Science & Technology

Octuplets born in SoCal A Southern California woman gave birth to six boys and two girls in five minutes. The second-known set of octuplets born in the United States arrived on Monday at Kaiser Permanente in Bellflower,Calif.,a Los Angeles suburb.The babies were born between10:43and10:48a.m.,and their weights range from1pound and15ounces to3pounds and4ounces.

You can thank intestinal bugs for the change in a weaning baby’s diaper contents. Research shows that beneficial or “healthy” bacteria living in babies’ guts thrive on unique sugars found in breast milk, then wane once the diet switches to solid food. According to a recent UC Davis study, the genetic sequence of one of these bugs provides clues for understanding how breast milk nurtures the win-win relationship between healthy bacteria and babies.

Ever think that the brain can play tricks? Assistant Professor Karen Zito of the UC Davis neuroscience department knows that it can.

Parking lots are going to be a little dimmer nowadays – unless you walk underneath them. Michael Siminovitch, a design program professor and director of the UC Davis California Lighting Technology Center, and his team have developed a light technology that is motion sensitive in the hopes of saving valuable energy.

Today The role of microRNAs in liver regeneration Holger Willenbring,M.D– UC San Francisco Noon to1p.m.,1005Genome and biomedical sciences facility Sponsored by California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Stem Cell Training Program

UC Berkeley awarded $15 million grant to study population growth The UC Berkeley School of Public Health has recently been awarded $15 million to study the influence population growth has on the global environment, international conflict and public health.

Before taking a sip of bottled water,UC Davis‘ Frank Loge probably thinks about more than just drinking it. A professor of civil and environmental engineering,Loge examines every aspect of the hydrogen oxygen combo – from the sky to the ground,from waste to our mouths and everything in between.

UC Davis engineers,plant scientists and geneticists are heading a Chevron-sponsored project to develop the Jatropha curcas plant as a crop for biodiesel production in California.The three-year collaborative research program,now nearing its first year of completion,focuses on plant domestication,yield improvements and harvest optimization.Oil extracted from jatropha seeds can be processed to fuel diesel engines while the plant’s remnants can be used to power electricity plants and create other practical byproducts including fertilizer.

Today Silk Footprints ofEmbiids:Does One Size Fit All? Janice Edgerly-Rooks,professor of biology– Santa Clara University 122Briggs Hall,12:10to1p.m. Sponsored by entomology

Chlamydia,syphilis rates at all time high A new report issued by the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the Chlamydia and syphilis infection rates in the United States have all-time highs. According to Dr.John M.Douglas Jr.,the director of the STD Prevention Division at the CDC,the two diseases were responsible for approximately1.5million reported STD cases in2007.

UC Davis received a$6.8million grant from the National Science Foundation to help unravel the mysteries of the wheat genome. Led by geneticist Jan Dvorak,UC Davis will attempt to create a physical map of a wheat chromosome– the first step that will hopefully have practical applications in developing higher resistance to pests and diseases and a better tolerance to weather conditions.

If you’ve ever wondered if a certain drug would make that biology lab class a little more bearable, you’re not alone. Evolutionary biologist and UCD professor Jonathan Eisen found the prospect all too entertaining, producing a fake study on the issue as an April fool’s joke. But when he’s not pulling pranks on the science community he manages to delve into the microscopic world of evolution and ecology offering both the community and his students a diverse and broad width of knowledge.