University of California, Davis
In-brain monitoring shows memory network
January 30, 2013 10:50 am | News | Comments
Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers in California and Texas have shown for the first time that areas of the brain work together at the same time to recall memories. The unique approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.
Asteroid surfaces more complex than previously thought
December 21, 2012 8:39 am | News | Comments
Meteorites that had fallen from an asteroid impact that lit up the skies over California and...
For bagged or boxed wine, cool is best
December 18, 2012 1:28 pm | News | Comments
In the most comprehensive study to date on how storage temperature affects wines with different...
Iron-platinum alloys show promise for next-generation hard drives
May 21, 2013 9:56 am | News | CommentsMeeting the demand for more data storage in smaller volumes means using materials made up of ever-smaller magnets, or nanomagnets. One promising material for a potential new generation of recording media is an alloy of iron and platinum with an ordered crystal structure.
Non-wetting fabric drains sweat
May 20, 2013 3:54 pm | News | CommentsWaterproof fabrics that whisk away sweat could be the latest application of microfluidic technology developed by bioengineers at the University of California, Davis. The new fabric works like human skin, forming excess sweat into droplets that drain away by themselves, says inventor Tingrui Pan.
Computer models show how deep carbon could return to Earth's surface
March 21, 2013 9:17 am | News | CommentsComputer simulations of water under extreme pressure are helping geochemists understand how carbon might be recycled from hundreds of miles below the Earth's surface. Carbon compounds are the basis of life, provide most of our fuels and contribute to climate change. The cycling of carbon through the oceans, atmosphere, and shallow crust of the Earth has been intensively studied, but little is known about what happens to carbon deep in the Earth.
Scientists trace particulate air pollution to its source
February 20, 2013 4:08 pm | News | CommentsScientists at the University of California, Davis have, for the first time, developed a system that can determine which types of air particles that pollute the atmosphere are the most prevalent and most toxic. Previous research has shown that air pollution containing fine and ultrafine particles is associated with asthma, heart disease, and premature death. This new study marks the first time that researchers have conducted source-oriented sampling of these particles in the atmosphere.
Does probability come from quantum physics?
February 5, 2013 4:07 pm | News | CommentsEver since Austrian scientist Erwin Schrodinger put his unfortunate cat in a box, his fellow physicists have been using something called quantum theory to explain and understand the nature of waves and particles. But a new paper by physics professor Andreas Albrecht and graduate student Dan Phillips at the University of California, Davis makes the case that these quantum fluctuations actually are responsible for the probability of all actions, with far-reaching implications for theories of the universe.
Simulating more efficient solar cells
January 28, 2013 1:50 pm | News | CommentsUsing an exotic form of silicon could substantially improve the efficiency of solar cells, according to computer simulations by researchers at the University of California, Davis and in Hungary. Solar cells are based on the photoelectric effect: A photon, or particle of light, hits a silicon crystal and generates a negatively charged electron and a positively charged hole. Collecting those electron-hole pairs generates electric current. Conventional solar cells generate one electron-hole pair per incoming photon, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency of 33%. One exciting new route to improved efficiency is to generate more than one electron-hole pair per photon.
The “rebound” effect of energy-efficient cars overplayed
January 24, 2013 8:18 am | News | CommentsThe argument that those who have fuel-efficient cars drive them more and hence use more energy is overplayed and inaccurate, a University of California, Davis economist and his co-authors say in a comment article published in Nature.
Engineered bacteria make fuel from sunlight
January 7, 2013 4:23 pm | News | CommentsChemists at the University of California, Davis have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics—the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry.
Scientists simulate Earth's creation to solve core problem
November 19, 2012 8:33 am | News | CommentsUsing computer simulations, researchers from the University of California, Davis and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing have helped to solve a mystery that scientists have puzzled over since the early 1950s: What accounts for Earth's core density?
Cooling challenge spurs more energy-efficient air conditioner
November 8, 2012 1:29 pm | News | CommentsA University of California, Davis challenge to build more energy-efficient air conditioning has spurred a major global manufacturer to build a rooftop air conditioner that is 40% more energy efficient than conventional units. Trane is the second manufacturer to achieve Western Cooling Challenge certification.
New finding could pave way to faster, smaller electronics
October 23, 2012 8:00 am | News | CommentsUniversity of California, Davis researchers, for the first time, have looked inside gallium manganese arsenide, a type of material known as a "dilute magnetic semiconductor" that could open up an entirely new class of faster, smaller devices based on an emerging field known as spintronics.
Cutting-edge startup aims for nano-close shave
September 18, 2012 3:37 am | News | CommentsNano-Sharp Inc., a new company founded using technology developed at the University of California Davis, plans to use silicon wafers to make razor blades and surgical tools far more cheaply than current silicon or ceramic blades. Conventional blades are made by sharpening the edge of a silicon wafer, but the company’s patented new technique creates blades across the surface of the wafer, delivering atom-scale sharpness.
New TB test promises to be cheap, fast
May 22, 2012 9:42 am | News | CommentsBiomedical engineers at University of California, Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis. They hope the test will be cheaper, faster, and more reliable than current testing for the disease.
New nanoglue is thin, supersticky
March 5, 2012 10:26 am | News | CommentsEngineers at the University of California, Davis, have invented a superthin nanoglue that could be used in new-generation microchip fabrication. Conventional glues form a thick layer between two surfaces, while the new nanoglue, which conducts heat and can be printed, or applied, in patterns, forms a layer the thickness of only a few molecules.
Study reveals how ion channels tell us what’s hot, what’s cold
March 2, 2012 9:50 am | News | CommentsResearchers in the past have assumed that because there are only four genes governing the body’s detection of temperatures, only four heat-sensitive channels exist. Recent work now shows that proteins can have dozens of the heat-sensitive ion channels, which are pores in the cell membranes.
Protein structures give disease clues
February 1, 2012 10:16 am | News | CommentsUsing some of the most powerful nuclear magnetic resonance equipment available, researchers at the University of California, Davis, are making discoveries about the shape and structure of biological molecules—potentially leading to new ways to treat or prevent diseases such as breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Faint 'satellite galaxy' discovered
January 18, 2012 9:51 am | News | CommentsA faint "satellite galaxy" 10 billion light years from Earth is the lowest-mass object ever detected at such a distance. The find could help astronomers find similar objects and confirm or reject theories about the structure of the cosmos.
Metal oxide simulations could help green technology
January 10, 2012 3:26 am | News | CommentsUniversity of California, Davis, researchers have proposed a radical new way of thinking about the chemical reactions between water and metal oxides. The new paradigm could lead to a better understanding of corrosion and how toxic minerals leach from rocks and soil. It could also help in development of green technology.
Self-cleaning cotton breaks down pesticides, bacteria
September 28, 2011 5:00 am | News | CommentsUniversity of California, Davis scientists have developed a self-cleaning cotton fabric that can kill bacteria and break down toxic chemicals such as pesticide residues when exposed to light.
'Synthetic biology' could replace oil for chemical industry
September 14, 2011 7:48 am | News | CommentsVats of blue-green algae could one day replace oil wells in producing raw materials for the chemical industry, a University of California, Davis chemist predicts. Shota Atsumi, an assistant professor of chemistry, is using "synthetic biology" to create cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, that convert carbon dioxide in the air into complex hydrocarbons, all powered by sunlight.
Berkeley Lab scientists unveil HARPES
August 24, 2011 9:27 am | News | CommentsLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers led the development of a technique called HARPES, for Hard x-ray Angle-Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy, that enables the study of electronic structures deep below material surfaces, including the buried layers and interfaces in nanoscale devices.
A Sustainable Thirst for Science
June 9, 2011 7:47 am | by Rita C. Peters | Articles | CommentsThe first LEED Platinum process science facility strives to satisfy both consumer taste buds and the environment.
Splitting water to create renewable energy
May 16, 2011 5:57 am | News | CommentsAn international team of scientists, led by a team at Monash Univ., has found the key to the hydrogen economy could come from a very simple mineral, commonly seen as a black stain on rocks.
The future of farming in America
May 6, 2011 5:34 am | News | CommentsTwo studies published in the journal Science this week look at the big picture of U.S. farming; one offered a warning; the other offered recommendations. Stanford researchers find that the U.S. has dodged some weather bullets recently that have dented global production of wheat. We might not be so lucky in the near future. UC Davis, meanwhile, updates a lengthy 2010 report that says market upheaval is going to be necessary to make needed changes to our agricultural infrastructure.
Hydrocarbons formed in the deep earth
April 15, 2011 6:12 am | News | CommentsA new computational study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals how hydrocarbons may be formed from methane in deep Earth at extreme pressures and temperatures.
