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Davis, California

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Science & Technology

Mandarin oranges to have larger share in the U.S. citrus market

If you ever wondered what made Cuties, the box of mandarin oranges found at Safeway and Costco, so delicious, it could depend on what time of the year you buy them.

Science Scene

Free ride over for carbon dioxide absorption in oceans, scientists say

The world's oceans have long been helping to cushion the effects of climate change by absorbing massive amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. This buffering process, however, is taking its toll on the oceans, which are experiencing a dangerous rise in acidity due to the dissolving gas.

Science Scene

Octuplets born in SoCal

 

A Southern California woman gave birth to six boys and two girls in five minutes.

The second-known set of octuplets born in the United States arrived on Monday at Kaiser Permanente in Bellflower, Calif., a Los Angeles suburb. The babies were born between 10:43 and 10:48 a.m., and their weights range from 1 pound and 15 ounces to 3 pounds and 4 ounces.

Beneficial bacteria genetically equipped to prosper in breast-fed babies

You can thank intestinal bugs for the change in a weaning baby's diaper contents. Research shows that beneficial or "healthy" bacteria living in babies' guts thrive on unique sugars found in breast milk, then wane once the diet switches to solid food.

According to a recent UC Davis study, the genetic sequence of one of these bugs provides clues for understanding how breast milk nurtures the win-win relationship between healthy bacteria and babies.

DNA of UCD

Ever think that the brain can play tricks? Assistant Professor Karen Zito of the UC Davis neuroscience department knows that it can.

‘Smart’ lighting integrates energy efficiency and security

Parking lots are going to be a little dimmer nowadays - unless you walk underneath them.

Michael Siminovitch, a design program professor and director of the UC Davis California Lighting Technology Center, and his team have developed a light technology that is motion sensitive in the hopes of saving valuable energy.

Upcoming seminars

Today

The role of microRNAs in liver regeneration

Holger Willenbring, M.D - UC San Francisco

Noon to 1 p.m., 1005 Genome and biomedical sciences facility

Sponsored by California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Stem Cell Training Program

Science Scene

UC Berkeley awarded $15 million grant to study population growth

The UC Berkeley School of Public Health has recently been awarded $15 million to study the influence population growth has on the global environment, international conflict and public health.

DNA of UCD: Frank Loge

Before taking a sip of bottled water, UC Davis' Frank Loge probably thinks about more than just drinking it.

A professor of civil and environmental engineering, Loge examines every aspect of the hydrogen oxygen combo - from the sky to the ground, from waste to our mouths and everything in between.

 

UCD aims to tap exotic jatropha plant as biofuel source for California

UC Davis engineers, plant scientists and geneticists are heading a Chevron-sponsored project to develop the Jatropha curcas plant as a crop for biodiesel production in California. The three-year collaborative research program, now nearing its first year of completion, focuses on plant domestication, yield improvements and harvest optimization. Oil extracted from jatropha seeds can be processed to fuel diesel engines while the plant's remnants can be used to power electricity plants and create other practical byproducts including fertilizer.

Upcoming seminars

Today

 

Silk Footprints of Embiids: Does One Size Fit All?

Janice Edgerly-Rooks, professor of biology - Santa Clara University

122 Briggs Hall, 12:10 to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by entomology

 

Science Scene

Chlamydia, syphilis rates at all time high

A new report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the Chlamydia and syphilis infection rates in the United States have all-time highs.

According to Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., the director of the STD Prevention Division at the CDC, the two diseases were responsible for approximately 1.5 million reported STD cases in 2007.

UC Davis receives $6.8 million grant from NSF for wheat genome

UC Davis received a $6.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help unravel the mysteries of the wheat genome.

Led by geneticist Jan Dvorak, UC Davis will attempt to create a physical map of a wheat chromosome - the first step that will hopefully have practical applications in developing higher resistance to pests and diseases and a better tolerance to weather conditions.

DNA of UCD: Jonathan Eisen

If you've ever wondered if a certain drug would make that biology lab class a little more bearable, you're not alone. Evolutionary biologist and UCD professor Jonathan Eisen found the prospect all too entertaining, producing a fake study on the issue as an April fool's joke.

But when he's not pulling pranks on the science community he manages to delve into the microscopic world of evolution and ecology offering both the community and his students a diverse and broad width of knowledge.

Upcoming Seminars

Today

 

UC Davis Master of Public Health (MPH) Admissions Information Night

Stephen A. McCurdy, Director of UC Davis MPH Program

7 to 8:30 p.m., MU II, Memorial Union

Sponsored by Public Health Services