Science

CMB oil image

Synthetic Version of CBD Treats Seizures in Rats

Posted by Becky Oskin on May 28, 2019
A synthetic, non-intoxicating analogue of cannabidiol (CBD) is effective in treating seizures in rats, according to research by chemists at the University of California, Davis. The synthetic CBD alternative is easier to purify than a plant extract, eliminates the need to use agricultural land for hemp cultivation, and could avoid legal complications with cannabis-related products.
Science
Crystals of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) imaged with polarizing microscopy.

Psychedelic Microdosing in Rats Shows Beneficial Effects

Posted by Becky Oskin on March 04, 2019
The growing popularity of microdosing — taking tiny amounts of psychedelic drugs to boost mood and mental acuity — is based on anecdotal reports of its benefits. Now, a study in rats by researchers at the University of California, Davis, suggests microdosing can provide relief for symptoms of depression and anxiety, but also found potential negative effects.
Science
Physics lab equipment

Physics Professors Receive Sloan Research Fellowships

Posted by Becky Oskin on February 19, 2019

Four young faculty members at the University of California, Davis, have been awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced today (Feb. 19). The two-year fellowships are worth $70,000 each.

Science
Eretmorhipis fossil

Researchers Describe New Reptile Platypus From the Early Triassic

Posted by Becky Oskin on January 24, 2019
No animal alive today looks quite like a duck-billed platypus, a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal hailing from eastern Australia. But about 250 million years ago, something very similar swam the shallow seas in what is now China, finding prey by touch with a cartilaginous bill. The newly discovered marine reptile Eretmorhipis carrolldongi from the lower Triassic period is described in the journal Scientific Reports Jan. 24. 
Science
Astronomy image of planetary disk

Mantle Neon Illuminates Earth’s Formation

Posted by Becky Oskin on December 05, 2018
The Earth formed relatively quickly from the cloud of dust and gas around the sun, trapping water and gases in the planet’s mantle, according to research published Dec. 5 in the journal Nature. Apart from settling Earth’s origins, the work could help in identifying extrasolar systems that could support habitable planets. 
Science
Alexander Vasenin/Wikimedia Commons

First Jellyfish Genome Reveals Ancient Beginnings of Complex Body Plan

Posted by Becky Oskin on December 03, 2018
Jellyfish undergo an amazing metamorphosis, from tiny polyps growing on the seafloor to swimming medusae with stinging tentacles. The first in-depth look at the genome of a jellyfish — the moon jelly Aurelia aurita — reveals the origins of this successful survival strategy.
Science
Hyperion cluster

Astronomers Find a Cosmic Titan in the Early Universe

Posted by Becky Oskin on October 17, 2018
An international team of astronomers has discovered a titanic structure in the early universe, just 2 billion years after the Big Bang. This galaxy proto-supercluster, nicknamed Hyperion, is the largest and most massive structure yet found at such a remote time and distance.
Science

Professor's Gift Establishes Experimental Thermodynamics Award

Posted by Becky Oskin on October 16, 2018
The American Ceramic Society has a new award to recognize innovative contributions to experimental thermodynamics of solids technical literature. The Navrotsky Award for Experimental Thermodynamics of Solids was established through a gift from Alexandra Navrotsky, Interdisciplinary Professor of Ceramic, Earth, and Environmental Materials Chemistry at UC Davis.
Science

QMAP Grabs Grants for Quantum Information Science

Posted by Becky Oskin on October 09, 2018

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced $218 million in new grants for “Quantum Information Science” and researchers with the Center for Quantum Mathematics and Physics (QMAP) at UC Davis are among the recipients.

The QMAP initiative at UC Davis is aimed at fundamental research in theoretical and mathematical physics.

Science
Professor Sarah Stewart

Professor Sarah Stewart named MacArthur Fellow

Posted by Becky Oskin on October 04, 2018
Sarah Stewart, professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has been honored with a 2018 MacArthur Fellowship. She is the fourth MacArthur Fellow from the College of Letters and Science and the second in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Science
Subscribe to Science News Feed