UC Santa Cruz Science

It's birds versus bees! 🐝

🌺New research led by Kathleen Kay, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, looked deep into why tropical mountain flowers evolved to attract hummingbirds over bees. She debunked a decades-old myth that it was because high altitudes are too cold and wet for bees; instead, it turns out that hummingbirds are simply better at moving pollen!

These plants are actively evolving, and over generations, the flowers will change shapes, colors, and scents—to favor hummingbirds over bees. It’s an amazing example of adaptation, proving that massive evolutionary change (which can result in entirely new plant species!) happens without any major environmental changes.

🔬🌿 To learn why hummingbirds are the better pollinators, check the full article: https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/06/flowers-evolve-for-best-pollinators/

The best pollinators can drive evolutionary changes in flowers, new study finds Researchers find hummingbirds to be better pollinators of mountain flowers than bees, prompting the plants to adopt traits that favor the fast, feathered carriers over the fuzzy, buzzy ones

One of the biggest threats whales face is being hit by the massive cargo ships constantly crisscrossing our oceans. For those who want to find out where these unfortunate collisions are happening and what we can do to stop it, the best place to go online is BlueCorridors.org.

The website has won a 2026 Webby Award in the Best Data Visualization category, which has been called the “Internet’s highest honor.” The awards ceremony is on Monday in NYC, when other Webby winners like Amy Poehler, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Google and “Stranger Things” will be celebrated.

UC Santa Cruz Ocean Science Professor Ari Friedlaender and his team were central to working with the World Wildlife Foundation to make whale migration routes and critical habitats visible and publicly accessible—in ways that support science, policy, and ocean conservation. 🐋

“At its heart, this work is about making the invisible visible and building stronger momentum to protect the key ocean areas that whales, and all of us, depend on,” said Chris Johnson, Global Lead for WWF Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Read more at the link in our bio!

📷 Photos of humpback whales in the Monterey Bay by Logan Pallin, postdoctoral researcher in the Bio-Telemetry & Behavioral Ecology Lab. (NMFS Research Permit No. 26602)