Associate Professor Santiago Ramirez, Department of Evolution and Ecology, was among the 20th class of Chancellor's Fellows. This marks the 20th anniversary of the program that provides philanthropic support to exceptional early career faculty members.
In a study appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UC Davis researchers used the staple plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, known commonly as the thale cress, to uncover the genetic mechanisms that control its seeds responses to chilly weather.
To attract a mate, male orchid bees collect scents from the environment to create the perfect aroma. In a study appearing in Nature Communications, UC Davis researchers link the evolution of sexual signaling in orchid bees to a gene that’s been shaped by each species’ perfume preferences
"Meet the scientist who's been counting California butterflies for 47 years and has no plans to stop," reads the headline for a profile article about Distinguished Professor Art Shapiro.
Social networking, even between competing species, plays a much bigger role in ecology than anyone previously thought, according to three biologists at the University of California, Davis.
Did you know that more than 26 million Americans have had a personal genomics test performed? And within the next two years, the number is expected to grow rapidly. As genomic testing becomes more common, you might wonder what the implications are for your future. Perhaps you’ve had a genetic test performed or plan to do one soon. What should you expect? And what should you be cautious about?
Professor Graham Coop and postdoctoral researcher Michael “Doc” Edge, both of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, warn that these “direct to consumer” DNA testing services could be vulnerable to a sort of genetic hacking.
As director of the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute, Richard Grosberg oversees an interdisciplinary body that includes membership from the College of Biological Sciences, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Graduate School of Management.
Sexual determination and differentiation work in myriad ways across the animal kingdom. In vertebrates, like mammals and fish, sexual determination leads to the development of either ovaries or testis. These organs then secrete hormones that go on to govern the sexual development of the rest of the organism’s body. Insects are a completely different beast.
Geneticists exploring the dark heart of the human genome have discovered big chunks of Neanderthal and other ancient DNA. The results open new ways to study both how chromosomes behave during cell division and how they have changed during human evolution.
