Advancing Health Worldwide Content

Cold Hands, Warm Heart — Researchers Solve Medical Mystery

Andy Fell — May 04, 2026 - 10:40am

The saying “cold hands, warm heart” is usually meant metaphorically — but new research from UC Davis School of Medicine and collaborating institutions suggests it has a striking biological parallel.

Climate Change Increases Spillover Risk of Rodent-Borne Arenaviruses

Katherine E Kerlin — May 04, 2026 - 9:00am

Climate change is likely to drive rodent-borne arenaviruses into parts of South America that have never faced these diseases, putting new communities of people at risk, finds a study from the University of California, Davis.

For the study, published in the journal npj Viruses, scientists incorporated climate projections, shifting rodent populations and the risks of human infection into a model to offer an early risk projection for arenaviruses and other diseases in the next 20 to 40 years.

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.

Discovery of Addison's Disease Gene in Dogs Could Help Humans, Too

Andy Fell — April 14, 2026 - 3:45pm

Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In humans, Addison's disease is thought to occur when the body's immune system attacks the adrenal glands, making it a type of autoimmune disease.

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.

4 Elected as AAAS Fellows

Andy Fell — March 26, 2026 - 10:00am

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:

A Billion Daily Repairs: How Our Cells Mend Broken DNA

Andy Fell — March 23, 2026 - 10:45am

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.

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.

Plant Cell Structure Could Hold Key to Cancer Therapies and Improved Crops

Andy Fell — March 05, 2026 - 5:22pm

Can the bend of a banana give us insight into cancer? What does the shape of a rice grain have to do with infertility? The proteins that give plants their shape and structure are also involved in human disease. A team led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, has mapped out the structure of a key player, augmin, in exhaustive detail.