Research

images of one woman, head and shoulders, three times: left in amber light, middle in blue, right in red

Color on the Mind

  • by Jeffrey Day
  • November 21, 2022

Would you feel less nervous being rolled into an MRI surrounded by an amber glow? Get more out of your meditation sessions bathed in blue light?

beakers filled with colorful fluid are interconnected.

Changing Minds

  • by Andy Fell
  • June 07, 2022
UC Davis researchers are bringing the benefits of drugs like LSD and cannabis to light. They may be the next big thing in pharmaceuticals for treating a range of problems like depression and anxiety.
UC Davis professor emeritus, sitting with hands folded, in front of shelves filled with books

Grant Awarded for Ongoing Muslim Women and Media Project

  • by Karen Nikos-Rose
  • June 02, 2022
Suad Joseph, Distinguished Research Professor of Anthropology and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, is among a cohort of three interdisciplinary teams awarded $45,000 each from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to advance public understanding of global religions. The new award builds on an ongoing UC Davis project on Muslim women and the media, as well as a New York Times media project, both led by Joseph. “Decolonizing the Representation of Muslim Women in the Media: Training Next Generation Journalists” is an extension of Joseph's 25 years as general editor of "Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures."
Five students from UC Davis walk across recently cooled lava in Hawaii.

Putting Science Into Practice: Preparing for Volcanic Eruptions

  • by Becky Oskin
  • October 25, 2021

Coordinating the emergency response to an erupting volcano is an all-hands-on-deck affair that leaves little time for extra work, such as answering boatloads of inquiries from researchers who want to collect rock samples. On the other hand, science done during eruptions provides essential data for understanding and forecasting future volcanic flare-ups.

Photo of a UC Davis welcome sign and the Social Sciences and Humanities Building.

Private Sources Boost Research Funding in 2020-21

  • by Becky Oskin
  • August 27, 2021
The University of California, Davis, set a new record for external research funding in fiscal year 2020–21, receiving $968 million in awards, up $27 million from the previous record set last year. In the College of Letters and Science, more than $46 million was awarded to 413 projects.
Supernova SN2018zd

New, Third Type of Supernova Observed

  • by Becky Oskin
  • June 28, 2021
An international team of astronomers has observed the first example of a new type of supernova. The discovery, confirming a prediction made four decades ago, could lead to new insights into the life and death of stars.
photo of Jesse Drew, professor in cinema and digital media

Chancellor Honors College Mentors and Innovators With Undergraduate Research Awards

  • by Jeffrey Day
  • June 21, 2021

Two undergraduate students, a professor and a graduate student in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science recently received 2021 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Since 1994, these awards have recognized outstanding undergraduate students for their research, scholarship or creative activity and faculty, graduate students and postdoctorate individuals for excellence in mentorship.

PsychLight Sensor image

PsychLight Sensor to Enable Discovery of New Psychiatric Drugs

  • by Becky Oskin
  • April 28, 2021
A genetically encoded fluorescent sensor to detect hallucinogenic compounds has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Named psychLight, the sensor could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse.
Image of computer simulations of galaxy history

Simulations Reveal Signs of Galaxy Mergers in Milky Way Disk

  • by Becky Oskin
  • March 09, 2021
Some of the Milky Way’s oldest stars have been spotted in a surprising place — the disk that is our galaxy’s youngest region. Supercomputer simulations of their orbits suggest these metal-poor stars came from a smaller galaxy that slammed into the Milky Way more than 7 billion years ago.
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