Science & Technology

Today

"Genetic and Hormonal Regulation of Seed Dormancy"Kent Bradford, professor and director - Seed Biotechnology Center3001 Plant and Environmental Sciences, noon to 1p.m.Sponsored by Plant Sciences

"Exploring the Genetic and Chemical Basis of Argentine Ant Behavior"Neil Tsutsui, Environmental Science, Policy and Management UC Berkeley122 Briggs, 12:10 to 1 p.m.Sponsored by Entomology

Sugar in common foods linked to E. coli

A type of sugar common in food has been found to create potential for E. coli to invade human bodies.

A study published on Oct. 29 showed that food such as red meat and dairy products contain sugar molecules that are not naturally produced in humans. Toxins from E. coli may bind to the sugars and trigger a pathway to causing diseases.

Everybody loves a California Poppy - or as Shannon Still likes to call them, Eschscholzia Californica. No one quite admires the flower more than Still, who is a TA for a plant anatomy course and is a graduate student in plant biology. His love for poppies extends all the way to the Mojave Desert, where he thinks he may have discovered a new species of poppy.

Researchers have developed a new technique to study blood cell behavior in small blood vessels, highlighting its efficacy for determining how blood cells regulate blood pressure, and ways in which the process may be altered by diet and disease. The study was conducted by researchers at Harvard University, including William Ristenpart, who is now a professor in the departments of food science and technology and chemical engineering and material science at UC Davis.

Dr. Bob Rice, a professor in the environmental toxicology department, has a knack for growing things. He specializes in culturing and studying epidermal cells, bringing us closer to an understanding of skin cancer and other diseases.

When did you start working at UC Davis?

Gosh, [almost] 20 years ago … 1989, around Labor Day.

Today

"Poverty and Obesity -- The Challenge in Accessing Healthy Foods Among The Poorest"

Diana Cassady

Mee Room, Memorial Union, noon to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by Campus Community Relations, Public Health Sciences

Scientists erase bad memories from brains of mice

Scientists have discovered a treatment that erases traumatic memories from the brains of mice.

According to the study, scientists manipulated the brains to overproduce an enzyme that could erase certain memories while keeping others intact.

The UC Davis Cancer Center recently announced the launch of the new Cancer Care Network geared to provide quality treatment to patients in community-based areas in Northern and Central California.

Planning for the network began in 2000 when UC Davis joined with two local California health care organizations in Merced and Marysville to develop cancer programs, said Scott Christensen, UC Davis associate professor of hematology and oncology and the future medical director of the new network.

Leslie Lyons is no crazy cat lady, although cats are her main focus here at UC Davis. She researches everything feline - from their genes to the little pieces of fur they may leave behind at the scene of a crime.

Recently, Lyons and other UC Davis veterinarians assisted in engineering a glow-in-the-dark cloned cat. If that's not enough to make you purr, her interview with The California Aggie just might.

Geologists unearth 'dinosaur dance floor'

Along the Arizona-Utah state line, geologists have found a three-fourths-acre site with prehistoric animal tracks so densely packed together, they're referring to it as a "dinosaur dance floor."

Today

"Linking Plant Genetic Variation to Foliage- and Litter-Based Arthropod Communities"

Greg Crutsinger

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

Sponsored by the entomology department

You might want to consider your brain before knocking back another drink, and not just for fear of a hangover.

According to a study by researchers at UC Davis, Wellesley College and Boston University, the more alcohol people consume, the more their brain volume decreases.

New tests for Down syndrome have no known risks of miscarriage

Scientists have developed a new, non-invasive technique to test for Down syndrome that differs from the traditional tests that may cause miscarriages. The new procedure only requires a blood sample from the pregnant woman.

UC Davis is one of two schools in the country with a nematology department. What's a nematode, you ask? Professor Valerie Williamson can not only tell you that a nematode is a microscopic worm, she can also tell you its DNA sequencing and the massive impact it has on the agricultural world today. Williamson is a professor of nematology, focusing her research on plant parasitic nematodes - the cause of over $50 million of plant damage in the U.S. The California Aggie sat down with her to chat about nematodes, her research and even her taste in produce.

Although the mosquito season comes to a close as the chill of winter approaches, fly season is in full swing as autumn's temperatures ideally foster their abundant breeding.

"This time of year is perfect for flies to reproduce," said UC Davis entomologist Lynn Kimsey, who heads the department of entomology. "And Davis is the perfect place."