Driven by Curiosity Content

What’s at Stake with Federal Research Funding Cuts

Jocelyn C Anderson — October 15, 2025 - 9:00am

Federal research funding cuts threaten UC Davis discoveries in health, agriculture and technology that improve lives worldwide.

Astronomers Find Mystery Dark Object in Distant Universe

Andy Fell — October 09, 2025 - 2:40pm

Using a global network of telescopes, astronomers have detected the lowest-mass dark object yet found in the universe. Finding more such objects and understanding their nature could rule out some theories about the nature of dark matter, the mystery substance that makes up about a quarter of the universe. The work is described in two papers published Oct. 9 in Nature Astronomy and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

UC Davis Researchers Look at How the Brain Prioritizes What We See

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — September 23, 2025 - 8:00am

How we focus our attention before we even see an object matters. For example, when we look for something moving in the sky, our expectation would be very different if the object is a bird flying past or a baseball coming straight at us.

But it’s unclear whether our brain’s attention focuses first on a broad characteristic of the anticipated object, such as movement, or a specific feature — such as the direction of movement up or down.

Hayabusa-2 Sample Return Mission Suggests Protracted Wetter Asteroids

Andy Fell — September 16, 2025 - 4:36pm

New results from the Hayabusa-2 space probe show that asteroids formed at the very beginnings of our Solar System retained substantial amounts of water for hundreds of millions of years, potentially delivering water to Earth and other planets for much longer than previously thought. The work by a large international team, including Professor Qing-Zhu Yin at the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, was published Sept. 10 in Nature.

How Did Animals Eat Before Mouths?

Andy Fell — September 12, 2025 - 11:09am

More than half a billion years ago, during the Ediacaran Period, animal life looked nothing like today. Strange cup- and disk-shaped creatures sat and crawled along an ocean floor covered in thick microbial mats made of bacteria and algae. The only clues these organisms left to their lifestyles exist in the fossil record.

UC Davis Study Reveals Alarming Browser Tracking by GenAI Assistants

Andy Fell — August 18, 2025 - 12:09pm

A new study led by computer scientists at the University of California, Davis, reveals that generative AI browser assistants collect and share sensitive data without users’ knowledge. Stronger safeguards, transparency and awareness are needed to protect user privacy online, the researchers said.

A new brand of generative AI, or GenAI, browser extensions act as your personal assistant as you surf the web, making browsing easier and more personalized. They can summarize web pages, answer questions, translate text and take notes.

Nowcasting and the Kamchatka Earthquake

Andy Fell — August 07, 2025 - 9:54am

The July 29 earthquake on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula was among the most powerful recorded by modern instruments, setting off tsunami warnings around the Pacific rim. The magnitude 8.8 earthquake caused part of the peninsula to sink by about six feet and set off volcanic eruptions, according to the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Fortunately, there do not appear to have been any fatalities or major damage.

National Science Foundation Awards UC Davis $5 Million for Artificial Intelligence Hub

Andy Fell — July 29, 2025 - 1:55pm

The National Science Foundation has awarded $5 million over five years to the University of California, Davis, to run the Artificial Intelligence Institutes Virtual Organization, a community hub for new and existing AI institutes established by the federal government.

AIVO is part of a $100 million public-private investment in AI announced by NSF July 29.

Molecular Simulations Show Graphite ‘Hijacks’ Diamond Formation Through Unexpected Crystallization Pathways

Andy Fell — July 09, 2025 - 10:31am

The graphite found in your favorite pencil could have instead been the diamond your mother always wears. What made the difference? Researchers are finding out.

How molten carbon crystallizes into either graphite or diamond is relevant to planetary science, materials manufacturing and nuclear fusion research. However, this moment of crystallization is difficult to study experimentally because it happens very rapidly and under extreme conditions.

UC Davis and Proteus Space to Launch First-Ever Dynamic Digital Twin into Space

Andy Fell — June 25, 2025 - 10:12am

The Center for Space Exploration Research at the University of California, Davis, has partnered with Proteus Space to launch a US government-sponsored satellite into space with a custom AI-enabled payload in a brand-new, first-ever rapid design-to-deployment small satellite.

The team will launch the satellite and payload in October 2025 from Vandenberg, CA. From the time the project was fully approved, the design and launch will occur within an unprecedented 13 months. (The normal pace for small satellites is often measured in years.)