UC Davis College of Letters & Science
@ucdlands.bsky.social
The official BlueSky account for the UC Davis College of Letters & Science. #UCDLandS
Happy New Year, Aggies! 🥳
We hope you have a fun, SAFE, and celebratory welcome to 2026 ✨
We hope you have a fun, SAFE, and celebratory welcome to 2026 ✨
January 1, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Happy New Year, Aggies! 🥳
We hope you have a fun, SAFE, and celebratory welcome to 2026 ✨
We hope you have a fun, SAFE, and celebratory welcome to 2026 ✨
Reposted by UC Davis College of Letters & Science
"Engineering can tell us how to build a nuclear bomb, but the humanities provide us with the guidance and ethical framework to know never to use it."
Watch more: https://youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?si=PnFGS1DcLx_Lavqj
Watch more: https://youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?si=PnFGS1DcLx_Lavqj
December 30, 2025 at 6:08 PM
"Engineering can tell us how to build a nuclear bomb, but the humanities provide us with the guidance and ethical framework to know never to use it."
Watch more: https://youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?si=PnFGS1DcLx_Lavqj
Watch more: https://youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?si=PnFGS1DcLx_Lavqj
Reposted by UC Davis College of Letters & Science
This week, Keith David Watenpaugh, a leading expert on human rights, joins Ed Kiggins for a deep discussion on the history of genocide.
• Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?...
• Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1qPr...
• Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
• Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?...
• Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1qPr...
• Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Binary of Genocide
YouTube video by Minds Over Matters
youtu.be
December 23, 2025 at 7:21 PM
This week, Keith David Watenpaugh, a leading expert on human rights, joins Ed Kiggins for a deep discussion on the history of genocide.
• Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?...
• Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1qPr...
• Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
• Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8VD75w7oR4s?...
• Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1qPr...
• Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Reposted by UC Davis College of Letters & Science
Michael Neff, a professor of computer science at UC Davis, is exploring how realistic gestures, nonverbal communication and embodied AI agents can make virtual classrooms more interactive and engaging. 🥽
Read more at https://ow.ly/nQch50XMP4u
#UCDavisEngineering
Read more at https://ow.ly/nQch50XMP4u
#UCDavisEngineering
December 19, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Michael Neff, a professor of computer science at UC Davis, is exploring how realistic gestures, nonverbal communication and embodied AI agents can make virtual classrooms more interactive and engaging. 🥽
Read more at https://ow.ly/nQch50XMP4u
#UCDavisEngineering
Read more at https://ow.ly/nQch50XMP4u
#UCDavisEngineering
UC Davis’ California Rock Garden is a small space with a huge timeline. Join us as we highlight five standout specimens and the geologic forces that shaped them.
Read more: https://lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu/science-technology/california-rock-garden-uc-davis
@ucdavis.bsky.social
Read more: https://lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu/science-technology/california-rock-garden-uc-davis
@ucdavis.bsky.social
December 18, 2025 at 4:49 PM
UC Davis’ California Rock Garden is a small space with a huge timeline. Join us as we highlight five standout specimens and the geologic forces that shaped them.
Read more: https://lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu/science-technology/california-rock-garden-uc-davis
@ucdavis.bsky.social
Read more: https://lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu/science-technology/california-rock-garden-uc-davis
@ucdavis.bsky.social
A new study featuring @ucdavis.bsky.social shows that lighting colors strongly influence how people experience music.
The findings offer new insights for designing spaces that better support emotional well-being through lighting and sound.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
The findings offer new insights for designing spaces that better support emotional well-being through lighting and sound.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
Lighting Strongly Influences People's Experience While Listening to Music, a New Study Suggests
A multidisciplinary team from three universities found that indoor lighting of various hues so strongly influences listeners' experiences that musical venues, health-care settings and even homeowners might wish to reconsider their lighting choices for m...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 17, 2025 at 6:14 PM
A new study featuring @ucdavis.bsky.social shows that lighting colors strongly influence how people experience music.
The findings offer new insights for designing spaces that better support emotional well-being through lighting and sound.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
The findings offer new insights for designing spaces that better support emotional well-being through lighting and sound.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
A closer look at how cartel violence impacts migrant journeys.
Sociologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social analyzed detailed data and thousands of stories to understand how cartel competition heightens danger at the border.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
Sociologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social analyzed detailed data and thousands of stories to understand how cartel competition heightens danger at the border.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
New Study Charts How Cartel Violence Increases Risks for Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border
As the U.S. government turns its attention to drug cartels in Mexico, new research suggests that violent competition among criminal organizations increases the risks migrants face at the northern border.
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 16, 2025 at 5:46 PM
A closer look at how cartel violence impacts migrant journeys.
Sociologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social analyzed detailed data and thousands of stories to understand how cartel competition heightens danger at the border.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
Sociologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social analyzed detailed data and thousands of stories to understand how cartel competition heightens danger at the border.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
A new project at @ucdavis.bsky.social is rethinking rare earth recovery. By using acid-tolerant microbes to capture elements directly from wastewater, researchers hope to strengthen the domestic supply chain for clean-energy tech.
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
Extracting Rare Earth Elements from U.S. Wastewaters
A new federally funded research project at the University of California, Davis, endeavors to extract valuable components for magnets, lasers and other modern technologies from an unlikely source: acidic wastewater from mines and industrial processes.
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 15, 2025 at 9:15 PM
A new project at @ucdavis.bsky.social is rethinking rare earth recovery. By using acid-tolerant microbes to capture elements directly from wastewater, researchers hope to strengthen the domestic supply chain for clean-energy tech.
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
November brought a remarkable range of media features for our college's faculty and students.
From climate change to AI policy, and psychology to global economics, our experts shared research-backed insights that shaped conversations across the U.S. and around the world.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
From climate change to AI policy, and psychology to global economics, our experts shared research-backed insights that shaped conversations across the U.S. and around the world.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
November Media Mentions
Every day faculty and students from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis are highlighted in the news media, having their research featured and commenting on the most pressing issues facing the world. Check out some of these news media highligh...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 12, 2025 at 7:15 PM
November brought a remarkable range of media features for our college's faculty and students.
From climate change to AI policy, and psychology to global economics, our experts shared research-backed insights that shaped conversations across the U.S. and around the world.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
From climate change to AI policy, and psychology to global economics, our experts shared research-backed insights that shaped conversations across the U.S. and around the world.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
This month’s Book Club is all about connection. Connection to our families, to our histories, and to the stories that shape who we are.
Find your next favorite read at the Letters and Science Magazine:
@ucdavis.bsky.social
@ucdavislibrary.bsky.social
Find your next favorite read at the Letters and Science Magazine:
@ucdavis.bsky.social
@ucdavislibrary.bsky.social
Seeing Shared Connections with L&S Authors
This month, explore how connections are formed, maintained and shared with letters and science authors. In this collection of books, our authors and scholars mine their own families as their inspiration for memoirs, poetry, fiction and analyses.
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 12, 2025 at 4:45 PM
This month’s Book Club is all about connection. Connection to our families, to our histories, and to the stories that shape who we are.
Find your next favorite read at the Letters and Science Magazine:
@ucdavis.bsky.social
@ucdavislibrary.bsky.social
Find your next favorite read at the Letters and Science Magazine:
@ucdavis.bsky.social
@ucdavislibrary.bsky.social
Big news! @nature.com has named UC Davis physicist Tony Tyson one of the Top 10 Scientists of 2025.
Tyson’s ideas have reshaped how we study the universe, and he’s still leading the charge at 85, guiding a project that’s expected to transform our understanding of dark matter, deep space, and more.
Tyson’s ideas have reshaped how we study the universe, and he’s still leading the charge at 85, guiding a project that’s expected to transform our understanding of dark matter, deep space, and more.
December 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Big news! @nature.com has named UC Davis physicist Tony Tyson one of the Top 10 Scientists of 2025.
Tyson’s ideas have reshaped how we study the universe, and he’s still leading the charge at 85, guiding a project that’s expected to transform our understanding of dark matter, deep space, and more.
Tyson’s ideas have reshaped how we study the universe, and he’s still leading the charge at 85, guiding a project that’s expected to transform our understanding of dark matter, deep space, and more.
Why do extraordinary beliefs -- like conspiracy theories -- continue to take hold?
From what we see to what we experience or practice, anthropologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social say experience plays a bigger role than we think.
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
From what we see to what we experience or practice, anthropologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social say experience plays a bigger role than we think.
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
Experience Required -- No Matter How Weird
Why do beliefs in pseudoscience, supernatural entities and conspiracy theories thrive even when they seem implausible or lack evidence? Often, such extraordinary beliefs are explained as byproducts of cognitive biases that make the belief compelling and...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 11, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Why do extraordinary beliefs -- like conspiracy theories -- continue to take hold?
From what we see to what we experience or practice, anthropologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social say experience plays a bigger role than we think.
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
From what we see to what we experience or practice, anthropologists at @ucdavis.bsky.social say experience plays a bigger role than we think.
Learn more at the Letters and Science Magazine:
The newly opened Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion, and Textiles will serve as a first-of-its-kind hub, expanding our global leadership in sustainable practices and preparing the next generation of designers and innovators.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4oDwjD9
Read more: https://bit.ly/4oDwjD9
December 10, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The newly opened Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion, and Textiles will serve as a first-of-its-kind hub, expanding our global leadership in sustainable practices and preparing the next generation of designers and innovators.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4oDwjD9
Read more: https://bit.ly/4oDwjD9
Reposted by UC Davis College of Letters & Science
Both lighting and music can influence mood. A new study from the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis shows how different colors and shades enhance the emotional experience of music @ucdlands.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/news/lightin...
Lighting Strongly Influences People’s Experience While Listening to Music, a New Study Suggests
When you go to your next concert or listen to your favorite music on an app, you might first consider the lighting around you. Music is widely known for its ability to arouse, change moods or trigger ...
www.ucdavis.edu
December 9, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Both lighting and music can influence mood. A new study from the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis shows how different colors and shades enhance the emotional experience of music @ucdlands.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/news/lightin...
UC Davis experts break down why today’s CO₂ levels matter, how they compare to ancient climate shifts, and what tools we already have to slow the trajectory.
The challenge? We have solutions, but not the systems, infrastructure or global cooperation to deploy them fast enough.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
The challenge? We have solutions, but not the systems, infrastructure or global cooperation to deploy them fast enough.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
The Carbon Dioxide Climate Debt
As humanity reckons with a climate shaped by a legacy of burning fossil fuels, implementing solutions we already have requires large-scale coordination and overcoming social challenges that stunt action.
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 9, 2025 at 5:47 PM
UC Davis experts break down why today’s CO₂ levels matter, how they compare to ancient climate shifts, and what tools we already have to slow the trajectory.
The challenge? We have solutions, but not the systems, infrastructure or global cooperation to deploy them fast enough.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
The challenge? We have solutions, but not the systems, infrastructure or global cooperation to deploy them fast enough.
@ucdavis.bsky.social
Congratulations to @ucdavis.bsky.social chemist Marie Heffern on receiving the Agilent Research Catalyst Award!
With Agilent’s support, her team is helping address major challenges in drug formulation, a key step toward more effective treatments for diabetes and obesity.
Read more:
With Agilent’s support, her team is helping address major challenges in drug formulation, a key step toward more effective treatments for diabetes and obesity.
Read more:
Agilent Research Catalyst Award Presented to UC Davis for Breakthroughs in Peptide Therapeutics
The award recognizes Marie Heffern's innovative research into the analytical characterization of peptide and protein therapeutics targeting incretin and related pathways, an emerging area critical to advancing treatments for diabetes and obesity.
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 5, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Congratulations to @ucdavis.bsky.social chemist Marie Heffern on receiving the Agilent Research Catalyst Award!
With Agilent’s support, her team is helping address major challenges in drug formulation, a key step toward more effective treatments for diabetes and obesity.
Read more:
With Agilent’s support, her team is helping address major challenges in drug formulation, a key step toward more effective treatments for diabetes and obesity.
Read more:
We are honoring the life of Sandra Riddell Shannonhouse, whose passion for art and preservation left a lasting mark on @ucdavis.bsky.social. Her generosity and advocacy helped build the vibrant arts community we know today.
Read more at the Letters and Science magazine:
Read more at the Letters and Science magazine:
In Memoriam: Sandra Riddell Shannonhouse
Sandra Riddell Shannonhouse -- an artist and University of California, Davis, alum whose generous contributions and advocacy for public art and historic preservation helped shape vibrant art communities -- has died. Known as Sandy to friends and family,...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
We are honoring the life of Sandra Riddell Shannonhouse, whose passion for art and preservation left a lasting mark on @ucdavis.bsky.social. Her generosity and advocacy helped build the vibrant arts community we know today.
Read more at the Letters and Science magazine:
Read more at the Letters and Science magazine:
Earthquake faults aren’t as static as we thought.
New @ucdavis.bsky.social research shows they can rebuild strength quickly, almost like geological glue, resetting after every slow slip.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
New @ucdavis.bsky.social research shows they can rebuild strength quickly, almost like geological glue, resetting after every slow slip.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
Rocks on Faults Can Heal Following Seismic Movement
Earthquake faults deep in the Earth can glue themselves back together following a seismic event, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work, published Nov. 19 in Science Advances and supported by grants ...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 3, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Earthquake faults aren’t as static as we thought.
New @ucdavis.bsky.social research shows they can rebuild strength quickly, almost like geological glue, resetting after every slow slip.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
New @ucdavis.bsky.social research shows they can rebuild strength quickly, almost like geological glue, resetting after every slow slip.
Visit the Letters and Science Magazine to learn more.
Reposted by UC Davis College of Letters & Science
In a new federally funded project, UC Davis researchers are finding a more sustainable way to extract valuable components modern technologies from acidic wastewater. 💧⚡
https://ow.ly/NP8i50XAVIU
UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences | UC Davis College of Letters & Science
https://ow.ly/NP8i50XAVIU
UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences | UC Davis College of Letters & Science
December 2, 2025 at 8:38 PM
In a new federally funded project, UC Davis researchers are finding a more sustainable way to extract valuable components modern technologies from acidic wastewater. 💧⚡
https://ow.ly/NP8i50XAVIU
UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences | UC Davis College of Letters & Science
https://ow.ly/NP8i50XAVIU
UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences | UC Davis College of Letters & Science
Meet the researcher
From ancient lakebeds on Earth to the dusty plains of Mars, @ucdavis.bsky.social geobiologist Dawn Sumner explores how early life thrived on Earth and offers clues to where life might exist on other planets.
Learn more: https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/labs-to-lives
From ancient lakebeds on Earth to the dusty plains of Mars, @ucdavis.bsky.social geobiologist Dawn Sumner explores how early life thrived on Earth and offers clues to where life might exist on other planets.
Learn more: https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/labs-to-lives
December 2, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Meet the researcher
From ancient lakebeds on Earth to the dusty plains of Mars, @ucdavis.bsky.social geobiologist Dawn Sumner explores how early life thrived on Earth and offers clues to where life might exist on other planets.
Learn more: https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/labs-to-lives
From ancient lakebeds on Earth to the dusty plains of Mars, @ucdavis.bsky.social geobiologist Dawn Sumner explores how early life thrived on Earth and offers clues to where life might exist on other planets.
Learn more: https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/labs-to-lives
We’ve been here before: a fast-growing technology with huge potential and serious risks.
@ucdavis.bsky.social experts are examining what social media has taught us and how we can avoid repeating the same mistakes with AI.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine.
@ucdavis.bsky.social experts are examining what social media has taught us and how we can avoid repeating the same mistakes with AI.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine.
Risks of AI Mirror Social Media
The booming growth of AI chatbots is similar to the trajectory of how social media radically changed our everyday lives, except with supercharged adoption rates and expectations. Some key lessons we are still learning from social media's rise offer insi...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
We’ve been here before: a fast-growing technology with huge potential and serious risks.
@ucdavis.bsky.social experts are examining what social media has taught us and how we can avoid repeating the same mistakes with AI.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine.
@ucdavis.bsky.social experts are examining what social media has taught us and how we can avoid repeating the same mistakes with AI.
Read more at the Letters and Science Magazine.
It turns out the icy moons in our outer Solar System are a lot more active than they look.
Turns out some icy moons might have oceans that boil when their ice melts. New @ucdavis.bsky.social research digs into how these worlds stay active beneath the surface.
Read more:
Turns out some icy moons might have oceans that boil when their ice melts. New @ucdavis.bsky.social research digs into how these worlds stay active beneath the surface.
Read more:
Looking Inside Icy Moons
The outer planets of the Solar System are swarmed by ice-wrapped moons. A new study published Nov. 24 in Nature Astronomy sheds light on what could be going on beneath the surface of these worlds and provides insights into how their diverse geologic fea...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
December 1, 2025 at 9:15 PM
It turns out the icy moons in our outer Solar System are a lot more active than they look.
Turns out some icy moons might have oceans that boil when their ice melts. New @ucdavis.bsky.social research digs into how these worlds stay active beneath the surface.
Read more:
Turns out some icy moons might have oceans that boil when their ice melts. New @ucdavis.bsky.social research digs into how these worlds stay active beneath the surface.
Read more:
Gözde Göncü-Berk has been named the inaugural Endowed Chair and founding director of the new Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles at @ucdavis.bsky.social.
Her work explores how wearable tech, responsive textiles, and emerging materials can transform lives.
Her work explores how wearable tech, responsive textiles, and emerging materials can transform lives.
Endowed Chair Named for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles
Gözde Göncü-Berk, associate professor of design, has been named the inaugural Maria Manetti Shrem Endowed Chair in Design, Fashion and Textiles and the founding director of the Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles a...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
November 26, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Gözde Göncü-Berk has been named the inaugural Endowed Chair and founding director of the new Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles at @ucdavis.bsky.social.
Her work explores how wearable tech, responsive textiles, and emerging materials can transform lives.
Her work explores how wearable tech, responsive textiles, and emerging materials can transform lives.
Personality is more flexible than we think. @ucdavis.bsky.social researchers studied daily behaviors and the Big Five traits over multiple years, showing how our personalities shift with time.
Do you know your Big Five? Visit our magazine to find out.
Do you know your Big Five? Visit our magazine to find out.
Take the Big Five Inventory of Personality Traits and Learn about What It Means for You
The Big Five inventory of personality traits is the only scientifically supported model of human personality endorsed by scientists and scientific societies. Take this test to get your scores on the Big Five and learn what they mean about your personality.
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
November 26, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Personality is more flexible than we think. @ucdavis.bsky.social researchers studied daily behaviors and the Big Five traits over multiple years, showing how our personalities shift with time.
Do you know your Big Five? Visit our magazine to find out.
Do you know your Big Five? Visit our magazine to find out.
Reposted by UC Davis College of Letters & Science
Congratulations to Professor Stacy Fahrenthold, the 2025 winner of The Nikki Keddie Book Award! Given by the Middle East Studies Association of North America, the award recognizes outstanding scholarly work in the area of religion, revolution, and/or society in the Middle East.
November 25, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Congratulations to Professor Stacy Fahrenthold, the 2025 winner of The Nikki Keddie Book Award! Given by the Middle East Studies Association of North America, the award recognizes outstanding scholarly work in the area of religion, revolution, and/or society in the Middle East.