UC Davis Research

First-ever in-utero stem cell therapy for fetal spina bifida repair is safe, study finds A UC Davis Health research team has safely performed the world’s first spina bifida treatment combining fetal surgery with stem cells, according to results from Phase 1 of an ongoing clinical trial. T...

The CuRe Trial is exploring whether stem cells can add regenerative power to surgery, potentially improving mobility and quality of life.

Learn more about the findings: health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlin... @ucdavischildren.bsky.social @ucdavisresearch.bsky.social

A Discovery Enabled by Federal Funding: Scientists Identify Hormones That May Offer Hope for Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis Patients - Office of Research Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, two common degenerative musculoskeletal diseases affecting roughly 33 million adults in the United States, leave millions coping with fragile bones, fractures, and wor...

Enabled by federal funding, scientists @ucdavishealth.bsky.social and @ucsfhealth.bsky.social have identified a molecule that could open the door to treatments for conditions that weaken both bone and cartilage. Learn more.
bit.ly/4l0YnQW
#FromLabsToLives

Every UC Davis breakthrough starts with a question.
The Mouse Biology Program supports researchers, turning discoveries into solutions.

For more info about the impact at UC Davis, visit: https://ucdavis.edu/labs-to-lives

🔊Watch with sound!

A group of people from the Aquatic Research Collective standing together in a shallow stream, holding a large fishing net stretched out between them, with trees and foliage in the background. Image courtesy of John Durand

Water connects us — marsh to ocean, coast to community.

So does public science. Federally funded research protects lives in emergencies, strengthens fisheries, and builds the long-term knowledge we depend on every day.
#FromLabsToLives #ucdavis @ucdavisresearch.bsky.social

arcg.is/1naSWu1

a woman kneeling among grapevines in a vineyard under a hooped shade with smoke

Can a simple spray protect grapes from wildfire smoke?

UCDavis & USDA researchers applied a calcium spray to grapes to see if it would protect the fruit from smoke exposure. The spray could offer a way to protect the state’s $88B wine industry from wildfires.

caes.ucdavis.edu/news/can-sim...

$2 million grant fuels UC Davis fight against pancreatic cancer UC Davis received a $2 million research grant to detect pancreatic cancer earlier, giving patients hope and better chances for survival.

As part of a new national coalition, @ucdaviscancer.bsky.social
researchers will work to uncover early warning signs of one of the deadliest cancers. @ucdavishealth.bsky.social
health.ucdavis.edu/cancer/news/...

Doctor warns colon cancer rising in younger adults after James Van Der Beek’s death After James Van Der Beek’s death, a UC Davis doctor warns that colon cancer is rising in younger adults and urges people not to ignore symptoms.

Dr. Ankit Sarin spoke with ABC10 about the rise in colon cancer in younger adults after the recent death of actor James Van Der Beek. Learn more about the symptoms you shouldn't ignore: www.abc10.com/article/news...

Endowment Supports Student Research in Fish Physiology, Ecology and Conservation Doctoral student Cassidy Cooper is the first recipient of a fellowship supporting conservation research at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Funded by an endowment honor...

Congrats to Ph.D. candidate Cassidy Cooper, the first recipient of a fellowship that supports conservation research! The award is funded by an endowment in memory of Ron Ringen, a UC Davis alum who loved wildlife. caes.ucdavis.edu/news/endowme...

CHANCELL-ING: UC Davis AI Research is Transforming Health Care Imagine this scenario: Doctors know a small number of patients will face life-threatening complications after an illness, but they need to scan millions of records to identify the patients in need of ...

Learn how @ucdavis.bsky.social AI research is transforming healthcare in Chancellor Gary S. May's latest column.
@chancellormay.bsky.social
@ucdavishealth.bsky.social
@ucdavisengineering.bsky.social
www.ucdavis.edu/news/chancel...

millet field

With new funding from the Gates Foundation, IGI's Venkatesan Sundaresan & Myeong-Je Cho, will develop new self-cloning mustard and millet in collaboration with researchers in India. Learn more: innovativegenomics.org/news/expandi... #AgResearch #FoodSecurity

Zhaodan Kong Awarded CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship to Advance Early Wildfire Detection Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Zhaodan Kong has earned a CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship to pilot FireFly, an AI-powered sensor and drone system designed to detect wildf...

Congratulations to @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social
Professor Zhaodon Kong, who will bring a sensor network for early wildfire detection from the lab to the wildlands thanks to the 2025 CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship and AIC Award. Learn more.
engineering.ucdavis.edu/news/zhaodan...

Is Wine Really Healthy? Experts Summarize the Research - Office of Research By Neelanjana Gautam A glass of wine is often a conversation starter — whether it’s a date or a celebration, wine ranks as a popular beverage that has stood the test of time, lending an effortless ele...

Is wine really healthy?
Find out from our latest Ask the Experts series.
@ucdavishealth.bsky.social @ucdaviscaes.bsky.social
@ucsantabarbara.bsky.social @ucdfst.bsky.social

Image description: A cozy dinner table with candles, shared wine toast, and a spread of roasted meat, cheese and fruit.

Breakthroughs for Preventing Pistachio Hull Split UC Davis agricultural scientists reveal how pistachio hulls are built and how their cell walls break down, lending new insight for the $2-bilion-a year pistachio industry.

.@ucdavis.bsky.social scientists offer insights into preventing pistachio hull splits, with potential benefits for fruit crops.
@ucdavisplants.bsky.social @usdagov.bsky.social @ucanr.edu
www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/br...

Cat Disease Challenges What Scientists Thought About Coronaviruses A UC Davis study shows a deadly cat coronavirus infects multiple immune cells, helping explain persistent inflammation and long COVID–like illness.

Researchers @ucdavisvetmed.bsky.social have uncovered new details about how a once-deadly coronavirus disease in cats spreads through the immune system.The findings may help scientists better understand long COVID & other long-lasting inflammatory illnesses in people. www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...

Improving Cancer Treatment with Digital Twins Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Emilie Roncali is developing a digital twin to provide more precise and effective care of liver cancer, thanks to funding from the National Cancer Institu...

In new research supported by the National Cancer Institute, Emilie Roncali, an associate professor of @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social, is developing a digital twin for the precise care of liver cancer.
@ucdaviscancer.bsky.social @ucdavis.bsky.social
engineering.ucdavis.edu/news/improvi...

Lessons from the Caldor Fire’s Christmas Valley ‘Miracle’ The Lake Tahoe communities of Christmas Valley and Meyers were spared during 2021's Caldor Fire. A UC Davis study reveals which pre-fire fuel treatments worked best to bring about the Christmas Valley...

A @ucdavis.bsky.social study by forest ecologists' reveals which pre-fire treatments worked best during a 2021 fire in Tahoe. @ucdavistahoe.bsky.social
#CaldorFire #ChristmasValley
www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Lighting Strongly Influences People’s Experience While Listening to Music, a New Study Suggests When you go to your next concert or listen to your favorite music on an app, you might first consider the lighting around you. Music is widely known for its ability to arouse, change moods or trigger ...

A multidisciplinary team found that indoor lighting of various hues has a strong influence on how people feel while listening to music. Tune in for more: @ucdavis.bsky.social
www.ucdavis.edu/news/lightin...

UC Davis Announces Winners of Autumn 2025 Science Translation and Innovative Research Grant Program The University of California, Davis, has awarded $100,000 through the autumn 2025 cohort of the Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR) Grant Program to help scientists advance innovative ...

UC Davis Announces Winners of Autumn 2025 Science Translation and Innovative Research Grant Program @ucdavisresearch.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davi...

In the fields, artificial intelligence creates the opportunity to increase yields and quality while saving resources. (Courtesy of AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems)

Scout, an AI firm that uses photos & geolocation data to map vine health in vineyards, was named to the TIME Best Innovations of 2025 list. Cheers to Scout, which grew out of a #UCDavis project launched by Mason Earles & alum Kia Behnia! 🍷🍇
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/uc-facu...

High risk of metastatic recurrence among young cancer patients Study of 48,000 AYAs finds nearly 1 in 10 develop metastatic recurrence after non-metastatic cancer, highlighting urgent need for tailored survivorship care and early detection strategies.

A new study by @ucdaviscancer.bsky.social scientists highlight the urgent need to identify and address survivorship needs for young cancer survivors.
@ucdavishealth.bsky.social
@jamaoncology.com
@hcai-ca.bsky.social
health.ucdavis.edu/cancer/news/...

UC Davis now in space: Satellite built by students was successfully launched Nov. 28! @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social

Extracting Rare Earth Elements from U.S. Wastewaters A new federally funded research project at the University of California, Davis, endeavors to extract valuable components for magnets, lasers and other modern technologies from an unlikely source: acid...

A new federally funded research project led by @ucdavis.bsky.social will help develop technologies that recover previously discarded critical minerals from U.S. wastewaters. Learn more. @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social @ucdaviscaes.bsky.social @ucdlands.bsky.social
www.ucdavis.edu/news/extract...

Looking Inside Icy Moons The outer planets of the Solar System are swarmed by ice-wrapped moons. Some of these, such as Saturn’s moon Enceladus, are known to have oceans of liquid water between the ice shell and the rocky cor...

Saturn's moon Mimas, just 250 miles wide, could have a liquid water ocean under its outer icy shell, according to new research @ucdavis.bsky.social.
Learn more: @natastron.nature.com
www.ucdavis.edu/news/looking...

Sharing Happy Moments with Partner Better for Health than Feeling Happy Alone A new study suggests that when older couples experience positive emotions together in everyday life, they have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol that can cause health problems over time when...

New research: Feeling happy is good for everyone’s health, but sharing everyday happiness with a life partner brings even greater health benefits. @ucdlands.bsky.social @apadivision6.bsky.social @ucdavispsych.bsky.social @spspnews.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/news/sharing...
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Why Is Federally Funded Research So Important? America’s lucrative, long-running investment in basic science and research is under threat, and the consequences could be far-reaching for local and national economies and for the United States’ leade...

Why Is Federally Funded Research So Important? UC Davis VC for Research Simon Atkinson explains @ucdavisresearch.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/magazine/why...

A Microbial Blueprint for Climate-Smart Cows UC Davis research reveals which gut microbes in a cow could reduce methane, bringing them a step closer to engineering microbes to create climate-smart cows.

Researchers @ucdavis.bsky.social & @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social have identified which microbes in a cow's gut could help reduce methane. It brings them a step closer to engineering gut microbes to create more climate-friendly cows. @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/en...

GLP-1 and Health: Beyond Weight Loss in the Ozempic Era This week, the White House announced a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the cost of their GLP-1 weight loss drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound. The move could significantly expand access to these...

The UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health recently hosted scientists, physicians and industry experts to discuss how drugs based on GLP-1 are transforming treatment for obesity, diabetes and other conditions. Learn more.
@ucdavishealth.bsky.social
www.ucdavis.edu/news/glp-1-a...

Study Shows Very Dense Olive Orchards Thrive on Less Fertilizer UC Davis researchers found olive trees produce the same yields and high-quality oil when using 25-50% less fertilizer.

New @ucdavis.bsky.social research finds that olive trees produced the same yields and high-quality oil even when using 25-50% less nitrogen than recommended amounts for traditional orchards.
www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/st...

CHANCELL-ING: Finding a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease While Forming Friendships The impact of Alzheimer’s Disease touches nearly all of us in some way. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 in 9 Americans over 65 is afflicted with the disease.

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, & a time to recognize @ucdavis.bsky.social leadership in research, treatments, & support for people living with the disease in our community and beyond. Read more in our @chancellormay.bsky.social monthly column.
www.ucdavis.edu/news/chancel...

New Species of Spider Discovered, Just in Time for Halloween UC Davis scientists have discovered a new species of trapdoor spider in California's coastal sand dunes.

Scientists at @ucdavis.bsky.social have discovered a new species of trapdoor spider lurking in California’s coastal sand dunes, just in time for Halloween!
www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...