News Articles

The final round of the UC Davis Grad Slam had a flurry of PowerPoint slides, a giant deck of cards and a stuffed monkey, but in the end the top prize went to someone talking about genetic “ghosts.”

We are in the final quarter of this academic year, which started at the beginning of this month. I know we’ve all said it ourselves in our own ways, but it really does amaze me how quickly the time passes. It feels like just a few weeks ago we were welcoming a new year and beginning the winter quarter. Now here we are, and it’s spring already.

A new study shows exactly how the gene BRCA2, linked to susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer, functions to repair damaged DNA. By studying BRCA2 at the level of single molecules, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have generated new insights into the mechanisms of DNA repair and the origins of cancer. The work was published the week of March 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Do relatives make good neighbors?” UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita Sharon Strauss will answer this question and provide additional thoughts on species diversity in natural communities at the spring Emeriti Lecture in person and online on Monday, April 17, at 3pm.

The University of California, Davis, continues to be recognized for its leadership in the fields of veterinary science, and agriculture and forestry, among other fields, in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject released March 22.

Three graduate students in the College of Biological Sciences are among this year’s finalists for the UC Davis Grad Slam competition.

Though animals respond well to music, humans are usually the ones to choose it. To change this, a senior design team in the College of Engineering developed a device that lets horses choose which music they want to listen to.

The Greek hero Heracles fought a monster called the Hydra, which grew two new heads for each one he lopped off. Heracles was lucky he wasn’t fighting something with the regenerative ability of the real Hydra, which can re-grow its entire body from a few hundred cells. This simple water animal is helping scientists explore how some animals can regrow missing body parts.

The Academic Senate and Academic Federation have made their selections for the campus’s most prestigious academic awards for 2023, honoring 17 members for exceptional research, teaching and mentoring, and public service. Brian Gaylord, a professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, was recognized for supporting collaborative learning among his students.

This past month has been a great one for our faculty. With recognition from the National Academy of Inventors, the Alfred P.