Science & Technology

Lightsabers may no longer be a figment of George Lucas’ imagination. Harvard physics professor Mikhail Lukin and MIT physics professor Vladan Vuletić are the closest yet to making the Lightsaber — a laser beam-bladed sword and every Star Wars fan’s weapon of choice — a reality. If the research produces tangible results, they will look […]

Breasts. They’re pretty important. Do you know why? If Sports Illustrated comes to mind, you may need to rethink how you view these masses of adipose tissue. Don’t worry — you aren’t the only hominid to have forgotten that mammals (with our root meaning breast; see: mammogram) evolved to use the organs on our chests. […]

Forget me not. The impact of Alzheimer’s disease continues to grow. Fortunately, a recent Medicare-sponsored study conducted at UCLA offers some promise of earlier detection and better outcomes for Alzheimer’s patients. Dr. Daniel H. Silverman, the lead investigator of the study, a clinical professor and the head of the Neuronuclear Imaging Section of the Ahmanson […]

The brain is one of the most fascinating and intricate structures in the human body. One of its most basic functions is to store information in the form of memory. In a study published August 18th in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Mark Goldman, joint professor in the Neurology, Physiology and Behavior Department at UC Davis […]

Autism and schizophrenia diagnoses are at an ultimate peak. Fortunately, a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and conducted within the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology offers groundbreaking research about these neurodevelopmental disorders. Lead author of the study Kimberley McAllister, a professor and a researcher at the UC Davis […]

Biking is an inextricable part of daily life at UC Davis. Unfortunately, as incoming freshmen, many of us haven’t been on a bike for years before dusting off the cobwebs and loading it up for move-in day. This leads to some shaky first rides around campus and more than our fair share of bike accidents. […]

If there’s one thing we know Apple for, it’s creating nearly unbearable suspense between the preview and release of a product, but you can rest easy now, iPhone and iPad users — the touted iOS 7 operating system you’ve all been waiting for is now available. In June of this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook […]

According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every three people you know will face cancer at some point in their life. Luckily, a recent study performed at UC Berkeley and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows some promise of a possible cure. Daniel Nomura, a professor of the Nutritional […]

Augmented reality (AR) is basically a live, direct or indirect view of a real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated stimuli ranging from sound to graphics. It may sound new, but it is the same type of technology used to draw lines on satellite pictures of streets in Google Earth. It seems that Google […]

It’s a balmy evening in Davis, a perfect time and temperature for a breezy cruise on your bike through town. You saddle up the good ol’ cruiser, head out and have a splendid evening — but all of that is about to change. At the beginning of your intended return back to your apartment, you […]

Let’s pretend for a moment that hammers hadn’t been invented throughout the entirety of human history. We still had nails and rail spikes (which are just another form of nail designed with a specific purpose), anyway. Now suppose a team of researchers in both private industry and academia started learning more about the exciting field […]

Imagine visiting the ASUCD Coffee House, loading up on delicious entrees such as a garden salad from Croutons, or a seam-bursting burrito from TexMex, pulling up to the checkout counter, and instead of desperately searching for plastic cards in your backpack, wallet or purse (ladies, can I get an amen), you simply swipe your finger […]