Latest Blog Posts

New Bone Research Gives Hope to Kids and Dogs With Osteosarcoma

Tatiana Muniz — November 04, 2025

UC Davis researchers built engineered bone marrow to study osteosarcoma, speeding safer treatments for children and canine bone cancer patients.

Deep-Water Sediments Reveal Patterns of Extraterrestrial Influence on Earth’s Ancient Climate

Andy Fell — October 31, 2025

Roughly 34 million years ago, the Earth started transitioning from a greenhouse to an icehouse state — defined by long-term cooling trends that resulted in ice sheets in the planet’s polar regions. During this time, continental carbon reservoirs expanded as carbon dioxide decreased in the atmosphere.

But that trend has reversed. Fossil fuel consumption, among other sources of pollution, have resulted in increasing atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, leading to ice sheet melt and unprecedented shifts in our environments.

Weekender: Día de Los Muertos, Halloween Inspire Events

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 30, 2025

Halloween and Día De Los Muertos weekend at UC Davis offer events at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and Pitzer Center on the UC Davis campus and TANA in Woodland. Catch all of them. Most events are free.

Weekender: Taproot Festival Begins; More Music; Celebrate Día de Los Muertos

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 23, 2025

Listen to new music; start celebrating Día de Los Muertos. Get ready for Halloween.

Population Decline of Franklin’s Bumble Bee Wasn’t Due to Pathogens, Museum Genomic Research Shows

Andy Fell — October 20, 2025

Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini) once inhabited a remote area spanning northern California and southern Oregon. But the bee’s numbers declined sharply after 1998 and it hasn’t been seen at all since 2006. A new study of the DNA of museum specimens, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests this decline was most likely due to population bottlenecks and environmental issues such as fire and drought rather than infectious diseases.

Catch Ongoing Fall 2025 Art Exhibitions at UC Davis

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 17, 2025

Manetti Shrem fall exhibitions offer 'OJO' and 'Breathe'

Two exhibitions that invite visitors to reflect on the present by considering the past and shared future are on view this fall at the

Weekender: Poet Laureate Reads; Stamping at TANA; Philharmonia Orchestra

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 16, 2025

Poetry, Gorman art talk, concerts, TANA stamping and much more on tap this weekend.

Where's Our CRISPR? New Treatments Promise Hope for Rare Diseases, But Wait May be Long

Andy Fell — October 14, 2025

As the parent of a child with a rare genetic disease, Celena Lozano saw the hope that reports of a breakthrough treatment bring. As a graduate student in neuroscience at UC Davis, she knows that the road to effective treatments, let alone 'cures' for most such diseases, will be long and frustrating. Clear and nuanced communication about what research and clinical studies actually mean for patients is needed, she writes in an article for STAT.

A Stretchy Protein Senses Forces in Cells

Andy Fell — October 10, 2025

How does skin hold you in? How do heart cells beat together? Researchers at the University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, are exploring how structures called desmosomes, which stick cells together, function and react to mechanical stress.

New work from Professor Sanjeevi Sivasankar’s lab, published Oct. 10 in Nature Communications, shows how a desmosome protein can respond to mechanical stress and potentially send signals within the cell.

How to plan your UC application and stay on track

Isabella E Beristain — October 09, 2025

Want an easy college application process? Learn when UC apps open, close and how to apply for college without burning out. Follow these time management tips.

How Does Academic Freedom Help Society?

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 09, 2025

Academic freedom is fundamental to higher education. Without it, everyone loses the value created by university educators, researchers and scholars.

“If we aren't free to pursue research and teaching based on wherever the knowledge leads us, we are not truly working in the service of the public,” said Rana Jaleel, an associate professor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies and Asian American studies in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis.

Weekender: TANA Event, Library Archives Exhibit, Concerts, Talks

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 09, 2025

This week's Weekender is a reminder why at the Arts Blog, we start our weekends on Thursday!

UC Davis Artist, Sociologist, Ph.D. Student Reflect on ‘Breathe' Exhibition at Manetti Shrem Museum

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 08, 2025

The transparent, glass gallery doors of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis act as a portal to another world where an echoing, ambient sound can be heard in the distance.

This world is dimly lit and guarded by two large human-like figures, their long hair made of gray and black fibers, dressed in what might be space suits of the future or the casualwear of an alien species, fused together with colorful yarn.

How Do Students with Disabilities Achieve Success in College?

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 07, 2025

College students with disabilities have lower enrollment and completion rates than their peers without disabilities. But a new University of California, Davis, study found that some students make good use of support systems, study skills, coping mechanisms and awareness of their disabilities to succeed despite their challenges.

“These findings offer new insights for scholars, disability advocates and educators,” said Lauren Lindstrom, professor in the School of Education at UC Davis and lead author of the study.

Computational Model Uses Language Theory to Predict DNA Shapes That Underlie Gene Expression and Disease

Andy Fell — October 03, 2025

Your DNA contains the genetic blueprint necessary to not just build your body but to build the proteins and molecules that ensure your body’s functionality. DNA encodes RNA, RNA encodes proteins and voila, your body functions.

Weekender: Mondavi Season Opens With Rock and Jazz; 1st Noon Concert includes Music from Johannes Brahms

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — October 02, 2025

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts opens Thursday with Talking Heads film and talk

The University of California, Davis, Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts this 2025-26 season includes a diverse array of artists, from classical, to jazz, to global and everything in between for music. Performers include rising stars and old favorites, and plenty of dance. There’s ample family entertainment too, as well as prominent speakers.

UC Malaria Initiative Expands Acivities to Equatorial Guinea

Andy Fell — October 01, 2025

The University of California Malaria Initiative, which includes researchers at UC Davis, will partner in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea’s Vision 2030 strategy to eliminate malaria from the Central African country. The plan, which also includes Oxford University, Tsinghua University and a MCD Global Health, was announced Sept. 24 during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

‘Welcome to Davis’ Mural Celebrates City and UC Davis Legacy

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — September 30, 2025

Seongmin Yoo identifies as an “Aggie” in every sense of the word. Though she grew up in South Korea, she says Davis is “home.”

Yoo has been working with the Davis Mural Team for the last three years and has helped paint five different murals downtown. She is passionate about helping the local art scene thrive.

Bone Basics: How Many Bones Are in the Human Body?

Anila Mary Lijo — September 30, 2025

Did you know? At birth, babies have around 300 bones. But by the time we reach adulthood, we’re left with 206 bones. UC Davis answers top bone questions.

Bone Density: How To Build Strong Bones

Anila Mary Lijo — September 30, 2025

UC Davis explains how bone density is measured, what nutrients and exercises support strong bones and what habits protect against osteoporosis.