Latest Blog Posts

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.

Bone Spurs Explained: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Anila Mary Lijo — September 30, 2025

Bone spurs are common and often manageable, but some symptoms should not be ignored. UC Davis explains bone spur causes, symptoms, treatments and warning signs.

‘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.

What Do Fewer People, Immigrants Mean for the Nation?

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — September 26, 2025

For the first time since the COVID-19 years, the number of immigrants in the United States has declined.

Aggressive immigration policies have led to 1.4 million fewer immigrants in the country between January and May alone. This number includes 750,000 workers. Historically, mass immigrant exoduses and outright removals far below this scale left lasting harm on communities and local economies.

Weekender: Grand Opening of Manetti Shrem Exhibition with Artists; Gorman opens with Bartow

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — September 25, 2025

Manetti Shrem fall celebration this weekend for 'OJO' and 'Breathe'

Museum Opening Celebration Sunday, Sept. 28, 2-5 p.m.

Pulling the E-Brake on Methane Emissions

Katherine E Kerlin — September 25, 2025

As global emissions continue to climb, there is a growing call for rapidly reducing methane.

Hayabusa-2 Sample Return Mission Suggests Protracted Wetter Asteroids

Andy Fell — September 16, 2025

New results from the Hayabusa-2 space probe show that asteroids formed at the very beginnings of our Solar System retained substantial amounts of water for hundreds of millions of years, potentially delivering water to Earth and other planets for much longer than previously thought. The work by a large international team, including Professor Qing-Zhu Yin at the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, was published Sept. 10 in Nature.

How Did Animals Eat Before Mouths?

Andy Fell — September 12, 2025

More than half a billion years ago, during the Ediacaran Period, animal life looked nothing like today. Strange cup- and disk-shaped creatures sat and crawled along an ocean floor covered in thick microbial mats made of bacteria and algae. The only clues these organisms left to their lifestyles exist in the fossil record.

How Does the Federal Reserve Guide the U.S. Economy?

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — September 11, 2025

For more than a century, the Federal Reserve has steered the U.S. economy largely free from political influence. From World War II to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve has worked to keep the national economy sailing smoothly — in part by setting an interest rate that affects everyone.