When it comes to the architecture of the human genome, it’s only a matter of time before harmful genes — genes that could compromise future generations — arise in a population. These mutations accumulate in the gene pool, primarily affected by a population’s size and practices like marrying within a small community. New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal provides rare direct evidence showing that increased homozygosity — meaning two identical alleles in a genome — leads to negative effects on fertility in a human population.
The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize is open to Latinx poets residing in the United States who have yet to publish a full-length poetry collection. Submissions for the prize open Nov. 1 and close Feb. 16, 2024.
The new book American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration tells the story of American incarceration, from its roots in racial slavery and colonialism to the present day, through the stories of the people who built resistance and freedom movements from within its confines.
Psychologist Ross Thompson’s new book, “The Brain Development Revolution: Science, the
Media, and Public Policy” tells the story of the 1997 “I Am Your Child” campaign with an
incisive analysis spanning how the campaign captured everyone’s attention, the backlash from
scientists and the continuing reverberations today.
When researchers glimpsed the first images and data from the James Webb Space Telescope, humanity’s largest and most powerful space telescope, they noticed something peculiar. A large number of bright galaxies deep in the universe formed during a period called “Cosmic Dawn,” when the first stars and galaxies formed within 500 million years after the Big Bang. New research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters shows that a theoretical model produced roughly five years ago predicted these very observations and credits them to bursty star formation.
Electric cars are fast, efficient and produce no local emissions. But they're also expensive, with issues around the metals for their batteries. David Rapson, Chancellor’s Leadership Professor of Economics in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, joins a discussion on the pros and cons of electric cars for two episodes of the PBS talk show “Energy Switch.”
The UC Davis Department of African American and African Studies is launching a new speaker series to introduce the campus and larger community to new research in global Black studies. The series will bring in scholars from around the country. Titled “New Directions in Black Studies,” the free talk will be held in 3201 Hart Hall at noon. Register for the talks.
The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will launch its 2023–24 public lecture series with talks by artists Katya Grokhovsky (Oct. 12) and Sky Hopinka (Oct. 26) at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The talks are free and open to the public.
This week, Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez returned to his alma mater in Mexico to host screenings of ‘Secrets of the Universe,’ an IMAX film that explores the formation of the universe through the eyes of Aggie researchers. Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, a UC Davis physics professor, hopes the film will inspire students to pursue STEM education and careers.
One of UC Davis’ most famous artist alumnae and an influential UC Davis professor emeritus will have major exhibitions at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art this fall. Both shows open Oct. 1 as part of the museum’s fall celebration from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free.
