Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Content

4 Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Karen Michele Nikos — April 22, 2021 - 11:21am

Four professors from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Established in 1780, the academy includes Americans with accomplishments in a wide range of fields, including scientists, artists, performers, poets and political leaders.

Unfold Podcast, Episode 6: Oceans Under a Changing Climate

Katherine E Kerlin — October 27, 2020 - 9:00am

Oceans have always done us a favor by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But, increasingly, greenhouse gases are warming the ocean and changing its chemistry. All of this is putting marine species and ecosystems at risk, threatening food security and the livelihoods of people along its shores. In this episode of Unfold, we take a deep dive into the ocean to examine the effects of climate change.

In this episode:

Mantle Neon Illuminates Earth’s Formation

Andy Fell — December 05, 2018 - 11:19am

The Earth formed relatively quickly from the cloud of dust and gas around the sun, trapping water and gases in the planet’s mantle, according to research published Dec. 5 in the journal Nature. Apart from settling Earth’s origins, the work could help in identifying extrasolar systems that could support habitable planets.

First Jellyfish Genome Reveals Ancient Beginnings of Complex Body Plan

Andy Fell — December 03, 2018 - 11:31am

Jellyfish undergo an amazing metamorphosis, from tiny polyps growing on the seafloor to swimming medusae with stinging tentacles. This shape-shifting has served them well, shepherding jellyfish through more than 500 million years of mass extinctions on Earth.

“Whatever they’re doing has really worked for them,” said David Gold, an assistant professor of paleobiology in the University of California, Davis, College of Letters and Science.

Scientist Who Studies How Planets Form Named MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow

Andy Fell — October 04, 2018 - 1:53pm

The MacArthur Foundation has named Sarah T. Stewart, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Davis, who has developed novel theories about the formation of the Earth and moon, among the 2018 class of MacArthur Fellows. Sometimes known as the “Genius Grants,” the MacArthur Fellowship is a $625,000 award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential.

How Did the Moon Get Where It Is?

Karen Michele Nikos — September 17, 2018 - 4:47pm

Earth’s moon is an unusual object in our solar system, and now there’s a new theory to explain how it got where it is, which puts some twists on the current “giant impact” theory.