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Davis, California

Friday, January 16, 2026

Science & Technology

Do frogs need saving?

With one-third of all amphibians - over 2,000 species - listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's official list, Save The Frogs, a non-profit organization devoted to amphibian conservation, has been educating people on the declining frog populations and increasing awareness of the current dangers to frogs.

Low-flying plane maps geology around Davis

With the help of certified pilots and a twin-engine plane, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has begun to map rock formations buried beneath the surface of the Sacramento Delta, including the Davis area. This will be the first comprehensive survey of fault lines and hydrology in the area, and researchers hope to learn more about how underground geology affects the stability of river levees.

There are aliens

When we stare at the stars, what do we see? Our eyes only see the billions upon billions of tiny lights, indicative of the simultaneously destructive and life-giving force of nuclear fusion occurring millions of light years away.

The “masters of feeding”

Insect-eating bats likely save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion per year in pest control, according to an analysis published in this week's Science magazine's "Policy Forum."

Column: Why robots are creepy

You stand at the bus stop, waiting to go to Sacramento. A woman stands beside you holding a baby. You take another look at the mother and her child. You look at the baby and suddenly have an odd, creepy feeling you can't quite explain. The child is a little too still, the infantile cooing a little off …

Tech tips

Music discovery websites like Pandora and Last FM are great when you already have an artist in mind, but what about when you want to find something truly specific to how you are feeling at that moment? That's where Musicovery comes in.

Birds of prey face lead poisoning

You fire a bullet that kills a wild pig while out hunting. That's the last of that bullet, right? Wrong. The lead in the bullet has lingering effects on carrion-eating birds. This exposure means that birds like turkey vultures and golden eagles can suffer from neurological problems such as blindness if they eat lead-contaminated meat.

Column: Counting sheep

I spent last Saturday at the 91st annual California Ram Sale. In the dusty valley town of Tulare, I stood surrounded by bales of hay, pens of rams and dozens of old cowboys with bristly mustaches and nicknames like "Lucky."

Parasitic wasps depend on campus oak trees

Consider yourself lucky that you aren't an oak tree.

The state of E. coli outbreaks

Vomiting, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea: the symptoms of an E. coli O157:H7 infection.

Cyberarchaeology lab uncovers ancient cities

For hundreds of years, the core method of archaeology has been the process of excavation - sifting through tons of dirt, silt and mud to find lost artifacts of the past. However, sometimes the discovery goes wrong. Artifacts can break from rough handling or disintegrate on contact with air.

What sharp teeth you have

"Everybody calls me Dr. Hammerhead," said Peter Klimley.

Human virus kills mountain gorillas

A virus that normally only infects humans has caused the deaths of wild mountain gorillas in Africa, reported a team of researchers from the U.S. and several African countries.

New robots work like a complex Lego set

From the Roomba to the Mars Rover, robots are an important part of our modern society. They are used to facilitate efficient mass production, they assist our soldiers in combat situations and they explore parts of our planet and cosmos that are impossible for humans to reach. Though these machines perform their specific tasks very well, they have very little room for variation. There is another branch of robotics that focuses on robots that perform multiple tasks in many environments: modular robots.

Tech Tips

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