What's Current in
Letters and Science
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![A pumpjack nestled between trees and luxury homes.](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/pumpjack-neighborhood-istock%202.jpeg?itok=SnpHYRwk)
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iStock
California currently has no setback restrictions, so oil production can occur in the middle of neighborhoods like Signal Hill, in Los Angeles.
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![Anthropology associate professor David Lawson](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/David-Lawson-uc-santa-barbara-hero%20%281%29.jpg?itok=7Gb8JGW2)
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Jeff Liang
Associate Professor David W. Lawson, May 2023
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![A hand hovering over a match](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/hand-flame.jpg?itok=2wubz1g-)
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Matt Perko
Our perception of pain arises from a complex system connected to many other pathways.
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![A homebuilder on a housing job site](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/housing-iStock-Kwangmoozaa.jpg?itok=sGSMzZWe)
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iStock/Kwangmoozaa
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![Stop Asian Hate fortune cookie street art](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/stop-asian-hate-street-art.jpg?itok=zIRKwJVk)
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Michelle Bell
Michelle Bell, Chinatown Live
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![Headshots of Benjamin Brecher and Samuel Mungo bookend vintage image of an opera playbill cover](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/opera-brecher-mungo-uc-santa-barbara.jpg?itok=U8GHhRlL)
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Courtesy photo
Benjamin Brecher, far left, and Samuel Mungo, far right, co-created the version of Gustave Kerker's opera "Burning to Sing" for UC Santa Barbara's music department.
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![Chris Erdman](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/chris-erdman-classics-ucsb-8-opt.jpg?itok=SB2c-FYV)
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Debra Herrick
Chris Erdman is a recipient of the American Academy in Rome fellowship for 2024–25.
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Photo Credit
Courtesy
Rosa Parks
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![Holly Moeller checks on flasks of mixotrophic algae.](/sites/default/files/styles/large_2340x1212/public/2023-05/Moeller-and-incubator-uc-santa-barbara.jpg?itok=SkAuGt5B)
Photo Credit
Holly Moeller
Holly Moeller hopes these nondescript algae will help her uncover the intriguing lifestyle of mixotrophs and understand how environmental conditions influence their growth.