Science and Climate Content

Video Series Aims at Improving Indoor Air Quality

Andy Fell — October 16, 2024 - 2:29pm

Improving indoor air quality is the goal of a new video series developed by experts at the ��ϲ�ͼ��, Davis in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health. Aimed at building and facility managers, the videos distill the science of air quality into steps building and facility managers can take to remove pollutants, including viruses, from the place we spend most of our time -- indoors.

Laser Purified Silica

Andy Fell — October 14, 2024 - 11:51am

Materials science and engineering researchers at the ��ϲ�ͼ��, Davis, and materials company Homerun Resources, Inc., have developed a groundbreaking one-step laser-pulse technique to purify raw silica sand to over 99.99% purity. The method is the first phase in a collaborative effort to create a pathway to a carbon-neutral process of deriving silicon from silica sand.

Chinook Salmon Face Habitat Challenges

Katherine E Kerlin — October 14, 2024 - 10:23am

A ��ϲ�ͼ�� study finds that decades of human activities have not only reduced the size of Chinook salmon, but also disrupted their ability to spawn.

Charging, Not Range, is Becoming a Top Concern For Electric Car Drivers

Andy Fell — October 10, 2024 - 9:16am

The Biden administration is using tax credits, regulations and federal investments to shift drivers toward electric vehicles.

(W)ringing in the New California Water Year

Andy Fell — October 01, 2024 - 2:19pm

Oct. 1 marks the start of a new water year in California, as we head into the cooler, rainier months. In a new blog post, Jay Lund and Alvar Escriva-Bou at the ��ϲ�ͼ�� Center for Watershed Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering reflect on the year just ending and what might be ahead for WY2025.

Genetic Rescue for Rare Red Foxes?

Katherine E Kerlin — September 26, 2024 - 8:00pm

A ��ϲ�ͼ�� study shows inbreeding is affecting Lassen's small, isolated red fox population. Genetic rescue could be a viable option for their recovery.

Taking the Earth’s Temperature Over the Past 485 Million Years

Andy Fell — September 19, 2024 - 10:36am

Palm trees in Alaska, crocodiles in Wyoming: Fossils show that Earth’s temperature has changed over hundreds of millions of years. Now a new study co-led by the Smithsonian and the University of Arizona, with Professor Isabel Montañez of the ��ϲ�ͼ�� Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has produced a curve of global mean surface temperatures over the past 485 million years. The new curve, published Sept. 19 in Science, reveals that Earth’s temperature has varied more than previously thought as life has diversified, populated land and endured multiple mass extinctions.

California Native Fish in Decline

Andy Fell — September 03, 2024 - 12:02pm

From mighty sturgeon to tiny smelt, California's native fish are in trouble, under pressure from a variety of causes including drought, habitat loss and diversion of water for human uses, and climate change. A new blog post from Professor Andrew Rypel and Distinguished Professor emeritus Peter Moyle at the ��ϲ�ͼ�� Center for Watershed Sciences highlights some examples.

Half of Uber, Lyft Trips Replace More Sustainable Options

Katherine E Kerlin — August 28, 2024 - 9:00am

More than 50% of ride-hailing trips taken by surveyed riders in California replaced more sustainable forms of transportation, found a ��ϲ�ͼ�� study.

Less Severe Forest Fires Can Reduce Intensity of Future Blazes

Emily C Dooley — August 19, 2024 - 1:37pm

Low- and moderate-severity forest wildfires can reduce the intensity of future fires, according to new research on "reburns" by the ��ϲ�ͼ��, Davis.