Futurity.org » University of California at Davis

Safety violations led to Mexico daycare deaths

Phyllis Brown-UC Davis — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:57:40 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Researchers have documented the safety and building code violations that played a role in the deaths of 49 young children at a daycare center in Mexico in 2009.

The disastrous fire joins the ranks of other infamous blazes and should stimulate changes that might prevent future disasters from occurring, and particularly impel greater safety efforts at schools and daycare centers, say researchers.

Lizard’s evolution keeps ancestors close

Kat Kerlin-UC Davis — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:46:58 +0000

UC DAVIS / DUKE (US) — A devastating 2004 hurricane that wiped out a Caribbean lizard population offered an unprecedented opportunity to put an evolutionary theory known as the “founder effect” to the test.

The founder effect describes the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. The extent to which it contributes to evolution has been up for debate since the early 1940s, when German evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr first outlined it.

After new radiation, better quality of life

Dorsey Griffith-UC Davis — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:27:55 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — A study finds that newer radiation therapy technology offers head and neck cancer patients better ongoing quality of life.

The findings, presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium in Phoenix, are the first of its kind to measure long-term quality of life among cancer patients who have undergone radiation therapy for advanced cancers of the throat, tongue, vocal cords, and other structures in the head and neck.

Lens method puts dark new galaxy in focus

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:03:58 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — A faint “satellite galaxy” 10 billion light years from Earth is the lowest-mass object ever detected at such a distance, say researchers.

The find, described in a paper published in the journal Nature, could help astronomers find similar objects and confirm or reject theories about the structure of the cosmos.

Brain directs traffic to stay on task

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:03:07 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Just like a road sign alerts us to merging traffic ahead, the brain can change its connections to minimize distraction and take advantage of what we know of the situation at hand.

“In order to behave efficiently, you want to process relevant sensory information as fast as possible, but relevance is determined by your current situation,” says Joy Geng, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

Walnuts may shrink prostate cancer risk

Dorsey Griffith-UC Davis — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:13:51 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Mice genetically programmed to develop prostate cancer had smaller, slower growing tumors when fed a walnut-rich diet, report researchers.

University of California, Davis scientists, working with colleagues at the USDA Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California, assessed tumor size in mice fed different diets for 9, 18 and 24 weeks.

When auditor fees jump, stocks tumble

Karen Nikos-UC Davis — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:57:40 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Unexplained increases in a company’s auditor fees may foreshadow a future drop in stock prices, according to a new study.

“A rise in audit fees acts to deliver a precursory message about trouble within the company,” says one of the study’s authors, Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of California, Davis.

Stem cells deliver therapy for Huntington’s

Charles Casey-UC Davis — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:02:11 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — A new therapy uses stem cells to deliver therapy that specifically targets the genetic abnormality found in Huntington’s disease.

A hereditary brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movement, dementia, and death, Huntington’s disease can be managed with medications, but currently there are no treatments for the physical, mental, and behavioral decline of its victims.

Signers quick to read body language

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:54:19 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Deaf people who use sign language can recognize and interpret body language more readily than hearing non-signers, a new study shows.

The work suggests that deaf people may be especially adept at picking up on subtle visual traits in the actions of others, an ability that could be useful for some sensitive jobs, such as airport screening.

When galaxy clusters collide

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:53:19 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Researchers have new details about what happens when two clusters of galaxies collide.

“A galaxy cluster is like a little universe, because it has the same matter composition as the whole universe,” says William Dawson, a PhD candidate in physics at the University of California, Davis. “By studying this little universe, we can learn more about our own.”