Science & Technology

It was over 20 hours of coach-seated travel from Sacramento International to the Nairobi airport. That meant about five movies, one and a half books, one hour socializing/eating and six hours of sleep.

The New York Botanical Garden has just carved and displayed the world's largest pumpkin. The pumpkin weighs 1,811 pounds, or 10 pounds less than the entire cast of "Thintervention With Jackie Warner."

Tattoos, once associated with people in the margins of society, such as sailors or bikers, are now a fairly popular form of body modification. In a 2006 report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 24 percent of Americans aged 18 to 50 years old have at least one tattoo.

Students at UC Davis are aiming to turn waste into a commodity. After cooking countless meals for students, the dining commons produce around 200 gallons of vegetable oil waste per month. In the spirit of repurposing, students are striving to convert this waste vegetable oil (WVO) into biodiesel for tractors on the UC Davis student farms.

Fall is here, so, naturally, the earwigs of Davis are cruising for sex. Like horny college students, earwigs hook-up, break-up and even move in together.

If there was a "Yes/No" survey asking how many UC Davis students have a scary memory that still gives them the chills, chances are the majority of students would answer "Yes."

President Barack Obama held the first annual White House Science Fair on Oct. 19 in recognition of several teams of high school and college students. UC Davis graduate student Wilson To was one of the finalists recognized as a member of the Mobilife Team, which worked on smartphone software. To's software design project could help diagnose vascular diseases in third-world countries.

On Nov. 2, Californians will vote on Proposition 19. The proposition will legalize the recreational use of marijuana and give state government the power...

We nod our heads and promise to be healthy and safe but on the inside, we laugh at the silliness of the advice the doctor is reciting to us off his little clipboard. Exiting the cold, sterile world of the doctor's office and re-entering the world of stressful academics, fast food, fist bumps and keg stands is a sure way to wipe any memory of the advice that boring doctor gave you.

A few years ago, science writer Jonah Lehrer stood in a grocery store cereal aisle, paralyzed. There were too many options: honey-nut Cheerios, regular Cheerios, multigrain Cheerios. The decision-making process was overwhelming - so Lehrer wrote a book about it.

New research from UC Davis shows that particle size is much more important to chemical reactivity than previously thought. Understanding the differences between how large and small particles behave will have a wide array of applications, from cleaning up environmental pollutants and crumbling infrastructure to the biology of bacteria and the origins of life.

They might be only 140 characters long, but the mood swings captured in those tiny "tweets" can predict the movement of the stock market, says a new study. Measuring Twitter's "calmness score" can predict how the Dow Jones Industrial Average will change three days later - with 86.7 percent accuracy.

Why is it that people face such problems with weight loss diets? While the motivation to lose the extra weight is often there for these weight loss dieters, correct strategies and goals are often not.

A new study by Stephen Kowalczykowski, a professor of microbiology at UC Davis, shows how DNA is separated like a magician's trick with interlocking rings. On a daily basis radiation, chemicals and normal cellular processes constantly damage DNA. When chromosomes repair themselves they become interlocked.

A study released Sept. 29 found positive results for "wonder drug" tanezumab[ta-NEZ-oo-mab], Pfizer's new medication for osteoarthritic pain.