Science & Technology

High energy physicists at Fermilab in Illinois,with the help of the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator,are racing to discover the universe’s best kept secret.They smash protons and antiprotons together at nearly the speed of light to find what some call the “Holy Grail of physics” while others just consider it the essential ingredientfor life.

As we move deeper into the digital age,some of us may wonder how much faster our cameras can process images while others may rue the carbon footprint left by constantly recharging ourcell phone and iPod batteries.The good news,it seems,is that high speed processing and green technology can go hand in hand to power everyday electronics.

Peter Richerson has traveled the world learning about ecology and biology.Since his time as a UC Davis undergraduate and graduate student in the1960s,he has written two books and hashelped pioneer the field ofcultural ecology.After returning to UC Davis as a faculty member in1971he has done research on topics ranging from plankton populations in Lake Tahoe to the role of culture in human evolution.

Risk of heart disease strongly linked to waist size Researchers have found more evidence that a larger waist size alone,even in those of normal weight,raises the risk for heart disease significantly. The strong link was uncovered by analyzing data from over80,360Swedish men and women between the ages of45and85who were enrolled in two long-term health studies over a period of seven years ending in2004.Over the course of the studies,over1,100of the participants were either hospitalized or died from heart disease.

Thirty years after PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were banned in the U.S.,UC Davis researchers have discovered how the class of toxic chemicals may cause behavioral disorders in some children,even at the low levels that people encounter now. The series of three new studies together reveal that PCBs can disrupt cellular signals crucial for normal brain development and function.

Today Transforming Transportation and Energy:Politics and Technology Dan Sperling,director,Institute of Transportation Studies,andprofessor ofcivilengineering andenvironmentalscience andpolicy– UC Davis 360Shields Library12:10to1p.m. Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Affairs Sequential Speciation:Why Are There So Many SMALL Animals? Andrew Forbes,postdoctoral scholar– UC Davisdepartment ofentomology 122Briggs12:10to1p.m. Sponsored by entomology Signalingin Electric Fish:Behavior,Neurobiology,Molecular Evolution Harold Zakon,Dr.– University of Texas at Austin 1022Life Sciences1:10to2p.m. Sponsored by Neurobiology,Physiology and Behavior College of Biological Sciences

Environmental Protection Agency designates carbon dioxide a pollutant The EPA formally declared on Fridaythatcarbon dioxide as well as five other heat-trapping gasesare pollutants endangering public health and welfare. The move,which has beenanticipated since the election of President Barack Obama,begins a60-day comment period thatmust be completed before any regulations can be set in motion.

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.