49.6 F
Davis

Davis, California

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Science & Technology

UC Davis physicists find novel electron behavior in nanomaterial

UC Davis researchers made a surprising discovery while exploring the unusual electronic properties of a multi-layered nanoscopic structure. Depending on which way its electrons move, the material either behaves like a typical semiconductor or exhibits peculiar features unique to a single-layer carbon material that is now touted for its promising potential in electronic applications.

New research may lead to advancements in nutrition and milk production

You know the slogan "milk does a body good." But amid new research, scientists might soon be able to tell you how and why - then produce better milk.

Researchers at UC Davis, among others around the country, published a study on Apr. 24 that marks the end of an initial 18-month scientific effort, but the beginning of what some believe might lead to healthier, cheaper and more ecologically friendly milk.

DNA of UCD

Popular nutrition professor Liz Applegate hasn't left UC Davis since she came here as a student in the 1970s.

Born in a nunnery in South Africa, Applegate's family of nine children moved around a lot for her father's chemistry research before finally settling in the Bay Area. She attended UC Davis for both undergraduate and graduate school, received her Ph.D. in nutrition science in 1983 and started teaching right after.

Science Scene

Reminders of old age may negatively impact memory

When combating memory loss, the key may be to think young.

A new study indicates that older people who believe that old age and memory loss go together may be undermining their own performance.

UC Davis experts weigh in on swine flu H1N1 virus threat

As researchers scramble to make sense of the new H1N1 influenza virus that is spreading across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported encouraging signs last Sunday on the outbreak's severity, but kept a wary stance on how the virus will behave in the future.

The race between two accelerators for one particle

High energy physicists at Fermilab in Illinois, with the help of the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, are racing to discover the universe's best kept secret. They smash protons and antiprotons together at nearly the speed of light to find what some call the "Holy Grail of physics" while others just consider it the essential ingredient for life.

New 167-processor chip boasts high speed, energy efficiency

As we move deeper into the digital age, some of us may wonder how much faster our cameras can process images while others may rue the carbon footprint left by constantly recharging our cell phone and iPod batteries. The good news, it seems, is that high speed processing and green technology can go hand in hand to power everyday electronics.

DNA of UCD: Peter Richerson

Peter Richerson has traveled the world learning about ecology and biology. Since his time as a UC Davis undergraduate and graduate student in the 1960s, he has written two books and has helped pioneer the field of cultural ecology. After returning to UC Davis as a faculty member in 1971 he has done research on topics ranging from plankton populations in Lake Tahoe to the role of culture in human evolution.

Science Scene

Risk of heart disease strongly linked to waist size

 

Researchers have found more evidence that a larger waist size alone, even in those of normal weight, raises the risk for heart disease significantly.

The strong link was uncovered by analyzing data from over 80,360 Swedish men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 who were enrolled in two long-term health studies over a period of seven years ending in 2004. Over the course of the studies, over 1,100 of the participants were either hospitalized or died from heart disease.

New studies explain link between PCB exposure and brain disorders in children

Thirty years after PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were banned in the U.S., UC Davis researchers have discovered how the class of toxic chemicals may cause behavioral disorders in some children, even at the low levels that people encounter now.

The series of three new studies together reveal that PCBs can disrupt cellular signals crucial for normal brain development and function.

Upcoming seminars

Today

 

Transforming Transportation and Energy: Politics and Technology

Dan Sperling, director, Institute of Transportation Studies, and professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy - UC Davis

360 Shields Library 12:10 to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Affairs

 

Sequential Speciation: Why Are There So Many SMALL Animals?

Andrew Forbes, postdoctoral scholar - UC Davis department of entomology

122 Briggs 12:10 to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by entomology

 

Signaling in Electric Fish: Behavior, Neurobiology, Molecular Evolution

Harold Zakon, Dr. - University of Texas at Austin

1022 Life Sciences 1:10 to 2 p.m.

Sponsored by Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior College of Biological Sciences

Science Scene

Environmental Protection Agency designates carbon dioxide a pollutant

The EPA formally declared on Friday that carbon dioxide as well as five other heat-trapping gases are pollutants endangering public health and welfare.

The move, which has been anticipated since the election of President Barack Obama, begins a 60-day comment period that must be completed before any regulations can be set in motion.

UC Davis receives grant for detecting, profiling kidney cancer with new biomarkers

The National Cancer Institute has awarded UC Davis researchers $1.25 million to fund a five-year project focused on identifying diagnostic biomarkers for kidney cancer. The grant will enable research that sets the groundwork for developing a new, simple test to detect kidney cancer in its early stages when it is most treatable.

Lilies toxic to cats, experts say

With springtime comes festive events like Easter and Mother's Day, and with all the blooming flowers, a bouquet is often the gift of choice. Experts place caution on one kind of flower, however, for the beautiful plant has proven to be toxic - and often fatal - to felines.

Ingestion of even minute amounts of a lily flower or its pollen causes severe kidney damage in a cat, and without treatment, mortality rate is extremely high.

UC Davis researcher receives grant to formulate diagnostic test for ovarian cancer

UC Davis researcher Gary Leisorowitz was recently awarded $900,000 to formulate a diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. The test aims to detect ovarian cancer at its preliminary stages. The grant was given by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Leisorowitz, along with fellow researcher Professor Carlito Lebrilla, has been working mostly with glycomics analysis to aid in cancer diagnosis. The glycomics analysis is used as a biomarker that would compare changes in this serum in women who have ovarian cancer versus healthy women.