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Letters and Science

sunlight shines through a swimming jellyfish
Photo Credit
iStock

Adaptive molecular convergence more common than previously thought

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man with dark hair, laptop and white headphones at a desk in a room full of students at desks
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

Comm scholar Dan Lane named UC fellow for research on AI and civic engagement
giant kelp in the water

Disturbance has a greater effect on giant kelp productivity than does resource availability
A women in a green jacket sits at a table, hands folded, in front of a red background
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Thuc-Quyen Nguyen

New Faculty Research Lecturer Thuc-Quyen Nguyen reflects on science, mentorship and resilience
An artist's concept of a distant galaxy with an active quasar at its center shooting out bright jets of radiation above and below the galactic disc.
Photo Credit
NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
A quasar emits exceptional amounts of energy generated by matter falling into a supermassive black hole.

The earliest quasars yet observed are shedding light on the infancy of our cosmos
Purple, pink and blue rope-like 3D structures fold over each other, illustrating the protein-folding process.
Photo Credit
iStock / quantic69
Scientific illustration of a 3D protein molecules structure, formed by amino acids and peptides, reflecting the protein-folding process.

New tools to study protein assembly may help in the search for neurodegenerative disease therapeutics
photo image of sociologist terrell winder and the cover of his new book
UCSB assistant professor of sociology Terrell Winder's book was released this month by NYU Press

New book documents Black gay men rejecting the burdens of stigma
sand dunes against an ocean background

California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes, first-ever comprehensive assessment reveals
A closeup of the back of a graduation cap decorated with a pale blue flower and the letters UCSB

Commencement 2026 celebrates accomplishment, purpose and community
man of Asian descent in blue suit with light pink tie
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Howard Chiang, UCSB historian

Howard Chiang honored for career in queer history and Sinophone studies
Paul Atzberger holds a mathematical figure.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Paul Atzberger is designing AI that sees the world more like a geometer.

Giving AI geometric awareness allows it to better understand the world
group shot of UCSB's Surfrider Battalion at Goleta Beach commissioning ceremony
Photo Credit
Darius Khatami
Newly commissioned second lieutenants (from left) Megan Schreck, Jonathan Saenz, William Nutcher, Rylie-Ann Murphy, Katherine Miller, Lia Kubitschek, Timothy Joo, Lauren Graves, Nicolas Gandolfo, Kaya Cuellar, Natalie Byrnes, Conor Buckelew and Ella Barber at Goleta Beach, June 12, 2026

Surfrider Battalion graduates commissioned at Goleta Beach ceremony
illustration of light-activated molecule
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image

Yang group develops new mechanism for metal carbene radical cross coupling
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