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It’s easy to confuse prairie and meadow voles. These two species of mousy-brown rodents are practically identical twins. But they differ in one profound way: meadow voles mate a la carte, leaving mom to raise the pups alone, while prairie voles mate for life and co-parent their pups as a family.

UC Davis biologists have now mapped their genomes in unprecedented detail — filling a crucial gap that helps explain this vast difference. Their findings were published August 18 in the journal Cell Genomics.

Presented at the college’s faculty and staff Fall Welcome on October 28, the 2026 Principles of Community Awards honor colleagues whose leadership, engagement and service help build a welcoming and supportive environment.

The awards reflect the college’s commitment to the UC Davis Principles of Community, now in their 36th year, which affirm the inherent dignity of every person and call for a culture grounded in mutual respect, equity and caring.

On October 19, UC Davis celebrated something fundamental to graduate education that too often goes unrecognized: the extraordinary work of mentorship.

The Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Award, conferred by Graduate Studies in partnership with the Graduate Council of the Academic Senate, recognizes faculty whose exceptional mentorship has made a lasting difference in the lives of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. 

Angelica Guercio, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is one of five UC Davis faculty and staff named 2026-27 UC Dialogue Fellows for projects they will lead to advance the teaching and practice of dialogue across differences.

This is the first year for the fellowship, and 18 faculty and staff from six UC campuses have been named to the inaugural cohort of fellows, each receiving a $5,000 grant.

Anya Brown, a National Geographic Explorer and assistant professor of evolution and ecology, will be featured in the upcoming film Expedition: Saving Our Seas, premiering Friday, November 13, at 9 p.m. EST on National Geographic and streaming November 14 on Disney+ and Hulu. The film spotlights the work Brown has done with Rachael Bay, an associate professor of evolution and ecology, and Teina Rongo, their collaborator at the Cook Islands-based nonprofit Kōrero O Te ‘Ōrau.

When they’re first born, baby Amazon mollies aren’t super social, but after about three weeks, something switches and they become socially attuned to their schoolmates. A new study led by researchers from the University of California, Davis, shows that groups of fish develop idiosyncratic group dynamics, even when the groups are genetically identical.

The annual CBS Dean’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) supports students who wish to stay on campus—and in the lab—over the summer terms.

Normally, undergraduates leave campus for the summer if they are not enrolled in classes. They often do this to work and save funds for the start of the next academic year. SURP consists of several different donor-funded undergraduate research awards and allows students to continue their research projects over the summer.

It’s been less than a month since the students returned to campus, and fall quarter started even more recently. It was my privilege to welcome over 500 transfer students, 1,600 first-year students, and nearly 60 new graduate students to our college this year. In every category, these are substantial incoming classes, and, as I told each group, I cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their time on campus. 

A male fruit fly aspiring to mate faces steep odds. First, he must spend up to 20 minutes maniacally buzzing and dancing. Even then, his success or failure hinges on a single split-second maneuver, when he vaults onto the female, parts her wings, and connects his abdomen to hers. If the gymnastics go awry, the female delivers a powerful mule-kick — sending him tumbling away. 

For Peter Wainwright, the academic path was simple: he simply followed his fascination with fish.

"I dare say there wasn't a lot of deep thought about what direction I should go in my life," he said. "It was more, I like fish, let's see if I can do something with fish. It was all very organic."