Science & Technology

The National Cancer Institute has awarded UC Davis researchers$1.25million to fund a five-year project focused on identifying diagnostic biomarkers for kidney cancer.The grant will enable research that sets the groundwork for developing a new,simple test to detect kidney cancer in its early stages when it is most treatable.

With springtime comes festive events like Easter and Mother’sDay,and with all the blooming flowers,a bouquet is often the gift of choice.Experts place caution on one kind of flower,however,for the beautiful plant has proven to be toxic– and often fatal– to felines. Ingestion of even minute amounts of a lily flower or its pollen causes severe kidney damage in a cat,and without treatment,mortality rate is extremely high.

UC Davis researcher Gary Leisorowitz was recently awarded$900,000to formulate a diagnostic test for ovarian cancer.The test aims to detect ovarian cancer at its preliminary stages.The grant was given by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.Leisorowitz,along with fellowresearcherProfessor Carlito Lebrilla,hasbeen working mostly with glycomics analysis to aid in cancer diagnosis.The glycomics analysis is used as a biomarker that would compare changes in this serum in women who have ovarian cancer versus healthy women.

Studysuggestsmice produce egg cells after birth Shanghai scientists say they have detected germ-line cells that produce unfertilized eggs,or oocytes,in both young and old mice. The scientists worked only with mice,but because all mammals are physiologically similar,any proof that the rodents could produce eggs after birth would encourage research to see if humans could,too.

Researchers at UC Davis and Mount Sinai School of Medicinehave capturedthe first video footage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spreadingbetween Tcells through contact interfaces called virological synapses. Thegroundbreaking study,which was published in theMar.27issue ofScience,provides evidence backing virological synapses(VS) as viable targets for developingnewdrugs to combat HIV infection.

A recent study led by UC Davis researchers helps shed light on the puzzling and rarely researched question as to why certain animals – like skunks and zebras – have evolved to maintain contrasting color patterns. “Why are skunks so successful?” asked Jennifer Hunter,a recent Ph.D.graduate who conducted the study for her dissertation. “It’s because they have this amazing evolutionary tool that fends off predators.“

UC Davis professor Art Shapiro has spent most of his life studying butterflies. The Philadelphia native first discovered his love of nature and natural history as a young child, often taking long walks in the woods and New Jersey Pine Barrens. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, he earned his Ph.D. in entomology from Cornell University in 1970.

Study finds boys trouble from the beginning It turns out there may be some truth to the old wives‘ tale that male babies cause more difficult pregnancies. Researchers at the Tel Aviv University conducted a study of66,000births and found that pregnancies involving males had a higher rate of complication.They found an increased instance of problems like premature birth or Caesarian delivery.

Maybe the old adage“don‘t worry,be happy“ has some truth in it after all. According to a study conducted by researchers at UC Davis and the University of Washington,although children between the ages of five and seven all understand the connection that negative emotions can cause poorer schoolperformance,only the7-year-olds realized the link between positive emotions and better school performance.

Today Opsin Expression in Fishes:Photoreceptor Plasticity and its Ecological Relevance Inigo Novales Flamarique(Simon Fraser University,British Columbia) 1:10to2p.m.,1022Life Sciences Sponsored byneurobiology,physiology and behavior,College of Biological Sciences Topic to be announced (land,air and water resources) Pasquale Steduto (Food and Agriculture Organization) 4:10to5:30p.m.,3001Plant and Environmental Sciences Sponsored byland,air and water resources,Environmental Science and Policy

Insomnia may affect “hunger hormones“ UCLA researchers have uncovered that one of the two hormones that is primarily responsible for telling the body when it is hungry or when it is full is disrupted by chronic insomnia. This is the first study looking into the elevated nocturnal levels of the two hormones– ghrelin and leptin– in patients diagnosed with primary insomnia.

Lake Tahoe’s clarity is currently not declining and its outlook is positive,suggests data from a collaborative effort of UC Davis researchers,theTahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Tahoe Environmental Research Center. “In terms of clarity,the outlook is hopeful,” said Dennis Oliver,public affairs director of the TRPA. “There’s been quite a lot of progress made to undo the damage that was seen here in the1950s.“