Science

The first report breaking down the value and vulnerability of surf breaks in Santa Cruz is out. And an indigenous Samoan chief who lives in Santa Cruz attends the inaugural Communicating Climate Solutions Symposium organized by the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program.

Monterey County has updates on cleanup efforts following the January battery plant fire. But residents and some supervisors remain frustrated by the lack of information about possible human and environmental health impacts. Ongoing research from Moss Landing Marine Labs may help answer their questions.

Scientists are gathering at the Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove for a meeting about technology and society 50 years after a conversation about genetic engineering and ethics began there, and the Santa Cruz County civil grand jury has published agency responses to its recommendations. They come from the board of supervisors, superintendent of schools, sheriff-coroner, city council and local agency formation commission.

The elementary-aged students from Tara Redwood School in Santa Cruz discovered a fossilized bone while exploring a creek last spring. The bone was from the arm of a Jefferson ground sloth — the first fossil to show the Ice Age creature lived in the Santa Cruz area.

For 50 years, fungiphiles have gathered at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair to marvel at mushrooms. Last weekend, the three-day event returned in full force after three years of smaller, outdoor events during the pandemic.

The Western Flyer is the fishing boat John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts took on their famous expedition in 1940 to the Sea of Cortez. Now, after nearly a decade of restoration, the Western Flyer is back home in Monterey.

Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered a fossilized mammoth tusk deep within the Monterey Bay, suggesting that other fossils might exist in the deep ocean. Science Journalist Annie Roth reported on the discovery, and speaks to us about the expedition and threats facing the deep sea and its creatures.

Using images captured from drones equipped with high-resolution cameras, researchers at Elkhorn Slough are piecing together a picture of how humans have shaped the land over the last century, and how best to restore it.

Broadcast: Sept. 15, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. Looking to boost your brainpower? Luckily, there are products promising to help. Smart drugs, neurofeedback…