The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn’t even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father’s DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child.
Thousands of times per year, a family’s moment of joy turns to unexpected grief. A seemingly healthy infant stops smiling or making eye contact. Their limbs grow weak. The tiny child suffers seizures and breathing problems.
Jawdat Al-Bassam, an associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Davis, often hears from these families. “I’ve gotten emails from folks all over the world,” he said.
Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it’s a double-edged sword: too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth. In a new study published April 20 in Nature Communications,University of California, Davis, researchers discovered that plants use a surprising multi-layered system to regulate salicylic acid levels and keep their immune system in check.
Four faculty from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, class of 2025. They are among nearly 500 scientists, engineers and other innovators that the society recognized this year for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.
Here are the new fellows, with their fellowship citations:
Four faculty, two each in CBS departments and graduate groups, are among this year’s recipients of the Academic Senate and Federation top awards. They are in a cohort of 15 academics across various disciplines throughout the university to be recognized.
The awards cite the impact these academics have had on their fields, on UC Davis students and on the broader community through public service.
A major new discovery could inspire improved treatments for cancer and genetic diseases.
Coiled within our cells are fragile threads of DNA that contain the codes of life— determining when each of our 30 trillion cells must grow, divide, sit tight — or simply die. This arrangement is precarious. Billions of times per day, our DNA is severed by stray chemical reactions. Our cells must rebuild the broken DNA without making mistakes – or the consequences can be dire.
They are experts in a parasitic amoeba, scientific history, the health effects of stress and more, and now these eight faculty members can add a new title: Chancellor’s Fellow.
The recognition is given each year to early career academics doing exemplary work, and the 2025-26 class will be recognized at a reception next week.
There are many ways to communicate with prospective romantic partners: If you are a Japanese scarab beetle, it’s a matter of distinguishing left from right. New work from U.S. and Chinese scientists, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows how these beetles use mirror-image pheromones to find a mate. The work could lead to better monitoring and control of significant agricultural pests.
Two College of Biological Sciences faculty members—Keith Baar, professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior, and Laura Bogar, assistant professor of plant biology—received a STAIR Grant and a Hellman Fellowship, respectively.
