College of Biological Sciences Content

How Plants Become Bushy, or Not

Andy Fell — August 06, 2024 - 3:50pm

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.

The study was published August 1 in Nature Communications.

Plant Biologist Siobhan Brady Named HHMI Investigator

Andy Fell — July 23, 2024 - 12:11pm

Siobhan Brady, a professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center at the University of California, Davis, has been selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. 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.

Plant Biologist Venkatesan Sundaresan Wins 2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture

Andy Fell — July 17, 2024 - 9:36am

Venkatesan Sundaresan, Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Plant Biology and Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a 2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for key discoveries on plant developmental biology of relevance to crop improvement.

‘Face to Face’: Graduating With Experience

Jose Antonio Vadi — June 25, 2024 - 10:00am

It’s the question every college student faces: How do my present actions support my future goals?

In the latest episode of Face to Face, 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.

��ϲʿ��ͼ Students’ Seizure-Predicting Device Wins Top Prize at Big Bang! Business Competition

Karen Michele Nikos — May 23, 2024 - 2:30pm

Members of the Big Bang! finalist teams surround the winning team, EpiSense.

Plant Researchers and Molecular Biologist Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Andy Fell — May 07, 2024 - 1:10pm

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 announced by the academy April 30.

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.

How Plants Sense Scent

Andy Fell — April 25, 2024 - 4:10pm

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.

Wearable Technology Takes Center Stage at ��ϲʿ��ͼ

Andy Fell — March 26, 2024 - 4:38pm

Inside an L-shaped room in Cruess Hall, surrounded by workstations, 3D printers, sewing machines, tools and mannequins wearing prototypes, Gozde Goncu-Berk builds the future. It’s a future of many possibilities, but those possibilities share a common thread. They’re all based around humanity’s increasing use of wearable technology.

Researchers Identify Microbes That Help Plants Thwart Parasite

Andy Fell — March 26, 2024 - 10:53am

Bacteria that could help one of Africa’s staple crops resist a major pest have been identified by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Their findings, published March 26 in Cell Reports, could improve yields of sorghum, a mainstay of food and drink in West and East African countries.

Discovery Hints at Genetic Basis for the Most Challenging Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Andy Fell — March 19, 2024 - 10:25am

Our understanding of schizophrenia has increased greatly in recent years, as studies of large groups of people have identified a multitude of genetic variants that increase a person’s risk of the disease.