Driven by Curiosity Content

Egghead Weekend Basket for April 17

Andy Fell — April 17, 2026 - 2:56pm

It's the 112th 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Picnic Day tomorrow (April 18) and whether your tastes run to cockroach races or fashion, there's something for every taste on campus. A rundown from Dateline and highlights of arts activities here.

And in research news from the past couple of weeks:

Shields Up! Cosmic Rays a Challenge for Deep Space Travel

Andy Fell — April 09, 2026 - 10:38am

One of the big challenges with traveling to the Moon and beyond is protecting both human bodies and the electronics that support them in space against the onslaught of radiation from the sun and the rest of the universe.

Egghead Weekend Basket for April 3

Andy Fell — April 03, 2026 - 2:50pm

Back from Spring Break, here's a roundup of 51�ԹϺ�� Davis research news from the past week.

Light Bends Perovskite Crystal Lattice, Opening Way to New Devices

Andy Fell — March 31, 2026 - 4:08pm

New types of semiconductor devices that respond to light could be possible using materials called perovskites, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work, published March 3 in Advanced Materials, shows that halide perovskite crystals reversibly change shape when exposed to light.

No, They Don’t Eat Mosquitoes

Andy Fell — March 30, 2026 - 3:38pm

Some folks call them "Mosquito Hawks" or "Daddy Long Legs" or "Skeeter Eaters." But they're not hawks, they're not arachnids, and they don't eat mosquitoes. They are crane flies, members of the family Tipulidae of the order Diptera (flies).

With the temperatures rising, crane flies are everywhere right now, looking for mates. They are landing on your plants, bumping into walls and windows, and getting tangled (and eaten) in spider webs.

Where Do Sturgeon Go?

Andy Fell — March 24, 2026 - 10:56am

White sturgeon can grow to 12 feet long and live for a hundred years. Despite this, not a great deal is known about the lives of these ancient fish as they move between rivers, estuaries and the ocean. Recently, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers published a study of how white sturgeon move around the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento river system as they grow and mature. The research shows how white sturgeon face environmental hazards, fishing and other threats over their lives.

Egghead Weekend Basket for March 20

Andy Fell — March 20, 2026 - 12:00pm

What happened in research this week at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis? I'm glad you asked.

A New Road Map to Room Temperature Superconductors

Andy Fell — March 16, 2026 - 10:44am

Superconductors play a critical role in the modern-day scientific enterprise, from the magnets used in the CERN Large Hadron Collider to those in medical MRI machines. But these superconductors require very low temperatures to work. The discovery of room-temperature superconductors would open a huge range of applications and new technologies.

Egghead's Weekend Basket for March 6

Andy Fell — March 06, 2026 - 3:39pm

Another week, another roundup of 51�ԹϺ�� Davis research news.

Tracking bacteria in the salad bowl

A series of outbreaks of E. coli illness linked to leafy greens grown on California's central coast prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ask 51�ԹϺ�� Davis to lead a five-year effort to better understand how the bacteria circulate between soil, water, crops and animals in the nation's salad bowl.

Evolution of New Physical Traits in Mollusks has Declined and Grown More Predictable Over Time

Andy Fell — March 04, 2026 - 12:11pm

Paleobiologist Geerat Vermeij is enthralled with mollusks. Their shells line the surfaces and fill the cabinets and drawers in his office on the second floor of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Building at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis. But Vermeij’s deep study of these organisms isn’t just about the animals themselves, it’s an avenue for deeper insights about the principles governing evolution and history.