College of Letters and Science Content

Rainy Tropics Could Face Unprecedented Droughts as an Atlantic Current Slows

Andy Fell — July 30, 2025 - 8:00am

New research warns that global rainfall patterns could shift dramatically as a result of climate change

Does Following News on Social Media Help People Tell Fact from Fiction?

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — July 28, 2025 - 10:17am

In social media’s flood of information, all facts appear equal. Except they’re not. According to new research, having the news in your feed makes you better at telling the difference.

How do you Analyze Past Climates?

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — July 28, 2025 - 9:54am

The key to unlocking climates of the ancient past, including weather seasonality and rainfall, may lie in an unexpected place: primate teeth.

Molecular Simulations Show Graphite ‘Hijacks’ Diamond Formation Through Unexpected Crystallization Pathways

Andy Fell — July 09, 2025 - 10:31am

The graphite found in your favorite pencil could have instead been the diamond your mother always wears. What made the difference? Researchers are finding out.

How molten carbon crystallizes into either graphite or diamond is relevant to planetary science, materials manufacturing and nuclear fusion research. However, this moment of crystallization is difficult to study experimentally because it happens very rapidly and under extreme conditions.

Massive Burps of Carbon Dioxide Led to Oxygen-less Ocean Environments in the Deep Past

Andy Fell — June 23, 2025 - 12:00pm

New research from the University of California, Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Texas A&M University reveals that massive emissions, or burps, of carbon dioxide from natural earth systems led to significant decreases in ocean oxygen concentrations some 300 million years ago.

First Images Revealed From Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Andy Fell — June 23, 2025 - 10:47am

The results of two decades of scientific and technological innovation were unveiled today with the reveal of the first imagery captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a facility jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

UC Davis Experts on Immigration, Citizenship, Labor and Human Trafficking

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — June 18, 2025 - 1:44pm

The following University of California, Davis, experts on immigration policy are available to speak to the news media. Keep an eye on this and other current expert lists at www.ucdavis.edu/news/experts . These resources will be updated regularly. This list was updated in June 2025.

What Do Your Teeth Reveal About Your Diet?

Andy Fell — June 16, 2025 - 2:41pm

Teeth chronicle the past. Much like trees, they grow in rings and these rings, or growth marks, act like a record of development.

"Teeth retain the chemical signatures at the time when they were grown, starting at birth and ending in your late teens,” said Diana Malarchik, a Ph.D. candidate in the UC Davis Department of Anthropology. “Based on this anatomy, I can sample these growth rings and get nitrogen signatures and create a dietary timeline.”

Toddlers’ Eye Movements Predict Ability to Judge Memories, New Research Suggests

Andy Fell — June 11, 2025 - 9:00am

The simple act of looking and comparing may be the first step toward learning how to judge what we remember, a skill that is fundamental to learning and making decisions.

New research from the University of California, Davis, has found that toddlers who tend to look more closely at and compare paired images during a memory task are more aware of the accuracy of their own memories a year later. This finding connects the earliest process of seeking information with the developing ability to judge the accuracy of memories.

The Singular Mathematics of Daily Life

Andy Fell — June 02, 2025 - 3:56pm

On a Sunday morning in September 2023, UC Davis mathematician Roger Casals Gutiérrez was entranced by a beautiful pattern of intersecting lines, curves and points thrown on the kitchen wall by sunlight filtered through the window.