uc davis

Research on the science of gratitude continues to accelerate rapidly. However, questions still remain: What are the functions of gratitude in the economy of human social behavior? What mechanisms are involved in the expression and detection of gratitude? Experiments and recent neuroimaging studies offer important clues as to why gratitude matters, how it works, and how we can collectively capitalize on its promise and potential.

A Gut-Feeling: How intestinal microbes modulate mood and behavior, with Melanie Gareau a physiologist at the University of California, Davis, is part of the Mental Health in the Mountains series of educational talks.

The passenger transportation system has seen little innovation since the advent of the Interstate Highway System. That is now changing. The ubiquity of smart phones is enabling the commercialization of a range of new mobility services, led by Uber and Lyft; rapid advances in battery and fuel cell technology are enabling electrification of vehicles; and rapid advances in digital technologies are enabling automation of vehicles. The challenge for policymakers is to direct these revolutions toward the public interest—including in the Tahoe Basin.

A chemical discovered in a UC Davis lab may be a new, innovative tool to control depression. Studies involve an enzyme (soluble epoxide hydrolase or sEH) which is found in many species from bugs to humans. Research in animal models of depression suggests that sEH plays a key role in modulating inflammation, which is involved in depression. Years of research and discovery around this enzyme led from investigating insect biology to translating the basic science into a potential therapy for man.

We all have certain songs that bring back vivid memories—a first crush, a family vacation, or even just riding in the car with friends. Why does music form such strong associations?

Research shows that people with dementia will respond to familiar songs from their past helps them regain memories from when they first heard that song. Even for persons with severe dementia, music can tap deep emotional recall. For individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s, memory for things—names, places, facts—is compromised, but memories from our teenage years can be well-preserved.

Around the world, invasive species are notorious for their ability to out-compete native plants and animals. Once introduced to an area, they can spread out of control and fundamentally change both landscapes and ecologies, and then pose incredible challenges to manage or eradicate.

NFL Hall of Famers, former Major League Baseball players and other sports celebrities will gather July 17-18 to once again pay tribute to the former Oakland Raider at the 8th annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic at the Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Lake Club in Truckee, Calif.

Upshaw, who often played in the Celebrity Golf Tournament in South Lake Tahoe, died of pancreatic cancer in 2008 at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

Sunday night's honey oil lab explosion in a South Lake Tahoe home could have been much, much worse. Neighboring homes could have burned, people could have died.

While the incident on Plum Street is still under investigation by the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team (SLEDNET), and few details have been released, the subject is one of not only local concern, but one of national concern.

Warmer water led to a loss in clarity of Lake Tahoe in 2015, according to data released Tuesday by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The average annual clarity (measurements from both summer and winter) is at 73.1 feet, a 4.8 foot decease from the previous year.

This isn't all bad news though, the clarity is still over nine feet greater than the lowest recorded average of 64.1 feet in 1997.

Researchers lower a 10-inch wide disk called a Secchi into the lake, and researchers measure the depth of its visibility.

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Education Research Center (TERC) is expanding their successful Science Expo program to South Lake Tahoe through funding they were awarded last week by Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe.

Through a partnership with the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, TERC will host three days of the expo March 30 through April 1 at Lake Tahoe Community College.

During the day the expo will be presented to students in South Lake Tahoe and the community is invited to a public session March 31 from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The 11th annual Science Expo is just around the corner and they are looking for volunteers to help facilitate the exciting and fun activities on five days (Monday through Friday, March 14-18) at eleven different 2 hour and 15 minute sessions:

Monday, March 14 / 9:15-11:30 am
Monday, March 14 / 11:30-1:45 pm
Tuesday, March 15 / 9:00-11:15 am
Tuesday, March 15 / 11:05-1:20 pm
Wednesday, March 16 / 9:30-11:45 am
Wednesday, March 16 / 11:45-2:00 pm
Wednesday, March 16 / 3:45-6:00 pm
Thursday, March 17 / 8:45-11:00 am
Thursday, March 17 / 11:05-1:20 pm
Friday, March 18 / 9:45-12:00 pm

The El Dorado County Board of Education has promoted one of its own to the top job, one that has been vacant since the November, 2015 resignation of Jeremy Meyers.

Dr. Ed Manansala became the new superintendent Tuesday, moving up from his position as Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services, one he'd held since June of 2013.

A sure sign of the holiday season is the opening of the South Lake Tahoe Cancer League's See's Candy Store. Their large selection of fine chocolates are the perfect gift for anyone on your list, and the best thing is that all proceeds go to help locals struggling with cancer.

The See's store is now open at the "Y" from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily until Christmas Eve, or as long as supplies last. It is occupying a vacant store near Starbucks and Beach Hut Deli in the Raley's center.

There will be a South Lake Tahoe community blood drive on Friday, October 16 from 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Rec Center gym. Walk-ins are welcome.

All participants will receive a free t-shirt.

BloodSource is holding the blood drive to meet the community need for blood and blood products. The blood drive is sponsored by the Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.

Courtney Brailo from the University of Nevada Reno Seismological Lab to discuss faulting and geologic history of the Lake Tahoe region using newly acquired LiDAR imagery at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) on September 17.

A $5 donation is suggested for this event. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The program will begin at 6 p.m. with refreshments and no-host bar from 5:30 - 6 p.m. at 291 Country Club Drive in Incline Village (between Tahoe Boulevard/SR 28 and Lakeshore Blvd.) on the campus of Sierra Nevada College.

Summit, an integral member of the Heavenly Ski Patrol for the last ten seasons, is facing an uphill battle after being diagnosed with aggressive firbro-sarcoma two weeks ago.

A fundraising campaign has been started to get the $5,000 to $10,000 needed to be treated at UC Davis with radiation and for follow-up care. The cancer began in his eye socket and has now infiltrated his sinus cavity.

Doctor's gave Summit two weeks to live without intervention, but his owner Colton Terry wanted to do all he could to let the dog who had helped so many "become an old man."

The public is invited to the 16th annual Children's Environmental Science Day presented by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center on Sunday, August 2 at Commons Beach in Tahoe City. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will continue until 3:30 p.m., with a free Mumbo Gumbo concert at 4:00 p.m.

Scientists have determined that Lake Tahoe’s iconic blueness is most strongly related to algae, not clarity. In a report released today from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, researchers found the lower the algal concentration, the bluer the lake.

In the “Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2015” report, research shows clarity is controlled by sediment. Blueness is controlled by algal concentration, which in turn is driven by the level of nutrients available to the algae.

The aftermath of the thousands of people who flocked to South Lake Tahoe's beaches last Fourth of July was a ghastly sight. South Lake Tahoe made headlines around the world for the embarrassing amount of trash left on the beaches. It took hundreds of volunteers days to pick up the thousands of pounds of garbage left on the beautiful beaches.

The Sixth Annual Native Species Festival will be held at the Taylor Creek visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This free family event is hosted by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and is a great way to spend the day outdoors and learn about the native species of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Visitor's Center is located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.

The LTCC Foundation's Speaker Spotlight Series continues on Wednesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. in the Board/Aspen Room on campus. Ann Lee-Barthel, a biomedical engineering PhD student at UC Davis will present "Tissue Engineering: How to Grow a Replacement Body Part."

Ann will describe her work in growing ligaments in the lab for use in surgical repairs.

Litter. Dog poop. Unsafe fires. Bear safety. These are just some of the issues impacting our Region. Today, the Lake Tahoe Outreach Committee unveiled the Take Care™ campaign to help reduce these impacts and promote a more responsible use of our great outdoors.

The campaign was designed for use in outreach efforts by public agencies, private businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Region. Aimed at residents and visitors, the campaign is a series of reminders that poke fun at the mistakes we all make when we’re not paying attention.

Clarity levels at Lake Tahoe in 2014 showed the biggest improvements in more than a decade, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, who have studied the lake for the last half century.

The improvements are in part due to continuous work from the Lake Tahoe community to lower pollutants to the lake. They were also influenced by the drought, as reduced precipitation meant fewer contaminants flowed into Lake Tahoe, particularly during the summer, when clarity levels were the highest recorded since 2002.

What does it take to feed nine billion people? How does our food system encourage California agriculture to remain globally competitive, while reducing poverty in low-income countries? How can we deliver healthier outcomes for malnourished communities in Asia and Africa, while reducing rising obesity rates around the world? A food system that meets growing global demand must lower our environmental footprint as well.