College of Letters and Science Content

The Secret to Happiness Lies Within You, Or Society — Or Both

Andy Fell — May 02, 2025 - 10:16am

What is the secret to happiness? Does happiness come from within, or is it shaped by external influences such as our jobs, health, relationships and material circumstances? A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that happiness can come from either within or from external influences, from both, or neither — and which is true differs across people.

Study Suggests Dance and Lullabies Aren’t Universal Human Behaviors

Andy Fell — April 29, 2025 - 8:00am

Social singing and dance are often assumed to be hard-wired into the human condition; studies have supported the conclusion that these are common across cultures. But new research from a University of California, Davis, anthropologist challenges the idea that dance and lullabies are universal among humans.

Weekender: Music, New Book, Puppet Master and More

Jamie Sara Gelfond — April 17, 2025 - 3:41pm

This "weekender" covers two weeks of events while the Arts Blog is on hiatus next week.

Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington plays flute concert

Thursday, April 17, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

What Do Butterflies Have to Do with ADHD?

Jamie Sara Gelfond — April 15, 2025 - 10:48am

In the garden, butterflies flutter all around and in all directions. The task is to catch them with a virtual net, but only the blue ones. The red ones are a distraction. Sometimes they end up in the net by accident.

Researchers Develop an LSD Analogue with Potential for Treating Schizophrenia

Andy Fell — April 14, 2025 - 12:07pm

University of California, Davis, researchers have developed a new, neuroplasticity-promoting drug closely related to LSD that harnesses the psychedelic’s therapeutic power with reduced hallucinogenic potential.

Weekender: Picnic Day Brings the Art to Davis

Jamie Sara Gelfond — April 10, 2025 - 10:22am

The California Studio Lecture series presents Marie Lorenz, who works on water

Thursday, April 10, 4:30-6 p.m. at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, doors open at 4 p.m.

Veterinary Medicine Leads Rankings for Graduate, Professional Programs

Julia Ann Easley — April 07, 2025 - 6:46pm

The School of Veterinary Medicine brought home the campus’s top placement in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent rankings of professional and graduate programs, published Monday (April 7).

Merging the Ethereal and the Tangible

Jamie Sara Gelfond — April 07, 2025 - 9:56am

Non-linear time sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but what if we could rewrite our histories in ways that feel as if things don’t happen sequentially? Overlapping the concepts of time, memory and the body, Gracianne Kirsch uses many art modalities to explore their own many-sided self.

The Rise of Pseudocannabinoids

Andy Fell — April 02, 2025 - 11:07am

Developing pseudocannabinoids, synthetic molecules that mimic the activity of molecules found in cannabis plants, is the goal of research by Professor Mark Mascal in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Department of Chemistry. Mascal recently received a $30,000, one-year seed grant, the Dr. Mohsen Najafi Research Award in Medicinal Chemistry, to advance his work.

Play Dives into the Life of Famed Mathematician Emmy Noether

Andy Fell — March 27, 2025 - 9:33am

Mathematics and theatrics combine this April in Diving into Math with Emmy Noether, a play about the pioneering and influential mathematician who is often referred to as the “mother of modern algebra.”