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Ecology Evolution and Marine Biology

a natural dune formation on a sandy beach
Photo Credit
City of Santa Monica

Santa Monica Beach dune project shows promise for coastal resilience

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A scuba diver swims in a kelp forest
Photo Credit
Courtesy of NPS

SeaSketch helps stakeholders explore changes to MPAs
Daniela Soto at her lab bench
Photo Credit
Jordan Strauss / AP Images for HHMI
Daniela Soto

UCSB postdoc receives competitive award to investigate the genetic changes that shaped the human mind
A human brain against a background of double helices.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Differences in gene expression, not just their presence, seems to drive the remarkable specialization found in the human brain.

It’s all about expression
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Six UCSB researchers named among world’s most influential scientists
Coconut palms stretch into the distance framed by tropical blue waters.
Photo Credit
PeaceMan via iStock
Coconut palms account for more than one third of forested areas on Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia, which falls far short of the region’s most heavily impacted atolls.

After decades of plantation agriculture, coconut palms dominate over half of Pacific atoll forests
blue whale tail
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image

Researchers paint a global picture of whale-ship collision risk
dolphin swimming with plastic bag on fin
Photo Credit
Joao Vianna/Getty Images

A new study in Science maps out a comprehensive plan to eliminate plastic pollution by 2050
A close-up view of fluorescent coral.
Photo Credit
Anemone via AdobeStock
Coral underpin ecosystems as vibrant as they are. But these iconic animals face many challenges in the 21st century.

UC Santa Barbara leads $1.3-million research project on coral regeneration
Samantha Mladjov pilots a drone above a beachgoers and dogs.
Photo Credit
Neil Nathan
With an eye in the sky, researchers can track white sharks off the coast.

Scientists use drones to track white sharks along California beaches
UCSB professor Deron Burkepile explores the North shore of Moorea’s fore reef.
Photo Credit
Andrew Thurber
The structural complexity of a healthy coral reef provides habitat for a diversity of lifeforms.

Dead coral skeletons hinder reef regeneration by sheltering seaweed
Left to right: Anna Boser, Naomi Tague, David Valentine, and Leander Anderegg.
Photo Credit
UC Santa Barbara
Left to right: Anna Boser, Naomi Tague, David Valentine, and Leander Anderegg.

UCSB faculty and students among the American Geophysical Union’s 2024 honorees
A shortfin mako encountered off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Photo Credit
Neil Ferdinand Nathan
Apex predators like this shortfin make have an outsized influence on their ecosystems. Unfortunately, they’re also the hardest hit by fishing.

Big sharks have a big impact — and a big problem
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