Environment Content

Awareness of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Saves Lives

Katherine E Kerlin — March 06, 2025 - 8:57am

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection spread by biting ticks to humans and dogs. Found on every continent except Antarctica, the infectious disease has been spreading since the early 2000s, most notably in Mexico and Brazil. Of the cases reported, more than half of infected people and dogs die.

A paper led by the University of California, Davis, highlights one of the most effective but often missing solutions to surviving this preventable, deadly disease: awareness. Most fatal cases stem from delays in diagnosis and treatment.

Burning Question: How to Save an Old-Growth Forest in Tahoe

Katherine E Kerlin — March 03, 2025 - 9:02am

On the shores of Lake Tahoe at Emerald Bay State Park grows what some consider to be the most iconic old-growth forest in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Giant ponderosa pines — some of the last remaining in the area — share space with at least 13 other tree species.

California Rice and Wildlife Report Released

Katherine E Kerlin — February 27, 2025 - 9:00am

How many acres of rice are needed to support wildlife? �ٺ��Ƶ outlines a conservation footprint for the state's rice in a report for the California Rice Commission.

Improving Indoor Air Quality for Better Public Health

Jocelyn C Anderson — February 24, 2025 - 9:10am

Scientists are unraveling the complex factors that go into indoor air quality and how indoor air pollution and airborne pathogens are affecting public health.

Energy and Transportation Experts

Katherine E Kerlin — February 07, 2025 - 2:46pm

The following sources from the University of California, Davis, are available to talk with media about climate change impacts and solutions related to energy and transportation.

Find more energy and transportation experts and learn about their research at the �ٺ��Ƶ Institute of Transportation Studies and Energy and Efficiency Institute websites.

LA Wildfires Air Quality Research Roundup

Katherine E Kerlin — February 07, 2025 - 10:49am

How �ٺ��Ƶ air quality scientists are working to understand the impacts of the Los Angeles wildfires. A research roundup.

Vanilla Farmers Search for a Crop and Conservation Sweet Spot

Katherine E Kerlin — February 06, 2025 - 9:00am

Vanilla is vital to the livelihoods of farmers in Madagascar, where the globally popular dessert ingredient is the country’s No. 1 export. A fun, thought-provoking game designed by a team of scientists and played by Malagasy vanilla farmers reveals the challenges of payment programs that incentivize forest conservation in the region, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis.

Long-Term Study on Health Impacts of Los Angeles Wildfires Launched

Katherine E Kerlin — January 31, 2025 - 12:10pm

In an unprecedented collective scientific effort to understand the short- and long-term health impacts of wildfires, researchers from four universities have launched a 10-year study of the Los Angeles fires. The wildfires that began in early January 2025 killed 29 people, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and exposed millions to toxic smoke.

The research aims to evaluate which pollutants are present, at what levels, and where, and to assess the respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, reproductive, and immune system impacts of the wildfires.

Clear Lake Water Quality Report Recommends Rehabilitation Strategy

Katherine E Kerlin — January 29, 2025 - 9:00am

Clear Lake's water quality suffers from low-to-no-oxygen conditions, finds a report from �ٺ��Ƶ Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

How Urban Streams, Climate Change and Unhoused People Intertwine

Katherine E Kerlin — January 27, 2025 - 9:28am

A search for compassionate, sustainable solutions takes researchers to Bay Area streams to investigate the intersections of climate change, urban streams and unhoused people.