Human & Animal Health Content

Identifying Genetic Causes of Blindness in People and Macaques

Andy Fell — April 28, 2026 - 3:25pm

An inherited form of blindness directly comparable to a common inherited optic nerve disease in humans has been discovered in rhesus macaques at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The work, published April 15 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to a better understanding of autosomal dominant optic atrophy, or ADOA, and potentially to new treatments.

UC Davis Receives $75M Historic Gift in Support of Veterinary Medicine

Amy M Quinton — April 23, 2026 - 5:00pm

The UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine has received $75 million from Bay Area residents Kathy Chiao and Kenneth Hao.

Yolo County Basic Income Program Provided Reprieve from Poverty but Not Financial Independence

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — April 22, 2026 - 8:33am

A basic income program in Yolo County — one of the first such programs nationwide — lifted unhoused families above the California poverty line for two years. Families could, for a while, spend less time worrying about money and more time being a family, according to new University of California, Davis, research.

The program provided a monthly stipend to 76 mostly single-parent families between 2022 and 2024, helping them gain housing, food and general wellbeing for two years.

Penguin ‘Toxicologists’ Find PFAS Chemicals in Remote Patagonia

Katherine E Kerlin — April 08, 2026 - 8:00am

Penguins can serve as living monitors of their environment by using small, chemical-detecting leg bands, according to a study from UC Davis and SUNY-Buffalo.

Common Disinfectant Chemicals Far More Toxic When Inhaled, Study Finds

Amy M Quinton — March 30, 2026 - 6:00am

Mouse study finds inhaling disinfectant chemicals (QACs) may be far more toxic than swallowing them, raising concerns about lung injury and disease.

New Research Suggests FDA Should Consider Redesign of Proposed Nutrition Labels

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — March 24, 2026 - 9:20am

Packaged foods offer convenience for families and individuals, but they can be a major source of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, which when consumed in excess contribute to chronic disease. To help people build healthier diets, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a new front-of-package nutrition label in January 2025 that would inform consumers about the presence of these nutrients.

Global Strategies to Protect Seals and Sea Lions from Avian Influenza

Katherine E Kerlin — March 19, 2026 - 9:02am

When the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was discovered on a poultry farm in Asia in 1996, there was little indication that it would become so widespread and so destructive. Within 30 years, it reached every continental region except Oceania, infecting more than 400 million poultry, tens of thousands of elephant seals and sea lions, about 1,000 people and many other mammals and wild birds.

Pinnipeds, which include seals and sea lions, have been hit unusually hard by the virus.

Study Improves Understanding of Food Safety Risks in California Central Coast Produce

Amy M Quinton — March 05, 2026 - 10:05am

UC Davis researchers found harmful strains of E. coli, including types that can cause serious human illness, in animal and environmental sources in the Salinas Valley.

First Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Northern Elephant Seals Confirmed in California

Katherine E Kerlin — February 25, 2026 - 10:00am

Note: March 12, 2026: This outbreak is ongoing. For the latest updates and materials, please visit the Institute for Pandemic Insights information page.

Seven weaned elephant seal pups in California’s Año Nuevo State Park tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed Tuesday evening.

What is Gut Health?

Amy M Quinton — February 18, 2026 - 8:51am

An international panel led by UC Davis professor Maria Marco defines “gut health” for the first time, offering a scientific framework for medicine, research and consumer claims.