Egghead Content

Creating Nanoislands for Better Platinum Catalysts

Andy Fell — January 28, 2025 - 4:27pm

Noble metals such as platinum can make useful catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions, particularly hydrogenation (adding hydrogen atoms to a molecule). The research team led by Professor Bruce Gates at the UC Davis Department of Chemical Engineering is interested in making platinum catalysts that are highly efficient and stable during chemical reactions.

New Angle Etching Technique for Making Quantum Devices

Andy Fell — January 24, 2025 - 4:40pm

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have demonstrated an angle etching method for fabricating quantum photonic devices at the wafer scale in silicon carbide.

Color centers are the essential hub for photons (particles of light) in quantum devices. They are the components that emit and maintain photons, functioning as a quantum memory bank. However, they are challenging to fabricate, particularly for the industrial development of quantum technology.

Developing Molecular Windows to Advance Health

Andy Fell — January 16, 2025 - 4:50pm

The image is like an abstract stained-glass window. Set against a black background, a nexus of fluorescent greens, yellows and blues mushrooms out into purples and deep reds. It’s striking — the beauty of cells when viewed through the lens of mass spectrometry.

Is This Universe Tuned to Support Life?

Andy Fell — January 10, 2025 - 3:17pm

For life to flourish, the universe had to meet a nesting doll of conditions. The quantum fluctuations that led to the Big Bang had to be just right to kickstart the cosmological chemistry necessary for star, galaxy and planetary formation. Eventually, conditions on one of these planets — Earth — were just right to support the rise of organic matter, leading to the evolution of life. Leading to us.

Was the universe tuned to support life? Or was it cosmological happenstance?

A Legacy of Jimmy Carter: Craft Beer

Andy Fell — January 06, 2025 - 3:24pm

With the passing of Jimmy Carter, it is perhaps worth mentioning one small legacy from his presidency: the legalization of homebrewing and the craft beer revolution.

Solving the Moving Sofa Problem

Andy Fell — December 13, 2024 - 4:14pm

Korean mathematician Jineon Baek may have come up with a proof for a long-standing problem: What is the largest object that can fit around a corner of a certain size?

Eye, Robot: Researchers Give Machines a New Perspective with Active Vision

Andy Fell — November 26, 2024 - 2:46pm

When Iman Soltani worked in the automotive industry, he studied assembly floors and noticed that each automated task had its specific robotic design.

He also noticed that while a robot would need multiple cameras affixed to several locations for the best possible sightline, an operator on the assembly floor would move their head and neck to get the best view as they manipulated components.

Animal and Veterinary Innovation Center Established at UC Davis

Andy Fell — November 22, 2024 - 11:31am

UC Davis is one of four institutions nationwide selected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to establish Animal and Veterinary Innovation centers to help spur innovation and advance regulatory decisions.

The UC Davis Intentional Genomic Alteration Innovation Center will focus on genome editing of livestock like pigs, sheep and cattle to support science-based regulations that demonstrate the safety of the technology and pave the way for human consumption of edited animals.

Overcoming the Casimir Force, a Fundamental Limitation in Quantum Tech

Andy Fell — November 21, 2024 - 10:09am

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jeremy Munday and his lab have demonstrated a method for controlling the Casimir force, a quantum mechanical effect that draws small objects toward each other. The force can be so strong as to tear components inside a device apart.

Can Corals Be Saved?

Andy Fell — November 04, 2024 - 4:13pm

It takes a strong constitution to be a coral researcher these days. These vibrant underwater ecosystems are beset by all manner of challenges in the 21st century, from bleaching events and pollution to storm surges and overfishing. But there’s good news on the way for coral conservation.