Research. Discover. Solve. Connect.
New discoveries, fresh perspectives
Explore the multidisciplinary, collaborative work of UC Davis researchers. These immersive In Focus stories reveal how we confront pressing problems and connect ideas from the obvious to the unexpected.
How Urban Streams, Climate Change and Unhoused People Intertwine
A search for compassionate, sustainable solutions takes researchers to Bay Area streams to investigate the intersections of climate change, urban streams and unhoused people.
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Incorporating Native American Plants into Landscape
When the Gorman Museum of Native American Art relocated to a space adjacent to the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden in 2023, a seed was planted. Why not include Indigenous California plants outside the museum?
Probiotics and Prebiotics: Hype or Health?
The products often say they “support a healthy gut” or “boost your immune system” by providing good microbes that are often missing from people’s diets. But how can consumers know if these products are really good for them?
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Coffee Scientists Find Best Ways to Make Coffee
UC Davis coffee scientists are finding the best ways to make coffee, from sustainable farming to quality control to taste, improving the global coffee industry.
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Catalyzing Change: Engineering Enzymes to Meet Human Needs
Enzyme engineering is key to the future of human health. The Design2Data program teaches students to solve problems in the food, energy and health industries.
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The Promise of Alternative Proteins
UC Davis food scientists are studying how to make beef using cow stem cells.
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Innovative New Technology Helps Seniors Age in Place
I-Care connects older adults with mild cognitive impairment to long-distance family members, providing support for daily tasks and continuing care at home.
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The Salmon Diaries: Life Before and After Klamath Dam Removal
From the Klamath River to the lab, to the ear bones of fish, UC Davis scientists are helping to answer a big dam question: How will salmon use the river following the world's largest dam removal project?
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Student Entomologists Gain Hands-On Skills in Insect Biology
Discover how student researchers are gaining hands-on biology and entomology skills and protecting pollinators through the Insect Scholars Program.
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Big Data Comes to Dinner
Learn how UC Davis leverages artificial intelligence to transform food and agriculture, ensuring sustainability and health from seeds to stomachs.
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Understanding How Students Learn Through Virtual Reality
How UC Davis virtual reality research is promoting STEAM learning and helping improve child education.
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With Flood Risk Rising, Can Community-Based Insurance Fill a Gap?
UC Davis helps Isleton, California, launch the state's first community insurance program focused on flood risk, climate adaptation and sustainability in Sacramento County.
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A Medical School That Looks More Like California
How does UC Davis School of Medicine make admissions equitable? A holistic review ensures that a diverse group of students enters the medical field.
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Chicago Cafe: California’s Oldest Chinese Restaurant
Learn how the family-owned Chicago Cafe has withstood the test of time and Asian hate to become one of the country's most historic Chinese restaurants.
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Studying Sharks in San Francisco Bay
On a recent day in San Francisco Bay, a team of researchers took to the waters in search of sharks. Led by Meghan Holst, a Ph.D. candidate in conservation ecology, the group set out to collect data on a variety of species for several concurrent studies.
How Students Dive into Marine Science at UC Davis
What’s it like to take a summer session in a marine lab? Explore our undergraduate marine research from mussels’ byssal threads to ocean ecosystem impacts.
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Parasitic Weeds Threaten Tomato Plants on California Farms
UC Davis leads the way in sustainable agriculture, employing innovative research to combat the invasive broomrape weed threatening California's tomato industry.
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New Drone Research Advances Wildfire Monitoring
UC Davis’ new fire research utilizes drones and ground sensors for early wildfire detection, enhancing firefighter safety and promoting sustainability.
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Winemaking 101
Making wine can take 1-3 years from fermentation to when a product goes to market. UC Davis students are doing it all in 10 weeks.
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Measuring Meals
Food assistance at UC Davis is making students healthier. Learn how efforts to provide food to students in need is making a measurable impact.
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A Sustainable Solution: Compostable Wind Turbine Blades
Wind turbine blades are a major source of environmental pollution and waste. Learn how UC Davis is creating an ecologically sound solution for their disposal.
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Growing Crops with Less Groundwater
Learn about UC Davis’ innovative approach to growing crops with less groundwater in drought-prone regions like California. Farm sustainably for a better future.
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How UC Davis Is Growing a Tree Canopy for Tomorrow’s Climate
Discover how UC Davis is planting a canopy of strong shade trees to prepare for the extreme heat waves central California will experience in the next 100 years.
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Surprising Benefits of Using Sheep as Lawn Mowers
Discover how UC Davis is using its sheep mowers to not only cut grass on campus, but also to boost sustainability and relieve stress and anxiety for students.
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Clinical Trial Offers Hope for Spina Bifida Cure
Interdisciplinary research leads to historic clinical trial delivering stem cells during fetal surgery to treat spina bifida.
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Farms to Fungi to Food: Growing the Next Generation of Alternative Protein
A solution to world hunger might start with boba and caviar. UC Davis explores alternative protein with farms and fungi. Learn more about the future of food.
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Making Prosthetics More Lifelike
See how UC Davis scientists and surgeons are performing better amputations, using AI, and creating smart prosthetic devices to improve the lives of amputees.
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California Families Project: Resilience and Community
Landmark UC Davis study of Mexican-origin families looks at vast range of influences on human development from infancy to old age.
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In Another Class: College Corps Expands Service Learning for Students
UC Davis expands paid internship opportunities with community organizations as it leads the Sacramento Valley College Corps.
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Wellness Check
Veterinary, nursing and medicine researchers at UC Davis aim to create resilience training solutions for health care workers dealing with stress and burnout.
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‘Confronting Climate Anxiety’ Series Launches
A new UC Davis series asks eight climate scientists how they deal with climate anxiety and still find joy in the job.
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Little Fires: Landowners Learn to Burn
Learn about landowners’ efforts to combat climate change and wildfires with prescribed burning and the benefits and challenges of this technique in this UC Davis story.
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Program Helps BioSci Students Explore Careers
With $1.75 million in support from the Koret Foundation, the BioLaunch program at UC Davis is helping students in its College of Biological Sciences explore and prepare for careers.
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Learning at the Heart of the Issues
Junior Cristina Lopez is training to lead presentations to help newly arrived refugees settle in — from opening a bank account to accessing health care.
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UC Davis Launches Major Student Career Initiative
Aggie Launch is ensuring equitable career preparation for every student, fostering social justice and successful, fulfilling post-grad employment.
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UC Davis Introduces the Redwood SEED Scholars
Learn how the Redwood SEED Scholar Program is working to diversify the workforce and provide meaningful employment for students with intellectual disabilities.
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Crude Awakenings: An Oil Spill, a Tiny Bird and a Big Care Network
Learn how UC Davis’ Oiled Wildlife Care Network responders carefully wash, treat and rehabilitate endangered birds for their survival and conservation efforts.
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Native Girl’s Remains Returned to Alaska After More Than a Century
A UC Davis doctoral student and her son returned their ancestor to her Native Alaska. They are among the hundreds of Native families rematriating children from "Indian Schools."
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Common Floral Bacteria Can Induce Pollen Germination
Despite the essential nutritional role of pollen for bees and other pollinators, we still know very little about how pollen is digested by anything.
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The House That Doesn’t Burn
Discover how UC Davis researchers are exploring the use of compressed earth blocks to construct affordable, fire-resistant homes for wildfire-prone areas.
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Artificial Intelligence: Can We Trust Machines to Make Fair Decisions?
Discover how bias in artificial intelligence can affect important decisions. Learn about UC Davis’ ongoing efforts to create fair and unbiased AI systems.
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Prioritizing Who Gets Vaccinated for COVID-19 Saves Lives
UC Davis experts discuss how to prioritize vaccine distribution and address health disparities. Learn about their recommendations and public health efforts.
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When Smoke Gets In Your Wine
Read about how UC Davis is taking on climate challenges facing the wine industry and discovering new smoke taint solutions in grapes for improved production.
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Rethinking Wildfire
The Indigenous practice of cultural burning views fire as restorative, not destructive. A UC Davis class takes a renewed approach to understanding wildfire.
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Is the Food Supply Strong Enough to Weather the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Is the food supply chain strong enough to withstand the COVID-19 pandemic? UC Davis researchers address the impact on prices, hoarding and future solutions.
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Becoming Arizona: Sacramento’s Urban Heat Island Divide
Explore the role of trees in combating urban heat islands in Sacramento and promoting climate justice. Learn how trees cool neighborhoods and improve health.
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Becoming Arizona: Lessons from Phoenix
Discover the lessons from Phoenix on living with extreme heat and its impact on human health. Learn how cities like Sacramento can prepare for a hotter future.
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Agricultural Innovations Help Cambodian Farmers Thrive
Learn how Cambodian farmers benefit from agricultural innovations, growing nutritious crops and increasing income with support from researchers at UC Davis.
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Becoming Arizona: This Arid Life
Explore Sacramento's hotter future and how to prepare for it. Learn from Phoenix's experience and build climate-resilient communities for the changes ahead.
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Can Science Save Citrus?
Explore the impact of citrus greening on California's citrus groves. Learn about UC Davis’ efforts to save the industry and its role in health and economy.
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Cows and Climate Change
Cattle are the No. 1 agricultural source of greenhouse gasses worldwide. One cow belches 220 pounds of methane yearly. Fortunately, UC Davis has solutions.
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A Sojourner’s Path: From a Temporary Building to the World and Back
Explore the history of UC Davis’ art department and the birthplace of a movement. Discover the creative space at TB 9 and the renowned artists who started there.
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Small Towns, Big Flood Waters
Towns are escaping rising waters and protecting their communities from the impacts of climate change. Read this gripping story of resilience and adaptation.
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The Many Flavors of Cacao
Explore the fascinating journey of cacao from farm to chocolate production. UC Davis research empowers smallholder farmers and ensures the future of cacao.
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Protecting Small Farms in Mozambique from Drought
A team of agricultural economists tested whether these insured seeds can increase food security for farmers who regularly risk losing crops to extreme weather.
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Moringa: The next superfood?
Discover the incredible benefits of moringa, a nutrient-packed plant that has the potential to address food security and fight chronic health conditions.
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Fruit Flies Raised in Space by UC Davis Researcher Show Weakened Immunity
In 2006, Professor Deborah Kimbrell and a group of university researchers were selected by NASA to send fruit flies up on a space shuttle to test their immune response.
Healing Burned Animals with Fish Skins
UC Davis vet hospital is using fish skins to treat animal burns. Learn about this innovative approach to healing animals and its potential for human medicine.
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Can Solar Energy and Wildlife Coexist?
UC Davis explores the coexistence of solar energy, wildlife and sensitive lands. Learn about the latest research on renewable energy and conservation efforts.
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Can We Grow One of the World's Largest Food Crops Without Fertilizer?
Read how UC Davis researchers found a special kind of corn in Mexico that can absorb nitrogen from the air, reducing fertilizer use and improving crop yields.
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Closing the loop on sustainable aquaculture
Take the eco-friendly journey of Tsar Nicoulai Caviar — from award-winning sustainable caviar to butter lettuce grown in a revolutionary aquaponics system.
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Smart Farm
Discover how UC Davis' Smart Farm Initiative is using new tech to increase food production, conserve resources and create careers for the future of agriculture.
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Protecting California’s Farmworkers as Temperatures Climb
How can we protect California's farmworkers in a deadly hot environment? Learn about the latest solutions and technological advancements to keep people cool.
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A Climate Change Solution Beneath Our Feet
Healthy soils can be a climate solution, helping farmers, ranchers and UC Davis scientists flip the picture of too much carbon in the atmosphere and not enough in the ground.
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Wildlife Experience High Price of Oil
A UC Davis study reveals the high price of oil on wildlife. Learn how UC Davis rescued oiled animals, the impacts of oil extraction, and potential solutions.
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