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Letters and Science

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illustration of swimming microbes on dark background
Microbes are responsible for much of carbon sequestration in the ocean

The mystery of the missing deep ocean carbon fixers

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A half-corroded barrel seeps toxic waste into the seafloor.
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Courtesy Image
Untold amounts of toxic waste were carelessly, though legally, disposed of off the California coast. Their presence continues to haunt human and wildlife health.
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a natural dune formation on a sandy beach
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City of Santa Monica
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A scuba diver swims in a kelp forest
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Courtesy of NPS
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fist punch to gavel in front of red curtain
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Illustration by Matt Perko
In “Fighting Mad,” UCSB professor Laury Oaks examines how infant surrender policies are being used to justify restrictions on reproductive choice—and the ongoing fight for reproductive justice in the post-Roe era.
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headshot of Pico Gilman
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Courtesy
Second-year Pico Gilman ’27 placed sixth in the Putnam Math Competition, leading UCSB to its best-ever finish.
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historical map of US with text in Spanish and flowers
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Illustration by Matt Perko
Flower picking as a metaphor for rediscovery — professor emerita Víctor Fuentes’ "Florilegio" gathers centuries of overlooked Spanish-language literature from the U.S.
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An avocado cut in half displayed on a yellow background
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iStock / Olena Kovalova
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A black and white photograph of two people in the atomic devastation of World War II in Hiroshima, Japan
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Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Energy
Hiroshima, November 27, 1945
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The Earth gradually becoming whiter.
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Matt Perko
On its own, Earth would shift toward another ice age in about 10,000 years, scientists say. But humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions may have radically shifted the climates trajectory.
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Black Studies professor in front of an art installation
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Matt Perko
Sharon Tettegah