Researchers at UC Davis are developing a virtual library of data from hundreds of environmental sensors to study the interconnectedness of air, water, land, and living things in California. This 'God's-eye view' will help understand how climate change affects the state, including precipitation patterns, wildfires, and ocean upwelling.
The new X-ray microscope resolves details down to 17 nanometers, allowing for the study of quantum dots and other nanomaterials in three dimensions. This technique opens up comprehensive imaging capabilities for various samples, including porous materials, semiconductors, and biomaterials.
Researchers have cloned a wild wheat gene that increases protein, zinc, and iron content in grain by 10-15%, potentially addressing nutritional deficiencies affecting millions of children worldwide. The study confirms the gene's effect on matured grains showing higher nutrient levels without sacrificing size or quality.
Researchers at UC Davis and colleagues discovered that green plants contain a bacterial toxin called lipid A, which is also found in Gram-negative bacteria. The presence of this toxin in plants challenges current knowledge about plant biology and evolution.
Researchers at UC Davis have successfully engineered fruit flies to respond to the scent of silkworm moths, a breakthrough that could lead to designing better chemicals to attract insects. The findings have important implications for agricultural pest control and medical entomology, with potential applications in suppressing insect com...
Researchers studied environmental changes on fish appearance, finding restricted food and temperature shifts can dramatically alter morphology. The study has implications for conserving species, suggesting that habitat preservation is crucial to maintaining unique characteristics.
Researchers identified 202 'highly accelerated regions' of DNA that have undergone rapid evolution since humans and chimps diverged, with most not coding for genes. These regions are conserved across multiple species, suggesting they play important roles in controlling gene expression and development.
Research finds rapid changes in North Atlantic Ocean salinity linked to sudden shifts in Greenland temperatures and tropical rainfall patterns during the last ice age. This provides evidence that climate change can have a direct and rapid impact on ocean circulation and chemistry.
A new study led by UC Davis expert Rosie Woodroffe found that killing wild badgers to prevent tuberculosis in cattle is unlikely to succeed. Badger culling disrupts territorial behavior, leading to increased disease transmission among badgers and from cattle to badgers.
Scientists have successfully mapped the chemical composition of lipid membranes at the nanoscale, shedding light on their dynamic behavior and structural organization. This breakthrough uses Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) to analyze membrane components, offering new insights into cell function and vulnerability to viruses.
Researchers at UC Davis and Virginia Tech successfully created an egg-shaped fullerene, or 'buckyegg', which opens up new possibilities for structures of fullerenes. The unexpected discovery was made by collaborating scientists who used special conditions to create a mixture of fullerenes with triterbium nitride inside.
A study found that wild bees improve honeybee effectiveness in pollinating flowers and generating seeds, especially on farms with abundant natural habitats. This phenomenon contributes significantly to the sunflower industry, adding around $10 million in value annually.
Direct observations of DNA are giving new insights into genetic material copying and repair processes, revealing how enzymes like RecA assemble into filaments. The findings have implications for understanding breast cancer risk and future studies on single enzymes at work unwinding DNA strands.
The research team will investigate how design teams organize themselves and interact in open source projects, with a focus on the Apache Web server, PostgreSQL database, and Python scripting language. They aim to understand the impact of team structure on software quality and development speed.
A newly discovered enzyme inhibitor identified by researchers looking for pest controls may provide pain relief for arthritis and inflammatory diseases sufferers. The finding, hailed as the most important discovery in inflammation in over a decade, reduces side effects associated with painkillers like Vioxx.
A study has found that a specific gene linked to brain development in humans differs dramatically from its counterpart in chimpanzees. The gene, called HAR1, has undergone significant changes over the past five million years, with 18 of its 118 letters changing between humans and chimps.
Researchers found that environmental tobacco smoke suppresses nuclear factor kappa B signaling, increasing apoptosis in infant monkey lungs. This study highlights the dangers of secondhand smoke for unborn and newborn children, emphasizing the need to avoid exposure to prevent permanent lung damage.
A gene that enables rice to survive complete submergence has been identified, allowing for development of new rice varieties that can withstand flooding. The discovery is expected to increase food security for 70 million poor people and reduce yield losses from weeds in areas like the United States.
Researchers developed transgenic goats with human lysozyme genes, which produce antibacterial milk that reduces coliform bacteria in pigs. In contrast, kid goats showed no significant difference. The findings demonstrate potential benefits of biotechnology-enhanced dairy animals for human health.
Researchers found that tamoxifen does not significantly reduce mortality in women at lower risk of breast cancer. For high-risk women, taking tamoxifen can be expensive with a $1.3 million price tag per year of life saved in the US market.
Scientists suggest that primates evolved good close-up eyesight to avoid snakes, which were the primary predators of modern mammals. Fossil records show that snakes emerged around 100 million years ago, prompting primates to adapt their vision.
A study published in The Lancet found that delaying umbilical cord clamping for two minutes at birth significantly increases a child's iron status, particularly among those with low birth weights or iron-deficient mothers. This efficient and low-cost method can help prevent iron deficiency before 6 months of age.
Researchers at the University of California - Davis have detected lattice solitons in heated uranium crystals using X-ray and neutron scattering experiments. The isolated vibrations play an important role in uranium metal, shedding new light on a previously unknown property of solid materials.
Researchers find patterns of cracks and thin fins on Mars resembling those formed by damp sand in New Mexico. The discoveries suggest the presence of water on Mars beyond polar ice caps.
Researchers found that fish raised with environmental features, such as small stones, had larger brains and a more developed cerebellum than those without. The study's findings could impact the design of hatcheries for breeding fish to restock wild populations.
Evolutionary biologist Vermeij suggests that certain traits, such as photosynthesis and human language, are so advantageous that they would reappear in different forms. Many unique innovations are ancient, while repeated ones are known from few specimens due to species extinction.
A team of researchers, led by Giulia Galli at UC Davis, used a supercomputer to investigate the structure of liquid water. They found that water molecules may not cluster in tetrahedral groups as previously thought, but instead form rings and chains.
The study found that epicatechin, a flavanol present in cocoa, is directly linked to improved circulation and other hallmarks of cardiovascular health. Volunteers from the Kuna Indians, who consume large amounts of flavanol-rich cocoa, had higher levels of urinary nitric oxide compared to their mainland counterparts.
The project aims to investigate high carrier frequencies of mid-infrared light for efficient communication and applications such as light-based radar devices, medical imaging, and synthesizing electronic tones. Researchers will design, build, and test thumbnail-sized chips capable of encoding data at unprecedented rates.
A new report by UC Davis expert reveals that widespread culling of badgers disrupts their territorial organization and increases cattle TB infection. Culling localized areas has little effect, with badger numbers falling only slightly while TB incidence rises.
A new microscope combining confocal and atomic force microscopy enables three-dimensional imaging of samples at the atomic level. Researchers can study material structure and link small changes on the cell membrane with structures inside a cell.
Researchers at UC Davis are studying the Madden-Julian Oscillation to improve weather and climate forecasting. The phenomenon has subtle effects on US weather patterns, including links between intense rainfall and droughts.
The University of California, Davis has been awarded an $8 million EPA grant to establish a research center focused on the health effects of air pollution. The center will study the impact of particulate matter on adults and children, with a goal of informing policy decisions at the national and state levels.
The study highlights the limitations of using surrogate animals to predict endangered species decline, arguing that target species are more relevant. The authors advocate directly examining the target species before resorting to substitute animals.
A study of accidentally imported ants in the US reveals that finding suitable nesting sites is key to successful invasion. Researchers identified 232 species from 394 samples and found that opportunity alone is no guarantee of success.
The Virtual California model forecasts almost 400 major earthquakes over 40,000 years, with a 25% chance in the next 20 years. The simulation indicates higher probabilities for future quakes by 2086.
Researchers at UC Davis have successfully synthesized a chromium-based compound with a five-fold bond, a feat previously thought impossible. This breakthrough challenges the current understanding of metal chemistry and opens up new avenues for research in carbon chemistry.
Researchers identified two life-extending genes, Hst2 and Hst1, that account for the beneficial effects of caloric restriction on yeast. The genes are involved in reducing toxic circular DNA molecules, which accumulate with age and contribute to aging.
Scientists at UC Davis create porous aerogel supports to study artificial membrane systems, aiming to replicate biological membranes. This breakthrough could lead to new insights into how real cell membranes behave in platelet cells that form blood clots.
Researchers study two entire sea anemone colonies clashing, discovering organized armies of warriors, scouts, and reproductives. Complex behaviors emerge at the group level despite simple organism members.
Researchers discovered that specific genes allow motor proteins to work together, enabling efficient transport in cilia. This finding provides insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying various human diseases linked to cilia defects.
Researchers are exploring marine natural products as a source of new medicines, including compounds that target cancer cells and regulate calcium flow. One compound, phorboxazole, has shown potential in inhibiting tumor cell growth at low concentrations.
A new study by UC Davis researchers suggests that learning to recognize and follow internal hunger cues can significantly improve overall health regardless of weight loss. Non-dieters who adopted the Health at Every Size approach showed significant improvements in metabolic and psychological health, including lower cholesterol levels a...
Scientists create nanobridges with consistent properties, allowing for scalable production of nanosized transistors, sensors, and lasers. The breakthrough enables the mass production of nanostructures with precise control over their dimensions.
Researchers built robots with sensors and programming similar to rat pups' basic senses and motor skills. The robots showed a new behavior in an arena, favoring one wall over another, displaying emergent behavior. Understanding this simple system's biology may inform the design of more sophisticated robots.
Researchers at UC Davis have developed a new method to create supercapacitors using aligned and packed carbon nanotubes on nickel foil. This innovation enables the creation of devices with high power density, up to 30 kilowatts per kilogram (kW/kg), significantly outperforming current commercial devices.
Dietmar Kueltz's team discovered genetic switches that enable certain fish to thrive in both freshwater and saltwater environments. These switches, involving transcription factors, allow the fish to resist stress and potentially survive other environmental challenges like climate change.
Researchers found that modern snails began edge-drilling their prey when competing for food with others, but returned to slow wall drilling when separated. This suggests that the severe extinction event ended high competition levels in the ocean, which have not fully recovered since.
The chicken genome sequence has revealed significant insights into the evolutionary history of mammals and birds. The study found that about 60% of protein-coding genes in chickens have counterparts in humans, highlighting the shared genetic mechanisms underlying various biological processes.
Researchers constructed a phylogenetic tree using only 16,000 protein and DNA sequences from green plants, demonstrating the power of data-driven approaches in biology. By leveraging sequence databases, scientists can now refine their understanding of biodiversity with greater precision.