March 22, 2023 – Four sea otters that stranded in California died from an unusually severe form of toxoplasmosis, according to a study from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the University of California, Davis. The disease is caused by the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Scientists warn that this rare strain, never previously reported […]
UC Davis
Climate Trends in the West, Today and 11,000 Years Ago
People often say things like Phoenix has always been dry; Seattle has always been wet; and San Francisco has always been foggy. But “always” is a strong word. A study from the University of California, Davis, synthesizes climate trends across the Western U.S. during a relatively young period of Earth’s history — the Holocene Era, […]
Unprecedented Levels of High-Severity Fire Burn in Sierra Nevada Forests
High-severity wildfire is increasing in Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade forests and has been burning at unprecedented rates compared to the years before Euro-American settlement, according to a study from the Safford Lab at the University of California, Davis, and its collaborators. Those rates have especially shot up over the past decade. For the study, […]
Climate Change Presents a Mismatch for Songbirds’ Breeding Season
Spring is the sweet spot for breeding songbirds in California’s Central Valley – not too hot, not too wet. But climate change models indicate the region will experience more rainfall during the breeding season, and days of extreme heat are expected to increase. Both changes threaten the reproductive success of songbirds, according to a study […]
Wildfire Threats Not Commonly Disclosed by U.S. Firms Despite Risk to Economy
December 21, 2022 – Wildfires in the United States, especially in Western states, increasingly pose a significant risk to entire communities, often destroying homes, businesses and lives. When wildfires sweep through a region they also affect the economy as a whole, decreasing U.S. firms’ values to stockholders when businesses incur physical damage, cause or experience […]
All West Coast Abalones at Risk of Extinction on the IUCN Red List
All seven of the United States’ abalone species that live on the West Coast are now listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, Red List of Threatened Species. These listings were based on a West Coast abalones assessment led by Laura-Rogers Bennett of the California Department of Fish and […]
Cabernet Can Survive Climate Change
Exposing wine grapes to sunlight was the key to making a good quality cabernet. But even the toughest grapes may not withstand the extreme heat that comes with climate change. Too much heat, like California has experienced with recent heat waves, can lead to jarringly jam-like wines that are high in alcohol and sugar and […]
UC Davis Grieves the Loss of Fish
UC Davis issued the following statement today (Aug. 11): We are devastated to report that a catastrophic failure has resulted in the loss of about 21,000 fish at the UC Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture, or CABA. The loss appears to be due to chlorine exposure, to which fish are especially sensitive. We […]
UC Davis Launches Clinical Trials to Treat a Deadly Coronavirus Disease in Cats (Not the One that Causes COVID-19)
August 10, 2022 – Scientists from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine have launched new clinical trials focused on improving treatments for feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, and are currently enrolling patients at the UC Davis veterinary hospital. FIP is a serious disease caused by a feline coronavirus variant, though not the […]
Tahoe State of the Lake Report 2022
The University of California, Davis, Tahoe Environmental Research Center, or TERC, yesterday released its annual Tahoe: State of the Lake Report. The report informs nonscientists about important factors affecting the health of Lake Tahoe and provides the scientific underpinnings for restoration and management decisions within the Lake Tahoe Basin. The report summarizes data collected during 2021 in […]
Cats Injured in Wildfires at Risk of Deadly Blood Clots
Cats who suffered burns and smoke inhalation in urban California wildfires are at risk of forming deadly blood clots, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The study, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, follows up on a previous discovery that showed […]
Lake Tahoe Clarity Report for 2021
The cobalt blue waters of Lake Tahoe were about as clear in 2021 as they were in 2020. But a broader look at clarity measurements shows there is no pattern of consistent clarity improvement over the past 20 years. The lake also has not fully recovered from a spike of fine particles that flowed into […]
Global Food Supply-Chain Issues Call for Solutions
Global supply issues related to the pandemic and war in Ukraine have highlighted yet another global vulnerability — food availability. While international trade allows countries to buffer against domestic food shortfalls and gain access to larger markets, what happens when supplies run short, or the global supply chain slows or even breaks down like it […]
Should There Be More Microbes on Your Plate?
May 18, 2022 – Our diets provide us with the building blocks we need to stay healthy and fight disease. The nutrients in foods and beverages can be tallied up to know if we are getting what our bodies need. Yet what if a nutrient has been overlooked? For instance, friendly microbes in raw and […]
UC Davis Welcomes Native American Opportunity Program for Students
May 5, 2022 – In a continuing effort to make college more affordable and accessible to California Native American students, University of California, Davis, is working now to implement the UC Native American Opportunity Plan, announced by University of California. The plan provides for in-state tuition and fees to be fully covered for admitted students who […]
UC Davis Report: California’s 2020 Wildfire Season
Just over 9,900 wildfires burned about 4.3 million acres in 2020. That’s more than twice the previous record of acres burned in California. Yet it is about average compared to burn rates likely experienced before Euro-American settlement, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, that summarizes the 2020 fire season and examines […]
Pathogens Can Hitch a Ride on Plastic to Reach the Sea
Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens. It found that microplastics […]
UC Davis: Empowering landowners to learn to burn
Smoke billows over the forest like a slow-moving fog. Dried oak leaves singe, crackle and curl into ash. Neighbors, scientists and agency staffers rake the embers, directing the flames with calm, careful control. Ted Odell’s grandson runs along his namesake trail, Henry’s Hill, to adjust a hose. This is Odell’s property in Placer County, where […]
Older wildfire smoke plumes can affect climate
Aerosols carried in wildfire smoke plumes that are hundreds of hours old can still affect climate, according to a study out of the University of California, Davis. The research, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, suggests that wildfire emissions even 10 days old can affect the properties of aerosols — suspended liquid or […]
People turned to gardening for stress relief, food access during pandemic
People who turned to gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic did so to relieve stress, connect with others and grow their own food in hopes of avoiding the virus, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) and international partners. The survey report, “Gardening during […]