Each year, a single cow can belch about 200 pounds of methane. The powerful greenhouse gas is 27 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. For decades, scientists and farmers have tried to find ways to reduce methane without stunting the animal’s growth or productivity.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May led a delegation to Kenya this week to advance a landmark partnership between the State of California and the Government of Kenya focused on climate action, clean transportation, climate smart agriculture, public health and innovation. Chancellor May was joined by Samuel Assefa, director of the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, as well as several university representatives. The delegation was jointly organized by UC Davis Global Affairs, Institute of Transportation Studies and the Office of the Special Envoy on Climate of Kenya.  

Rows of tightly packed olive trees stretch across California’s Central Valley. These super-high-density orchards, where trees are planted close together for faster, mechanized harvesting, can grow strong with less fertilizer than expected, according to new research from the University of California, Davis.

As climate change increases the frequency of droughts, UCLA researchers found one overlooked side effect: people report more conflicts with wildlife during drought, when resources are scarce.

“Here, Jeffy, Jeffy!” 

Hugh Safford is calling out into the woods for a tree. That’s normal enough for a forest ecologist, but the tree he’s searching for — the Jeffrey pine — was not, until recently, expected to live anywhere near here.   

California often swings between climate extremes — from powerful storms to punishing droughts. As climate change drives more intense and frequent dry and wet cycles, pressure on California’s water supplies grows.

A new University of California, Davis, economic study finds that drought in California pushes the price of water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs up by $487 per acre-foot, more than triple the cost during an average wet year. The research appears in Nature Sustainability.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have discovered a new species of trapdoor spider lurking in California’s coastal sand dunes. The newly identified Aptostichus ramirezae is a close relative of Aptostichus simus, a species found along the coast from Monterey to Baja California, Mexico.

A team of researchers from University of California, Davis, spent the summer at elementary schools across the state measuring tree canopies and just how hot playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields and other outdoor spaces can get.

A team of international researchers led by University of California, Davis, released a mobile tool recently that will help small-scale farmers in Asia and Africa craft the right diet for cattle to increase yield and productivity, helping to reduce methane emissions.

Demand for cattle milk and meat in Africa is growing each year. High costs for feed without adequate nutrients reduces productivity and contributes to emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Siblings are special. Be they protector or tormentor, friend or foe, the relationship between siblings is like no other. They witness each other’s childhoods — sharing parents, history, secrets and advice.

Even among some bird species, siblings can be powerful role models — eclipsing even their parents’ influence — according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.