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Society + Culture

a woman smiling while writing in her journal
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iStock

The benefits of gratitude interventions vary based on where they are practiced, and by whom

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Tsimané fishing with bows and arrows
Photo Credit
Michael Gurven
Compared to industrialized counterparts Tsimané people of lowland Bolivia have less food availability and must expend more effort to get it

New study adds nuance to the understanding of dementia in the Tsimané and Mosetén of lowland Bolivia
color photographic portrait of professor shelly lundberg
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
UC Santa Barbara economist and demographer Shelly Lundberg, September 2026

Economist Shelly Lundberg wins prestigious Mincer Award, releases book on gender economics
A woman in blue blouse and green blazer with long brown hair, standing on a beach with greenery in the background
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Courtesy
Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Environmental Politics Leah Stokes

Leah Stokes brings urgency, optimism to fight to save the planet
photo of a man delivering a food to a woman at her home
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iStock

AI-enabled tools may help disabled workers close the wage gap
Mother and child in her lap
Photo Credit
Michel Chaplin
A mother and child in Bangladesh, where UCSB anthropologist Kathrine Starkweather conducted field research.

For working mothers, flexibility may not be enough
A truck unloads waste on a landfill as a landfill compactor moves material nearby.
Photo Credit
Djedzura via iStock
Despite the known problems with plastic, society produces more of it every year. Scientists hope that mandatory measurement and reporting can help us address the issue.

Want a solution to plastic pollution? Scientists urge UN to require global reporting
The sun bursts through the trees on UC Santa Barbara's campus
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

New fund supports student projects connecting Indigenous studies and environmental action
collage of stone sculpture of David with colored organs
Photo Credit
Photo illustration by Matt Perko

How the heart, lungs and brain work together to shape experience
Three pumpjacks silhouetted by the setting sun.
Photo Credit
TebNad via iStock
The conflict with Iran provides the perfect circumstance to usher out the era of oil and gasoline now that renewable energy is cheap and ubiquitous.

Are we missing the perfect opportunity to kick fossil fuels?
drawing of animals at table
Photo Credit
AM / UCSB Library
Detail from Thomas Nast's layout design for the story of "Poor Robinson Crusoe", c.1880-1900.

Expanded humanities and social science collection at UCSB Library is a research treasure trove
Bolivian tribe receiving health education regarding COVID-19
Photo Credit
Michael Gurven
A health educator conveys information about COVID-19 transmission to members of Bolivia's Tsimané population

Tsimané and Moseten peoples of lowland Bolivia demonstrate an intriguing case of epidemiological resilience
Two Mapuche women smiling and wearing colorful, traditional attire with silver necklaces.
Photo Credit
Oscar Gutierrez Zozulia via iStock
The Mapuche are Chile’s largest Indigenous group, having retained independence form the Spanish empire for centuries.

Indigenous land restitution empowers communities, but environmental gains require extra support
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