Science & Technology

UC Davis researchers targeted furin to block activation of spike protein, the key to the coronavirus’ infectiousness By BRANDON NGUYEN — science@theaggie.org Vaccines have tremendously reduced positive cases of COVID-19 since their implementation, but researchers at UC Davis Health have been looking into areas where the vaccines could be improved. Though they provide immunity, one […]

The American Society of Microbiology invited Dandekar to join the American Academy of Microbiology for her impactful scientific contributions By MONICA MANMADKAR — science@theaggie.org Satya Dandekar, a professor of microbiology and chairperson at the Department of Medical Microbiology, has been selected to join the American Academy of Microbiology among 65 others. Elected through a highly […]

Closely related to humans, gorillas tend to be more prone to respiratory infections from humans    By MONICA MANMADKAR — science@theaggie.org   With the closing of zoos and other public attractions, respiratory infections and illness have decreased significantly in their gorilla population. The mountain and eastern lowland gorilla populations’ respiratory health has greatly improved since […]

The NHIP, or the neuronal-hypoxia-induced placental-associated gene, is vital to reducing risks of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by protecting early fetal brain development  By BRANDON NGUYEN — science@theaggie.org   According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 44 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Currently, there is no molecular […]

A new study done by researchers at UC Davis and Hokkaido University in Japan seeks to understand collective behavior through leader-follower information exchanges By SONORA SLATER — science@theaggie.org Have you ever seen a flock of birds flying in formation or watched a school of fish swim in perfect sync and wondered how it was possible?  […]

The project, which dispersed seeds by way of community participation, is led by Miridae Living Labs in collaboration with the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology By SONORA SLATER — science@theaggie.org Urban areas aren’t known for being kind to plants: herbicides, lawnmowers and landscape management teams often interfere with the germination of native, local seeds. […]

The Micra is the smallest leadless pacemaker in the world to be implanted in children as young as two years old By BRANDON NGUYEN — science@theaggie.org  Congenital complete heart block, a rare condition that disrupts rhythmic electrical conduction responsible for regular pumping of the heart, affects about one in 15,000 to 22,000 children. Owen Clark’s […]

TFO device measures a fetus’s oxygen saturation levels non-invasively  By MONICA MANMADKAR — science@theaggie.org   According to data published in Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2016, 60% of cesarean sections (C-sections) that are conducted due to potential hypoxia are unnecessary. Fetal hypoxia is a condition where the fetus is not delivered enough oxygen to continue […]

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell therapy (CAR T cell therapy) re-engineers patient’s immune cells to target and fight cancer By BRANDON NGUYEN — science@theaggie.org    UC Davis Health is one of the few institutions in California and the only University of California campus that is producing Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells as an immunotherapeutic […]

The $15 million project will train a cohort of the next generation of plant breeders By SONORA SLATER — science@theaggie.org Bagels, crackers, pancakes, pizza, pasta and cereal all have one thing in common: wheat. These popular foods, among others, are the reason why wheat products account for nearly 20% of what people across the planet […]

The project’s administrative office is located at the UC Davis Genome Center, and it will seek to sequence the genomes of 1.8 million species over the course of 10 years By SONORA SLATER — science@theaggie.org It took 13 years and three billion dollars to sequence the human genome — but over the next 10 years, […]

The $10.2 million grant, awarded by Open Philanthropy, will go toward research aiming to find a way to eliminate malaria from Africa By SONORA SLATER — science@theaggie.org Malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease, was discovered in 1880, and has remained widespread in tropical regions around the equator including parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, resulting […]