curiosity Content

‘Unfold’ Podcast, Episode 3: ‘Nature Tells Its Story, Part 2’

Katherine E Kerlin — October 12, 2021 - 9:00am

California boasts hundreds of caves, many of them hidden in the Sierra Nevada foothills. These caves hold much more than beautiful icicle-like stalactites and stalagmites. Trapped inside the stalagmites are tiny droplets of fossilized precipitation from climates long ago.

‘Unfold’ Podcast Explores Curiosity-Driven Research in Season 3

Katherine E Kerlin — September 28, 2021 - 10:00am

Unfold, a �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis podcast, is launching its third season. Hosts Amy Quinton and Kat Kerlin will bring you stories of awe, wonder and discovery as they explore curiosity-driven research at �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis. They’ll talk to researchers whose curiosity has led them to some pretty amazing discoveries, like why songs get stuck in your head or what comic book superheroes can teach you about real-world materials science.

Do Bobblehead Giveaways Increase Baseball Attendance?

Cody Kitaura — June 10, 2019 - 9:00am

Spring means it’s time for the familiar sights and sounds of professional baseball: meticulously mowed outfields, the crack of a bat against a ball, and bobblehead giveaways.

Baseball teams are out to win games, and they play a staggering number each year when compared to other professional sports. How can they keep fans coming back?

Bobblehead giveaways, it turns out, increase attendance by around 25 percent on weekdays and 9 percent on weekends, Graduate School of Management student Mai Nguyen found.

‘Curiosity Project’ Will Launch on KVIE

Dave Jones — November 13, 2018 - 10:35am

�°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis and public television station KVIE have collaborated to create a six-segment, 30-minute show called the “Curiosity Project” that will debut at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 14).

The program explores the deeper stories behind six of our professors: What inspired them down the road of science and academia? What drives their research and their passion to help others? What do they teach us about the world?

Making Cement Sustainable

Andy Fell — October 16, 2018 - 5:09pm

Cement production accounts for up to nine percent of global anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Sabbie Miller, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, aims to change that by finding alternative ways to make cement or replace it altogether.

People have been using cement as a building material for thousands of years. Mixed with water and rock fragments, it forms concrete for buildings, highways and bridges.

Fruit Flies Raised in Space by �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis Researcher Show Weakened Immunity

Karen Michele Nikos — October 08, 2018 - 4:58pm

In 2006, Professor Deborah Kimbrell and a group of university researchers were selected by NASA to send fruit flies up on a space shuttle to test their immune response.

Can Meditation Improve How Well Your Brain Works and How You Handle Stress?

Karen Michele Nikos — September 25, 2018 - 4:03pm

Researchers at �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis have found that meditation can improve your ability to pay attention and retain information.

The study followed 60 experienced meditators who attended these three-month meditation retreats and received ongoing instruction in meditation techniques from Buddhist scholar, author and teacher B. Alan Wallace of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies. They attended group meditation sessions twice a day and engaged in individual practice for about six hours a day.