Tumbling in the waves as they hit a rocky shore tells purple sea urchin larvae it’s time to settle down and look for a spot to grow into an adult, researchers at the University of [...]
Author Archive | UC Davis
A head for all seasons: Lettuce that sprouts in hot weather
A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather — a discovery that could [...]
New insights into how genes turn on and off
Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent [...]
Neutering your dog too early could cause harm
Neutering your dog, and the age at which a dog is neutered, may affect the animal’s risk for developing certain cancers and joint diseases, according to a new study of golden retrievers by a team [...]
Lovers’ hearts beat in sync, UC Davis study says
When modern-day crooner Trey Songz sings, “Cause girl, my heart beats for you,” in his romantic ballad, “Flatline,” his lyrics could be telling a tale that’s as much physiological as it is emotional, according to [...]
Scientists find key to growth of ‘bad’ bacteria in inflamed gut
Scientists have long puzzled over why “bad” bacteria such as E. coli can thrive in the guts of those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), causing serious diarrhea. Now UC Davis researchers have discovered the answer—one that may be [...]
Experimental gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Jacob Rutt is a bright 11-year-old who likes to draw detailed maps in his spare time. But the budding geographer has a hard time with physical skills most children take for granted ― running and [...]
Does probability come from quantum physics?
Ever since Austrian scientist Erwin Schrodinger put his unfortunate cat in a box, his fellow physicists have been using something called quantum theory to explain and understand the nature of waves and particles. = But [...]
Study deflates notion pear-shaped bodies healthier than apples
People who are “apple-shaped” — with fat more concentrated around the abdomen — have long been considered more at risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes than those who are “pear-shaped” and carry [...]
Engineered bacteria make fuel from sunlight
Chemists at the University of California, Davis, have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics — the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry. “Most [...]
Young California voters shun party affiliation
Young adults in California registered to vote in record numbers in 2012, especially online, driving a trend toward no party affiliation, according to a new University of California, Davis, study. With the implementation of online [...]
Meteorite triggered scientific gold rush
A meteorite that exploded as a fireball over California’s Sierra foothills this past spring was among the fastest, rarest meteorites known to have hit the Earth, and it traveled a highly eccentric orbital route to [...]
Emerging virus in raccoons may provide cancer clues
Rare brain tumors emerging among raccoons in Northern California and Oregon may be linked to a previously unidentified virus discovered by a team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Davis. Their [...]
Statins protect lungs from damage caused by smoking
Every four minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD –the incurable pulmonary disorder usually caused by smoking. COPD is the third highest cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease [...]
Hermit crabs socialize to evict their neighbors
Social animals usually congregate for protection or mating or to capture bigger prey, but a University of California, Berkeley, biologist has found that the terrestrial hermit crab has a more self-serving social agenda: to kick [...]
New target for lung cancer treatment
A team of UC Davis investigators has discovered a protein on the surface of lung cancer cells that could prove to be an important new target for anti-cancer therapy. A series of experiments in mice [...]
Don’t be so fast to judge a cat by its color, study warns
Just like humans, domestic cats are often judged by their color, and the media and folklore help perpetuate these stereotypes. Take the snobbish, aloof, white kitty who promotes Fancy Feast cat food, and spooky images [...]
Parents underestimate kids’ worries
Parents consistently overestimate their children’s optimism and downplay their worries, according to new research by psychologists at the University of California, Davis, Center for Mind and Brain. The findings suggest that secondhand evaluations by parents [...]
Fly genomes show natural selection and return to Africa
When ancestral humans walked out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago, Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies came along with them. Now the fruit flies, widely used for genetics research, are returning to Africa and [...]
Insects shape the genetic landscape through plant defenses
As restaurant patrons’ diverse food preferences give rise to varied menu offerings, so plant-eating insects’ preferences play an important role in maintaining and shaping the genetic variation of their host plants in a geographic area, [...]
Scrub jays gather for 30-minute, noisy funerals
Western scrub jays summon others to screech over the body of a dead jay, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The birds’ cacophonous “funerals” can last for up to half an [...]
Male snails babysit for other dads
Pity the male of the marine whelk, Solenosteira macrospira. He does all the work of raising the young, from egg-laying to hatching — even though few of the baby snails are his own. The surprising [...]
Mysterious snake disease decoded
A novel virus has been identified as the possible cause of a common but mysterious disease that kills a significant number of pet snakes all over the world, thanks to research led by scientists at [...]
Tracking California’s vulnerability to climate change
As climate change threatens to reshape California’s landscape, University of California, Davis, researchers are helping to inform policymakers about the state’s vulnerability and provide strategies for adaptation. The UC Davis research appears in a report, [...]
Illegal marijuana farms on public lands kill wildlife
Rat poison used on illegal marijuana farms may be sickening and killing the fisher, a rare forest carnivore that makes its home in some of the most remote areas of California, according to a team [...]
Math shows how simple shockwaves could crinkle space-time
Mathematicians at UC Davis have come up with a new way to crinkle up the fabric of space-time — at least in theory. “We show that space-time cannot be locally flat at a point where [...]
Duplicate spending on veterans’ care costs billions
A new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that the federal government made about $13 billion in duplicative payments to provide health-care services to veterans who were simultaneously [...]
Above-normal weight alone does not increase the short-term risk of death
An evaluation of national data by UC Davis researchers has found that extra weight is not necessarily linked with a higher risk of death. When compared to those with normal weight, people who were overweight [...]
‘Old school’ tomatoes make a comeback
A new discovery could make more tomatoes taste like heirlooms, reports an international research team headed by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist. The finding, which will be reported in the June 29 issue [...]
What makes a YouTube video go viral?
When it comes to marketing via video sharing on social media, choosing an influential person to “seed” a video is essential — but video quality isn’t all that important. So concludes a new University of [...]