College of Letters and Science Content

What Does it Mean To Own Something?

Karen Michele Nikos — September 06, 2024 - 3:30pm

For most of his adolescence, Gerardo Con Diaz viewed the world through the prism of mathematics. He excelled at numbers and computation, winning mathematics competitions while growing up in Costa Rica and later majoring in the subject while studying at Harvard University. He was enroute to a mathematics career, but something was off.

“There was this nagging sensation that there might be a path I hadn’t considered,” Diaz recalled.

Recent Volcanoes on the Moon?

Andy Fell — September 04, 2024 - 3:09pm

New results from China’s Chang’e 5 lunar samples returned to Earth provide evidence for active volcanoes on the Moon as recently as 120 million years ago. Previously, scientists had thought that any activity with magma (molten rock) rising to the Moon’s surface ended billions of years ago.

LZ Experiment Sets New Record in Search for Dark Matter

Andy Fell — August 26, 2024 - 3:43pm

Figuring out the nature of dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up most of the mass in our universe, is one of the greatest puzzles in physics. New results from the world’s most sensitive dark matter detector, LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), have narrowed down possibilities for one of the leading dark matter candidates: weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs.

Physicist Receives $1.25 Million Grant to Investigate Superconductivity

Andy Fell — August 22, 2024 - 2:09pm

��ϲʿ��ͼ physicist Inna Vishik is among the third annual cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Vishik, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, joins 18 other researchers nationwide who will each receive a five-year, $1.25 million grant to pursue new research goals and explore uncharted, innovative ideas.

Media Experts on Economic Issues

Karen Michele Nikos — August 22, 2024 - 10:07am

The following University of California, Davis, sources are available to share expertise with media on various aspects of the economy, including climbing gas prices. Specific lists on trade (including supply chain), poverty and minimum wage are linked at the bottom. This list updated in 2024.

No Evidence of a Common Set of Regeneration Genes

Andy Fell — August 19, 2024 - 2:57pm

Some animals, especially those that have been around for a long time in evolutionary terms, possess extraordinary abilities to regenerate lost limbs or organs. These animals, such as flatworms, salamanders and zebrafish, are not at all closely related, suggesting that the ability to regenerate goes far back in evolutionary time. Is it possible to find a common set of genes for regeneration, that could unlock a new understanding of this process?

The Conversation: What is the Meaning of Kamala?

Karen Michele Nikos — August 14, 2024 - 9:32am

Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris became a presence on the national scene, her name — a common one for women in India — has attracted a lot of attention, most specifically for its pronunciation.

The three-syllable word should be pronounced “Come-a-laa” (Kamalā), with the final long “a” signaling a feminine noun in Sanskrit. In the United States, it is often enunciated with stresses placed on the first or second syllable.

Children’s Lockdown Memories May Predict Declines in Psychological Well-being During the Pandemic

Andy Fell — August 14, 2024 - 9:22am

A new study shows how children’s and adolescents’ memories of the COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 changed over time and related to their mental health. The work, published Aug. 14 in Child Development, shows how autobiographical memories are linked to mental health, and how the content of these memories is related to the negative psychological consequences of lockdown.

Weekender: Manetti Shrem Museum Opens with Fall Exhibitions Aug. 8; Concert Next Week at Gorman; More Art News

Karen Michele Nikos — August 08, 2024 - 1:22pm

Light into Density: Abstract Encounters 1920s–1960s: From the Collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, on view September 19, 2024–May 5, will feature Roberto Matta, Chamboles les amoureus

At the Olympics, Can Anyone Sideline Politics?

Karen Michele Nikos — August 07, 2024 - 3:54pm

��ϲʿ��ͼ professor says expecting the Olympics to be apolitical is to ignore their history.