Science & Technology

"Third-hand smoke" is also a threa

Experts have identified a new health threat from cigarettes: an invisible and toxic combination of gasses and particles labeled as "third-hand smoke" that persist long after second-hand smoke has cleared.

The toxins cling on smokers' hair and clothes, as well as in carpeting and furniture.

Leading UC Davis to ninth place out of 29 teams in a chemical car competition, Tonya Kuhl knows her Ligand-Receptor Interactions from her Polymer Thin-Films. The UC Davis professor, researcher and student adviser has been recognized for her accomplishments in research and teaching so early in her career, and she has the awards to prove it.

In an effort to develop new cancer treatments, UC Davis Cancer Center researchers might have struck gold.

Researchers have discovered a metabolic deficiency in pancreatic cancer cells that could potentially be used as a treatment for pancreatic cancer.

The final stage in testing new varieties of rice that can withstand harsh flooding conditions has been successfully completed in India and Bangladesh.

Researchers at UC Davis, UC Riverside and the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines proved that flood tolerance can be bred into any rice plant by introducing a single gene. The breeding strategy has broad implications for health and livelihood in flood prone regions of the world where rice is a dietary staple.

Today

Exploring the Microbial World of Frankliniella Occidentalis, the Western Flower Thrips

Lisa Chanbusarakum, Doctoral student - UC Davis

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

Sponsored by entomology

Have you ever looked up into the sky and wondered to yourself, "What's out there?" The mysteries of space can be the most puzzling, yet exciting phenomena of science today. To Andreas Albrecht, this phenomena is simply enthralling. Albrecht is a professor of physics at UC Davis and studies dark matter, dark energy, cosmic inflation and - when he's not wrapping his mind around the universe - the delicate art of Pretty Pretty Princess.

A new study by UCD researchers suggests that some epilepsy related deaths result from patients' brains not telling their bodies to breathe during seizures.

The finding could help identify a risk factor for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy SUDEP, a condition in which the reason for death is unknown and is not due to prolonged convulsive seizures or seizure-related accidents.

Today

Environmental Drivers of Large-Scale Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Mosquito Abundance and Virus Transmission in California

Chris Barker, UC Davis

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

Sponsored by entomology

Western pine forests succumb to North America's largest known insect invasion

Western pine forests are experiencing an infestation of bark beetles that is destroying millions of acres of trees in the area.

Experts say it is the largest known species infestation that has ever occurred in North America.

Marion Wittmann knows Lake Tahoe. From the invasive species that live in the basin of Lake Tahoe to the effects of the boats on the surface, this ecologist takes to the lake like a boat to water. Wittmann is known at UC Davis for her research and presentations on the Asian Clam Invasion, a particularly damaging species to environments like Lake Tahoe.

UC Davis and Aldagen, a North Carolina biotechnology company specializing in regenerative medicine, will investigate the potential of Aldagen's stem cell technology for the treatment of stroke.

The collaboration was formalized in a memorandum of understanding earlier this month and represents the first time that researchers in the stem cell program at UC Davis will work with Aldagen.

Heart transplants more successful when donor and recipient are same sex

A Johns Hopkins University study found that heart transplant patients are 25 percent more likely to live if the donor and the recipient are of the same sex.

Today

"Infectious Diseases: Think Locally and Globally"

Campus Community Book Project

Freeborn Hall, 10 a.m. to noon

Sponsored by Campus Community Relations, UC Davis School of Medicine, Student Health Services, International Education Week Resources Faire

If you ever wanted to stop your tennis match and challenge the referee's last call, you probably should, said UC Davis associate professor David Whitney.

Published in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Current Biology, UC Davis researchers, led by Whitney, have shown that humans - even professional tennis referees - are hard-wired to misjudge balls when they are hit close to the line.

Consisting of 22 million acres, alfalfa is the fourth largest crop produced in the United States. Like most crops, there is an ongoing battle between genetically engineered producers and organic producers of alfalfa.

However, a recent study conducted by UC Davis plant scientists suggests that gene flow between GE alfalfa and organic alfalfa can be minimized.