exploration 🚀

New study finds the mating antics of animals can alter an ecosystem. Constant sexual harassment of female mosquitofish by males results in depletion of prey lower in the food web due to both sexes needing to maintain the energy for all the chasing and evading 🐠 💨 🐠 news.ucsc.edu/2026/03/sexu...

Does sexual harassment behavior matter for ecosystems?

Intense harassment of females by male mosquitofish increases the ecosystem consequences of this highly invasive fish

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For #WomensHistoryMonth we spotlight Prof. Shaheen Sikandar. Her research shows how early pregnancy may protect against breast cancer by blocking age-related cell changes. A new @americancancersoc.bsky.social grant will allow her to shift focus from cure to prevention. news.ucsc.edu/2026/01/preg...

How early pregnancy impacts aging: implications for breast-cancer risk

New study by UC Santa Cruz team discovers that early pregnancy in mice reduces buildup of ‘confused’ cells that could lead to breast cancer later in life

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For decades, Alzheimer’s research focused almost exclusively on Amyloid beta. But is a “neglected cousin" peptide called P3 actually an overlooked culprit? New research from UC Santa Cruz suggests this supposedly harmless protein is anything but. news.ucsc.edu/2026/02/negl...

Calling all salmon lovers 🐟 On March 6, join UCSC’s Eric Palkovacs to learn about research-driven approaches to restoring Pacific salmon, threatened by dams, overharvest & climate change. This free, in-person lecture is from 6–7:30 p.m. Space is limited—register here: events.ucsc.edu/event/transf...

Three of our @ucscscience.bsky.social superstars presented their extraordinary work to the UCSC Foundation Board today! Thanks to Rachel Meyer, Roxanne Beltran, and Elizabeth Howard for changing students lives, while at the same time finding solutions to our most pressing challenges.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) helps scientists track pathogens, rare species, & ecosystem health using genomics. Join UCSC’s Rachel Meyer tonight for her Kraw Lecture at our Silicon Valley Campus at 5:30 pm. Register here: events.ucsc.edu/event/kraw-l...

UC Santa Cruz astronomy & astrophysics professor Raja GuhaThakurta is a distinguished researcher, inspiring teacher, leader in equity in science, & AAS Fellow. Today he delivers a keynote at the 247th AAS conference, highlighting programs he founded. Read more: astrobites.org/2026/01/05/m...

@ucscscience.bsky.social is reshaping what learning looks like, taking students down to Alaskan kelp forests, up to mountaintop observatories, and into cutting-edge cancer research labs. The skills and courage they build go far beyond graduation. Photo credit: 1. Dave Benet, 2. Sofia Orelind

In memoriam: UC Santa Cruz honors the passing of physicist and cosmologist Joel Primack, co-developer of the cold dark matter theory and a leader in linking science with public policy. Please join us in honoring the life of a dedicated mentor and truly seminal scientist: bit.ly/4rDCZ7e

In Memoriam: Joel Primack

Distinguished emeritus professor was a towering figure in theoretical physics and cosmology, a visionary educator, dedicated mentor, and passionate advocate for the role of science in society

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Neighbors! Get the scoop on what your local Nobel laureate is working on now to reveal the roots of cancer and other diseases. Our NEW "Science in the Neighborhood" public lecture series kicks off w/ UCSC's Carol Greider! Sign up now. It's free and starts at 6pm on Dec. 11 at our coastal campus 🌊

Our Degree-Defining Experiences program at @ucscscience.bsky.social is now a year old, and the results have been transformational! As Zimin Cohen puts it: “This is the kind of science I want to do.” Read more: news.ucsc.edu/2025/11/degr...

Are you experienced? Students from first year of immersive-learning initiative share stories of profound impact

From aquatic adventures and mountaintop stargazing to lab work aimed at saving lives, students describe how the Degree-Defining Experiences Program fosters unforgettable moments and deepens meaning

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Twenty-five UC Santa Cruz researchers earned a spot on the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers, placing their work among the top 1% most cited globally. The list included faculty and staff from across @baskinengineering.bsky.social, @ucscscience.bsky.social and @ucscgenomics.bsky.social ⬇️

Nearly every day for the past 20 years, UC Santa Cruz and NOAA scientists have waded into Scott Creek in search of endangered coho salmon. Their long-term research could hold the key to the species’ recovery across California. 🐟 Read more: news.ucsc.edu/2025/10/cali...

A Lifeline for Salmon: UCSC and NOAA Join Forces to Secure a Future for California's Most Iconic Fish

A decades-long collaboration is giving Central California’s dwindling coho salmon population a fighting chance.

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It’s Giving Day at UC Santa Cruz! Support high-impact science by giving to the projects that inspire you most. With 40+ initiatives in the Science Division, from student experiences to equity and access, every gift makes a difference. See all projects here: sites.google.com/ucsc.edu/giv...

6,000+ exoplanets and counting—just this year. This Thursday, Nov. 6, hear from Natalie Batalha, UC Santa Cruz’s director of astrobiology & former NASA Kepler scientist, on the search for life beyond Earth. 🌌 Free talk, hybrid format, and open to all. More info here: events.ucsc.edu/event/59th-f...

Today’s undergraduate STEM majors are tomorrow’s K-12 teachers, and Cal Teach is preparing them to transform how students see science, math, and their own potential. 🌱 This #GivingDay, your gift helps fund scholarships & training for future math + science educators: give.ucsc.edu/giving-day-2...

It was very inspiring last night to hear from @ucscscience.bsky.social professor @roxannebeltran.bsky.social about her research, in which she uses tagged seals to explore our oceans. Just fourteen tagged seals can provide detailed data on 1% of the entire 3D volume of the world’s oceans every year!

Ocean sciences prof Andrew Moore @ucsantacruz.bsky.social receives AGU’s Edward A. Flinn III Award for “unselfish cooperation in research,” for decades of work w/ peers @rutgersu.bsky.social on one of the world’s most widely used community ocean models 🌊 Read more: news.ucsc.edu/2025/10/moor...

Andrew Moore honored for decades of selfless service to ocean sciences community

The Edward A. Flinn III Award recognizes scientists who embody the American Geophysical Union's motto "unselfish cooperation in research"

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"Data shows that expansion of those who participate in academic science produces better science that has a wider impact." From a new research-backed defense of DEI programs published today by Needhi Bhalla @ucsantacruz.bsky.social and peers @ucsdmedschool.bsky.social and @uofmass.bsky.social 👏🏾👏🏼👏

Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽@needhibhalla.bsky.social · 10mo ago

@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"

Congratulations to NEXTies Earth + Sea winners: UCSC professor Andrew Fisher won the "Brainwave Award" for his work as a scientist in the field of hydrogeology, and Darryl Wong and Gage Dayton shared the honor of winning the "Big Idea Award" for their environmental project work. 🏆👏

From @ucscscience.bsky.social, Danny Cruz (Porter, biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics) is a Cellular and Molecular Biology Ph.D. Student at the University of Michigan, and Ciara Bolt (Kresge, B.S. Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology) is a research associate at Natera.

Need proof that the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is worth preserving? Here are century-old fish preserved in essentially rum–a sweet twist that kept their DNA intact 🧬 What that DNA is telling us today is surprising even the most seasoned scientists: news.ucsc.edu/2025/10/rum-...

High-proof alcohol preserved century-old fish DNA to enable ‘genomic time travel’

Unusual preservative in specimen jars proved to be a sweet solution for studying changes in genetic diversity among fish populations in the Philippines since the early 1900s

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