Driven by Curiosity Content

How an Adolescent’s Brain Reacts to Faces May Predict Their Social Future

Amy M Quinton — July 13, 2026 - 9:52am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers have found how an adolescent's brain responds to a face might predict how well they socialize in the future.

What Molting Hawks Can Teach Researchers About Resilient Flight

Katherine E Kerlin — June 26, 2026 - 9:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers found that red-tailed hawks adjust their wing and tail movements during molt to maintain flight performance despite missing feathers. The findings could improve wildlife rehabilitation practices and inspire more resilient drones and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

This Single Mother Must Learn Quickly — Or Her Colony Won’t Survive

Andy Fell — May 15, 2026 - 12:28pm

Being a single mother of 20 is no joke, especially if the survival of a whole species depends on it.

A queen bumblebee faces this very challenge when she lays her first eggs in the spring: She is utterly alone, with no worker bees to help.

She flies miles each day, collecting nectar to feed her young. She builds a protective nursery from wax. When she’s not out foraging, she climbs atop her larvae and buzzes to warm them.

A Baby Bird’s Wishlist: Mild Weather, Attentive Parents, Not Being the Smallest Sibling

Andy Fell — May 11, 2026 - 10:28am

Experiences in the first days and weeks of life can have a profound impact on humans — and birds. A new study led by Sage Madden, a graduate student in evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, shows how weather conditions and family dynamics affect the growth of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) chicks.

Egghead Weekend Basket for May 8

Andy Fell — May 08, 2026 - 10:24am

This week in 51�ԹϺ�� Davis science news, we go from the far reaches of the Universe to the human heart, survey western wildfires and take a trip to Alcatraz.

Alcatraz Coyote Wasn’t a City Boy After All

Katherine E Kerlin — May 05, 2026 - 1:19pm

After months of fieldwork and scientific analysis, National Park Service researchers have determined that the coyote that drew international attention in early 2026 after swimming to Alcatraz Island likely started his epic swim from Angel Island State Park.

The coyote’s whereabouts remain unknown, but new DNA evidence has helped park staff answer one of the biggest questions surrounding the unusual sighting: where he came from.

Non-Rotating Early Galaxy Is a Surprise to Astronomers

Andy Fell — May 04, 2026 - 3:06pm

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have made a surprising discovery about a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away: It isn’t rotating.

Fish Evolution Accelerated After Adapting to Eat off Hard Surfaces

Andy Fell — April 28, 2026 - 1:47pm

Why are there so many species of coral reef fish? According to a new study, it’s because about 50 million years ago, some fish figured out how to bite food from hard surfaces.

Evolution doesn’t proceed at an even pace: Species evolve in jumps and spurts, followed by lulls. These periods of rapid diversification usually occur after a dramatic environmental change or upheaval, or when a lineage develops a new “innovation” that allows them to use a previously inaccessible resource. For fish, the ability to feed from a hard surface was one such innovation.

51�ԹϺ�� STEM Fest to Inspire Kids with Science and Engineering

Andy Fell — April 27, 2026 - 3:19pm

Hundreds of local schoolchildren will get hands-on exposure to science, technology, engineering and math at the 2026 51�ԹϺ�� STEM Fest, to be held Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to noon at Rex & Margaret Fortune Early College High School in Elk Grove.

Egghead Weekend Basket for April 24

Andy Fell — April 24, 2026 - 12:22pm

This week's round up of research ranges from plant clones to wildfires with a detour into helping families in poverty. Also, geese.

Propagating plants without mutations

A cool thing about plants is that you can generally grown an entire new copy of a plant from any small piece of it. People have been doing this for centuries by growing plants from cuttings.