Social Sciences Division at UC Santa Cruz

A 1400s woodcarving of people being infected with syphilis.

🧬🦴 Our ancient DNA analysis of a 5,500-year-old human skeleton from Columbia has revealed oldest evidence yet of syphilis in the Americas. This new evidence predates previous estimates of when syphilis was present in the Americas by at least 3,000 years! phys.org/news/2026-01...

tim with jane

In the wake of Jane Goodall’s passing last week, many of our researchers here at UC Santa Cruz shared fond memories of Goodall and appreciation for her role as a champion of the natural world. Hear from a few faculty members who have been and will continue to be inspired by her legacy ⬇️

“Jane was such a trailblazer for women in science and conservation. She helped us girls coming after her to see ourselves as explorers, as scientists, as leaders. She has inspired a generation of women conservationists and her legacy lives on with us,” she said.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela has always admired Jane’s kind, passionate, and human approach to research.

...I cold-emailed Jane Goodall, knowing she was probably far too busy to receive or respond to the request, but sure enough, she did. I'm really proud to have been able to share that work with her and to have her quote forever on the back cover.”

beltran with seals

Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Roxanne Beltran reflected on her time as a Ph.D. student, when she and her husband wrote a children's book about a Weddell seal named Patches: “The publisher tasked us with finding people to give quotes for the back cover...

“I don’t think I have ever met anyone quite like Jane, but I can say that it was impossible to come away from a conversation with her not feeling optimistic about life and nature and humanity. That indomitable optimism was one of her many gifts to all of us, ” he said.

UC Santa Cruz researcher Tim Tinker spent four days with Goodall for a series of field trips and presentations, as part of a fundraising effort.

📍 Location: J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 121
🥗 Lunch provided
🗓️ Register by October 9 at 5 p.m. PT

Register now: cob.sfsu.edu/event/future...

Hosted in partnership between the Lam-Larsen Fintech Initiative at SFSU and the Center for Analytical Finance (CAFIN) at UC Santa Cruz, this event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from pioneers driving the next wave of fintech transformation.

Together, they’ll explore how innovation, regulation, and global trends are reshaping the financial landscape—from blockchain and digital assets to payments, lending, and financial inclusion.

💰 The Future of Finance: A Fireside Chat on Innovation and Inclusion

Join us Thursday, Oct. 16 (11:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m. PT) for a conversation with two of fintech’s most influential leaders—Chris Larsen (UCSC alumnus, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Ripple) and June Ou—moderated by Sameet Mehta.

Young local workers once viewed service jobs as temporary steppingstones. Now, more than 80% told UC Santa Cruz researchers that they are open to unionizing, motivated by both economic pressures and a broader vision of workplace democracy.

https://kntn.ly/be5df0bf

Using a real-time recession detection algorithm trained on a century of broader labour market data, Pascal Michaillat, professor of economics and a research associate at the NBER, estimates a 71% probability that the US economy was already in recession in May.

https://kntn.ly/c877e91c

"They can potentially reduce percolation to groundwater. We're looking at that," says Hannah Waterhouse, assistant professor of agroecology. "They can reduce runoff—so, keeping that water in the field and helping that soil really soak up those winter rains."

https://kntn.ly/60c2aa3e

How regional Federal Reserve banks contribute to monetary policymaking The Federal Reserve Board of Governors is in the news, but don’t forget that five of the twelve people voting on interest rates are Fed regional bank presidents. 

"It's just more layers away from DC and that allows a little bit more protection of independence," said Galina Hale, an economics professor at UC Santa Cruz who previously worked for the San Francisco Fed. "There is this insulation, but it's not impermeable."

https://rb.gy/vylrrf

Psychology Professor Craig Haney, a leading expert on the psychological effects of incarceration, has released an expert report as part of a class-action lawsuit challenging Manitoba's widespread use of solitary confinement: https://kntn.ly/3e05143f