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Letters and Science

black and white photo with many people marching in one direction taken from up above
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iStock / EyeEm Mobile GmbH
How people judge collective action, such as this peaceful march, depends on their allegiances, values and beliefs, according to research at UCSB

Social science research on collective action wins National Science Foundation grant

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color portrait photograph of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English Alan Liu
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Alan Liu, January 2026

Faculty Research Lecturer Alan Liu ponders ‘good’ knowledge in the age of AI
molecules in blue
Photo Credit
Anusorn Nakdee/iStock

Designing better catalysts for cleaner, more efficient chemistry
female student reads on bench outside
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

Even brief lapses in attention can weaken memory
city neighborhood from aerial view
Photo Credit
iStock

New data shows gun violence drives major declines in neighborhood foot traffic and economic growth
A pregnant woman is silhouetted by diffuse, warm sunlight.
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Kieferpix via iStock
The health of a woman and her future child may be at risk before she even knows she’s pregnant.

Hot, humid conditions during pregnancy undermine child health much more than heat alone
A pair of comets partially melt as they collide in an inset image, lower right, with the system’s young star and accretion disk in the background.
Photo Credit
Thomas Müller (MPIA/HdA)
Scientist imagine the scene when two comets collided in the Fomalhaut system, only 25 light years from Earth.

Astronomers discover huge dust clouds from violent collisions around nearby star
man sitting on chair with newspaper cover background
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
UC Santa Barbara English assistant professor Jim Casey is leading a project to recover and share 19th-century African American newspapers using artificial intelligence.

$750,000 Schmidt Sciences grant uses AI to transform Black press archives
two older white people on couch with virtual reality headsets
Photo Credit
Rendever.com

NIH backs UCSB virtual reality project to help older adults build real social connections
A pair of divers use bongo nets to collect marine snow in dark, blue water.
Photo Credit
J. Morin/ NOAA
Much of the organic carbon sinking into the deep ocean is carried by tiny organic particles known as marine snow.

A stormy ocean voyage yields insights on the global carbon cycle
concept illustration of AI and brain

AI helps explain how covert attention works and uncovers new neuron types
grains and pulses with scoops in baskets.
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Pierivb via iStock
Addressing world hunger requires an accurate account of those in need.

Global measure underestimates the severity of food insecurity
graduate student Kylie Falcione looks at brain scans
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Kylie Falcione

Brain science, social media and a modern moral panic
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