Why do Zebras have stripes? Scientists have learned it is to avoid biting flies. But, what is it about stripes that so disrupts a biting fly’s ability to land on a zebra and suck its blood? UC Davis Professor Tim Caro led a series of unique experiments for this study to better understand how stripes manipulate the behavior of biting flies as they attempt to come in for a landing on a zebra. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 35166]

Two isolated mountain lion populations in Southern California’s Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains are at risk of local extinction, perhaps as soon as within 50 years, according to a study published in the journal Ecological Applications. For the study, lead author John Benson of the University of Nebraska and co-authors at UCLA, UC Davis, the National Park Service, the University of Washington, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Wyoming used population viability modeling to...

A panel of experts discusses climate change and its effects on our agriculture and our health, while also offering insights into how we as individuals can work to limit its negative impacts and create positive change. Series: "The UC Wellbeing Channel " [Show ID: 34568]

Sooner or later, the food requirements of nine billion people with increasing appetites for seafood must be addressed. Although aquaculture may supply the majority of the global ‘seafood’, most aquaculture is fed meal from wild caught fish, such as sardine and anchovy. To estimate the distributions and abundances of these and other small fish off the west coast, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center routinely conducts “acoustic-trawl” surveys. David Demer will briefly describe the vessels,...

UC Davis has one of the best agriculture schools in the world, helping to feed a growing a population. Take a peek at the SAFS major in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science at UC Davis. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34585]

Veterinarians at UC Davis and the Sacramento Zoo perform surgery on Coconut's eyelids to remove hair that is causing irritation Series: "UCTV Prime" [Science] [Show ID: 34581]

Every part of the Moringa plant is edible - leaves, pods, seeds, flowers, even its root. The feathery leaves alone pack a powerful protein punch – nearly 30 percent by dry weight. Legumes don’t even have that much protein, nor all the essential amino acids. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34580]

Marion Nestle (NYU) and Laura Schmidt (UCSF) discuss nutrition policy and research, scientific conflicts of interest, the upcoming Dietary Guidelines, global food systems and more in this conversation about the food industry's influence on scientific research. Series: "Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies" [Show ID: 34565]

Ron Goode, Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe, led UC Davis professor, Beth Rose Middleton Manning's, students through a cultural burn. Students participated in preparing the land and igniting the fire, and contributed to a historic indigenous tradition. Cultural burning practices empower Native American communities, and could possibly be used as a tool to help alleviate devastating wildfires. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34098]

The DryCard™ is an inexpensive device developed by UC Davis researchers, Michael Reid and Jim Thompson, for determining if dried food is dry enough to prevent mold growth during storage. Moldy food can have a bad taste and may be contaminated with harmful toxins. So far, the Horticulture Innovation Lab has offered samples of the DryCard™ in multiple languages to researchers who can try the tool out in real-world situations. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34107]

At the Animal Science Swine Center at UC Davis, Kristina Horback studies pig personality. She monitors the behavior of female pig from birth through puberty looking for behavior that would help predict aggression in female sows. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34112]

Until recently, wastewater from the fish tanks on the Tsar Nicholai farm emptied into a giant man-made pond, but now the caviar farm is using the nutrient stream to grow food in a 24,000 square-foot greenhouse. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34106]

Seaweed may be the super food dairy cattle need to reduce the amount of methane they burp into the atmosphere. Early results from research at the University of California, Davis, indicate that just a touch of the ocean algae in cattle feed could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions from Californias 1.8 million dairy cows. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 34105]

Skyelark Ranch, owned an operated by UC Davis graduate Alexis Robertson and her husband Gillies, uses rotational grazing while raising sheep, which can benefit plant growth, drought resistance, and the climate. The grazing encourages plant growth, which through photosynthesis, captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil, where it can create healthier soils and stay out of our atmosphere. Series: "UC Davis Fillers" [Show ID: 34110]

Eric Davis, a UC Davis veterinarian, travels to North and South Dakota every summer to treat horses and donkeys in areas that don't have a lot of equine veterinary care. He brings along dozens of vet students from across the country, to expose them to rural veterinary care, hoping they may be inspired to work in underserved areas after they graduate. Series: "UC Davis Fillers" [Show ID: 34115]

The Santa Cruz Island horse lived for centuries on the Channel Islands, but years of isolation and a small gene pool have left the breed teetering on extinction. UC Davis researcher, Amy McLean, is working with El Campeon Farms to save the Santa Cruz Island horse and preserve a piece of California history. Series: "UC Davis Fillers" [Show ID: 34109]

Researchers from UC Davis, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Mars, Incorporated have made a remarkable discovery: an indigenous variety of Mexican corn that can also fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, instead of requiring synthetic fertilizers. Series: "UC Davis Fillers" [Show ID: 34104]

Thanks to technology the farm of the future produces more food with less water and less impact on the environment and climate. And it also provides skilled careers for a new generation of farmworkers. Thats the vision behind the Smart Farm Initiative at the University of California, Davis, one of the Big Ideas that the campus hopes will capture the attention of collaborators, donors and supporters. Series: "UC Davis Fillers" [Show ID: 34102]

Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, discusses the future of food and public policy in California and around the world at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Secretary Ross covers everything from the challenges of water management in the face of climate change, to reforming United States immigration policy to benefit farmers, farm workers, and the country as a whole. Series: "The UC Public Policy Channel" [Show ID: 34017]

Crops possibly can be grown with significantly less water by altering a gene involved in regulating photosynthesis, according to new research by a team that included UC Berkeley scientists. Berkeley professor Krishna Niyogi, chair of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, and his lab found that a increasing a protein called PsbS improved the water-use efficiency of plants — the ratio of carbon dioxide entering the plant to water escaping — by 25 percent without significantly...

UC Berkeley biologists have come up with a way to create beer’s unique flavors and aromas without using hops. The researchers created strains of brewer’s yeast that not only ferment the beer but also provide two of the prominent flavor notes provided by hops. In double-blind taste tests the beer made from the engineered strains was characterized as more hoppy than a control beer made with regular yeast and Cascade hops. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Show ID: 33982]

Agriculture today is extraordinarily productive, although sadly many people are chronically hungry, malnourished or obese. And the way we farm also takes an increasing toll on the environment. Farming emits a third of all greenhouse gases and uses 70 percent of freshwater resources. It is a major contributor to deforestation and biodiversity loss, and has led to the loss of soil fertility in agricultural lands. How can we produce enough food for the future while protecting the planet?...

In collaboration with the UC San Diego Center for Integrative Nutrition, the Berry Good Food Foundation convenes a panel of experts to discuss the rise of comprehensive medicine and nutritional healing to treat chronic disease and maintain general well-being. Series: "The UC Wellbeing Channel " [Show ID: 33486]

Floods are the most destructive of natural disasters, on average affecting 100 million people globally. Drones can be used as very cost effective mapping devices, gathering fine resolution data on a site's terrain, landcover, and even its infrastructure. This information is necessary to build models capable of predicting flood hazard at scales of streets and individual homes. Learn how the UCI Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation is working to create a fleet of drones to benefit developing...

Series: "UC Davis Newswatch" [Show ID: 15946]