Human & Animal Health

UC Davis economist will measure cost of wolves on rangeland

Native gray wolves are returning to rugged rangelands throughout the west, raising risk for the millions of cattle who graze there. In the California counties of Lassen, Plumas and Siskiyou, many ranchers say their cattle are being stalked by wolves and show signs of stress, such as fewer pregnancies and lower birth and weaning weights. That comes with a cost.

Hands-on Learning That Benefits Students and Local Neighborhoods

From concept to completion – UC Davis student Mariah Padilla has taken what she’s learned in class to help create a tool that aims to enhance a local community’s social and economic health and well-being. Padilla, a community and regional development major going into her senior year, took a community economic development course (CRD 156) last spring which empowered students to provide an assessment of food security and community violence in two neighborhoods located in South Sacramento.

COVID-19 Antibodies From Eggs

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have been able to produce antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in hen eggs. Antibodies harvested from eggs might be used to treat COVID-19 or as a preventative measure for people exposed to the disease. The work was published July 9 in the journal Viruses. 

Ph.D. Student Develops AI Platform for Dairy Farmers

Catie McVey wants to bring big data to the small farmer.

The Ph.D. candidate in animal biology at UC Davis has developed a customizable artificial intelligence platform called DairyFit to help dairy farmers get a better sense of what is happening in their herds.

McVey combined biostatistics and machine learning into an algorithmic platform where farmers can visualize data that is already being captured and analyze it to look for insights into behavior.

Underachievers No More

One in five students in the United States will not earn a high school diploma — and young adolescents who fall behind in school risk never catching up, leading to unemployment, poor health and poverty, research has shown.

But a new University of California, Davis, study of intermediate school students in urban California and New York shows promise for underachievers. Researchers found that early intervention with teachers, training students that intelligence is malleable and achievable, caused struggling students to flourish and improve their grades.