College of Biological Sciences Content / College of Biological Sciences Content for ٺƵ en What Makes Queen Bees So Smart? /news/what-makes-queen-bees-so-smart <p><span>A bumblebee’s brain is smaller than a sesame seed. But it can still accomplish quite a bit.</span></p><p><span>“You don’t need a big brain to learn well,” said Felicity Muth, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior&nbsp;and a National Geographic Explorer who studies cognition in bees and other animals. “Bumblebees are capable of many of the same cognitive feats as many vertebrates.”</span></p> November 07, 2024 - 2:22pm Andy Fell /news/what-makes-queen-bees-so-smart Can Corals Be Saved? /blog/can-corals-be-saved <p><span>It takes a strong constitution to be a coral researcher these days. These vibrant underwater ecosystems are beset by all manner of challenges in the 21st century, from bleaching events and pollution to storm surges and overfishing. But there’s good news on the way for coral conservation.</span></p> November 04, 2024 - 4:13pm Andy Fell /blog/can-corals-be-saved Invisible Anatomy in the Fruit Fly Uterus /news/invisible-anatomy-fruit-fly-uterus <p>You have likely not spent much time thinking about the uterus of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. But then, neither have most scientists, even though Drosophila is one of the most thoroughly studied lab animals. Now a team of biologists at the University of California, Davis, has taken the first deep look at the Drosophila uterus and found some surprises, which could have implications not just for understanding insect reproduction and potentially, pest control, but also for understanding fertility in humans.&nbsp;</p> October 25, 2024 - 11:06am Andy Fell /news/invisible-anatomy-fruit-fly-uterus How Plants Become Bushy, or Not /news/how-plants-become-bushy-or-not <p>For many plants, more branches means more fruit. But what causes a plant to grow branches? New research from the University of California, Davis shows how plants break down the hormone strigolactone, which suppresses branching, to become more “bushy.” Understanding how strigolactone is regulated could have big implications for many crop plants.</p><p>The study was published August 1 in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50928-3">Nature Communications</a><em>.</em></p> August 06, 2024 - 3:50pm Andy Fell /news/how-plants-become-bushy-or-not Plant Biologist Siobhan Brady Named HHMI Investigator /news/plant-biologist-siobhan-brady-named-hhmi-investigator <p>Siobhan Brady, a professor in the <a href="https://www-plb.ucdavis.edu/">Department of Plant Biology</a> and <a href="https://genomecenter.ucdavis.edu/">Genome Center</a> at the University of California, Davis, has been selected as a <a href="https://www.hhmi.org/programs/investigators">Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator</a>. The prestigious Investigator program, which Brady describes as “life changing,” will provide her with roughly $9 million in research support over a seven-year term, with the option to renew.</p> July 23, 2024 - 12:11pm Andy Fell /news/plant-biologist-siobhan-brady-named-hhmi-investigator Plant Biologist Venkatesan Sundaresan Wins 2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture /news/plant-biologist-venkatesan-sundaresan-wins-2024-wolf-prize-agriculture <p><a href="https://biology.ucdavis.edu/people/venkatesan-sundaresan">Venkatesan Sundaresan</a>, Distinguished Professor in the Departments of <a href="https://www-plb.ucdavis.edu/">Plant Biology</a> and <a href="https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/">Plant Sciences</a> at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a <a href="https://wolffund.org.il/venkatesan-sundaresan/">2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture</a> for key discoveries on plant developmental biology of relevance to crop improvement.</p> July 17, 2024 - 9:36am Andy Fell /news/plant-biologist-venkatesan-sundaresan-wins-2024-wolf-prize-agriculture ‘Face to Face’: Graduating With Experience /news/podcasts-and-shows/face-to-face/graduating-with-experience <p dir="ltr"><span>It’s the question every college student faces: How do my present actions support my future goals?&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In the latest episode of&nbsp;</span><em>Face to Face</em><span>, Chancellor Gary S. May speaks with Julia Lee and Dustin Lower about their unique pathways towards graduating and the experiences that helped them make their next steps after graduation more tangible through on-campus resources.</span></p> June 25, 2024 - 10:00am Jose Antonio Vadi /news/podcasts-and-shows/face-to-face/graduating-with-experience ٺƵ Students’ Seizure-Predicting Device Wins Top Prize at Big Bang! Business Competition /news/uc-davis-students-seizure-predicting-device-wins-top-prize-big-bang-business-competition <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media"> <div class="media media--type-sf-image-media-type media--view-mode-default"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/images/Hero%20photo_winners.jpg" width="5308" height="2986" alt="Students who were finalists in Big Bang! stand in a photo together holding an artifical large check." typeof="Image"> </div> <figcaption>Members of the Big Bang! finalist teams surround the winning team, EpiSense.</figcaption></figure> May 23, 2024 - 2:30pm Karen Michele Nikos /news/uc-davis-students-seizure-predicting-device-wins-top-prize-big-bang-business-competition Plant Researchers and Molecular Biologist Elected to National Academy of Sciences /news/plant-researchers-and-molecular-biologist-elected-national-academy-sciences <p>Three professors from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are among 120 new members and 24 international members <a href="https://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2024-nas-election.html">announced by the academy April 30</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Members are elected in recognition of their contributions to original research. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve.</p> May 07, 2024 - 1:10pm Andy Fell /news/plant-researchers-and-molecular-biologist-elected-national-academy-sciences How Plants Sense Scent /blog/how-plants-sense-scents <p>Plants need to be able to communicate with themselves, for example sending signals from their leaves to their roots or flowers, so that they can coordinate growth and optimize resource use. They also need to communicate with other plants and organisms, which they achieve by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tiny molecules that are often associated with distinct smells. Scientists know a lot about how plants emit these odorous signals, however very little is known about how they receive and interpret them.</p> April 25, 2024 - 4:10pm Andy Fell /blog/how-plants-sense-scents