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Life Sciences

2024 Goldwater scholars
Clockwise, from left: Matthew Unger, Riya Nilkrant, Xuanwei Liang, Isaac Hair, Anika Jena

Five UC Santa Barbara undergraduates named Goldwater Scholars

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Holly Moeller checks on flasks of mixotrophic algae.
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.

Biologist Holly Moeller investigates the role of mixotrophs, organisms that can both eat and photosynthesize
aerial view of wildfire marching across a forest landscape
Where fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, it can create space and opportunities for adaptations and new species

Naturally fire-prone ecosystems tend to have more species of birds and mammals, a new study reveals
Mono Lake with bright sunshine
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Mono Lake, where brine flies are a key food source for water birds.

The productivity of brine flies is tied to the overall health of salt lake ecosystems; both are in decline
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UC Santa Barbara’s Critical Issues in America series will examine the broad societal implications of aging and extension of longevity
A sewing machine against a black background.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Simply seeing a machine might not convey what it does.

Filming Proteins in Motion: Physics researchers inch closer to an ambitious goal
A family, made up of a couple and their three children, in the Amazon stands together smiling.
Photo Credit
Michael Gurven
The Tsimane are an indigenous population in the Bolivian Amazon

Researchers uncover natural selection for traits associated with immunity and metabolism in Tsimane and Moseten genomes
Man stands shirtless with his arms open towards the ocean
Photo Credit
iStock

UC Santa Barbara researchers establish the Center for Longevity and Aging Studies
A computer rendering of bacteria and a superbug
Photo Credit
Ryan Allen and Peter Allen, Second Bay Studios
A new antibiotic cured mice infected with bacteria deemed nearly “untreatable” in humans — and resistance to the drug was virtually undetectable.

New antibiotic cures superbugs without bacterial resistance
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New electrical method triggers and analyzes dynamics of brain protein that underlie many neurodegenerative diseases
dimly lit shark with black background
Photo Credit
Photo by Laura College, Unsplash

Researchers use machine learning to map where sharks face the most risk from longline fishing
A dusky-footed woodrat with baby in tow

Mapping Lyme Disease Out West
healthy options for ketogenic diet

An ‘Amazing’ Result
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