Egghead 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:

Discovery of Addison's Disease Gene in Dogs Could Help Humans, Too

Andy Fell — April 14, 2026 - 3:45pm

Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In humans, Addison's disease is thought to occur when the body's immune system attacks the adrenal glands, making it a type of autoimmune disease.

Good News for Pasta Lovers: Durum Wheat Resistant to Deadly Stripe Rust Developed

Andy Fell — April 13, 2026 - 4:10pm

On a sunny day in early April, young wheat plants stood waist-high in test fields near the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis campus, their heads full of still-green grain. A walk along some furrows left pants and boots covered with a fine, orange dust. These plants were bred to fight a stubborn pathogen that threatens the world’s wheat: stripe rust.

New Visual Analysis Tool Calms the Climate Data Storm

Andy Fell — April 10, 2026 - 11:28am

Climate models generate billions of data points, but traditional analysis methods can't keep up. 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Ph.D. student Yuya Kawakami developed ClimateSOM, an interactive visualization tool that helps scientists explore thousands of climate futures and uncover patterns that current methods can miss.

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.

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.

A Billion Daily Repairs: How Our Cells Mend Broken DNA

Andy Fell — March 23, 2026 - 10:45am

A major new discovery could inspire improved treatments for cancer and genetic diseases.

Coiled within our cells are fragile threads of DNA that contain the codes of life— determining when each of our 30 trillion cells must grow, divide, sit tight — or simply die. This arrangement is precarious. Billions of times per day, our DNA is severed by stray chemical reactions. Our cells must rebuild the broken DNA without making mistakes – or the consequences can be dire.

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.