Science & Technology

If dinosaurs lived today, what would they look like?

The world of an insect is something out of a Quentin Tarantino film. Dragonfly nymphs gnash their mandibles to devour minnows, and ant colonies wage war. A female praying mantis lops off her mate’s head just as he climaxes. Cue the blood splatters.

Twelve thousand years ago in what is now Jamaica, there lived a small, flightless bird that at first glance would seem harmless. It was about the size of a chicken, just looking for worms. However, if it felt threatened, it would raise its wings; not to fly, but to use them as bludgeons.

When Aron Ralston had to amputate his own right arm to free himself from an 800-pound boulder pinning him to a cliff wall, he thought his outdoor adventures would have to end. Soon, however, the company Hanger Orthotics and Prosthetics was able to fit Ralston with a prosthetic that could support his body weight while hanging or swinging from ledges. An attachment on the end of the arm is an adapted ice ax that he uses for mountaineering and ice climbing.

In the land before Colgate, teeth got grody. Neanderthals died with their last meals lodged between their molars. Today, scientists are using those preserved food bits to analyze the diet and foraging behavior of our prehistoric cousins.

Four weeks ago, Brian Fisher was flying in a helicopter high over the jungles of Madagascar. Fisher, an entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences and Ph.D. graduate of UC Davis, is working to take pictures of all ant species on Earth. There are about 14,000 described species of ants, so Fisher’s got a huge task ahead of him.

A new, ubiquitous and simple-to-use technology in the field of microfluidics – scientific experimentation dealing with small and precise amounts of liquids – may soon be available to researchers thanks to the work of UC Davis scientists.

On a busy weekend in December, Jerry Seifert, owner of the Silveyville Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Farm, can sell up to 75 bunches of mistletoe a day. Families drive out to Seifert’s farm in the country to pick up a bushy Christmas tree and a bunch of mistletoe, a bright green sprig of cheer to combat the gloomy days of winter.

Telescopes allow us to see many cool and interesting things, but how exactly do they work? There are many types of telescopes, each useful for different types of astronomers.

Clean energy is a term bandied about quite a bit these days. We think of Al Gore and Toyota hybrids, solar power and biking to school or work (which most of you do anyway).

Imagine hiking in a South Asian forest when you see something float slowly past you out of the corner of your eye. You turn to look; what do you expect to see? A large insect, a bird…

It’s long been thought by scientists that carcinogens in tobacco were the main cause of head and neck cancer. Only smokers had to worry about getting this type of cancer.