Science & Technology

Today

"Determining the Mechanism of Transmission of Xyellla fastidiosa by Sharpshooters"

Elaine Backus

122 Briggs, noon to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by the entomology department

"Cling Peach Mechanization - Chapter 2: Thinning, and the Rest of the Story"

Kitren Glozer

3001 Plant and Environmental Sciences, 12:10 to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by the plant sciences department

Name: Donald Benner

Year: Senior

Major: Mechanical engineering

How did you choose your major?

I wanted to be able to apply math and science, and I know that you had many more options with an engineering degree than you did with a math or physics degree.

Employment opportunities are shrinking, food and gas prices are rising, houses are being foreclosed and banks have stopped their liberal lending policies. Does this mean our economy is in a recession, that daunting word that strikes fear in the hearts of the government and consumers alike? Not necessarily. Does the Federal Reserve System, the central bank of the United States, have a plan to help stimulate the economy beyond a temporary fix? Only time will tell, say economists.

First of all, it must be noted that recession has a complicated definition, and can only be officially announced by the National Bureau of Economic Research, said Kevin Salyer, professor of economics at UC Davis, in an e-mail interview.

"A rule of thumb definition is two quarters (6 months) of negative GDP growth," Salyer said. "We are not technically in a recession yet (but some economists believe we are … and today's jobs data suggests that they might be correct)."

Natural selection, a process through which those most suited to environmental conditions survive to reproduce, has been considered central to theories of evolution. However, a study conducted by Tim Weaver, UC Davis professor of anthropology, may give more weight to the theory of genetic drift - the idea that random chance can explain genetic and phenotypic changes in a species over time.

Weaver compared cranial measurements from modern human skulls and Neanderthal specimens to conclude that genetic drift is a plausible explanation of why modern humans and Neanderthals diverged 40,000 years ago.

Virulent wheat fungus spreads into Iran

Puccinia graminis, or Ug99, previously found in East Africa and Yemen, has spread to the bread basket of Iran, putting countries east of Iran at risk.

Approximately 80 percent of the wheat varieties grown in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are susceptible to the fungus, which is capable of decimating entire fields of wheat.

Today

A Tangled Web: Exploring the Interplay of Omnivory and Wound-Inducible Plant Responses

Ken Spence

122 Briggs, noon to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by the Entomology department

The Strange Abjuration of the Last Inca Sovereign

Marco Curatola Petrocchi

5214 Social Sciences and Humanities, 12:05 to 1:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas

What do you do?

I am a type of geologist called a stratigrapher. Stratigraphy is a big word meaning that we read the layers of rock that are basically the pages of history of our planet. From these layers of rock we can tell things like ancient climates [and] ancient environments. The history of evolution is written in the types of rocks that I look at.… In a very broad, general way, I am an earth historian.

How did you get interested in this field?

I became interested in geology as an undergraduate simply because I like being outdoors; I like nature and I like science. It is the same characteristics that all geologists have. You like to combine your interests in science with your appreciation for the outdoors. I like looking at a landscape and understanding and what it means, how it got there and what it is telling me.

I try to convey that in the classes that I teach. I try to get students to look around and understand why the Central Valley is flat, why the Sierras are scalloped, and get them to visualize ice age glaciers and where the granite of the High Sierras came from.

Milk is good for your bones, but its production is creating a big problem with air and water pollution.

According to a recent UC Davis press release, manure being produced in dairies releases chemicals that are impacting air, water and climate quality.

California produces 21 percent of the national milk supply and grosses $6 billion a year in other dairy products, making pollution a large issue for the state.

Everywhere you go, you see little wires hanging from people's heads. Everyone is rockin' out in their own world with their headphones and MP3 players, and you want to do the same. But,[omit tf] buying the right kind of headphones may can be a daunting task for the uneducated consumer.

Chances are,, if you've bought an MP3 player, you want to get decent sound out of it as well.This article aims to clarify the difference between headphone types and help you make a buying decision.

A new drug has been discovered that can prevent programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis. The drug could be a novel therapy for treating heart attack, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, in which nerve cells are lost.

Scientists are making discoveries about how some fish locate their food and each other.

Jennifer DeBose, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Flower Garden Banks and National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, is one of the authors of a recent study of a chemical known as Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and its role in affecting aggregation behavior in fishes.

Thinking about a career in the health field? You might want to check out the Filipino Association for Health Career (FAHC) Health Conference on Apr. 5. The all-day event begins at 8 a.m. at the UC Davis Medical Center's medical school, located at 4610 X St. in Sacramento.

Sulfate in ice sheets suggests cause of dark ages

Between 533 and 536 AD, a volcanic eruption spewed dust particles into the atmosphere, causing global cooling, according to new evidence published in a paper in the Geophysical Research Letters.