Driven by Curiosity Content

How Are They Biting? High Speed Video Reveals Unexpected Jaw Movements in Reef Fish

Andy Fell — May 05, 2025 - 5:20pm

Some reef fish have the unexpected ability to move their jaws from side to side, biologists at the ��ҵ�� have discovered. This ability – which is rare among vertebrate animals – allows these fish to feed rapidly and efficiently on algae growing on rocks. The work is published May 5 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

How Aggie Square Is Advancing Innovation in Sacramento

Jocelyn C Anderson — April 29, 2025 - 8:45am

Learn how ��ҵ��’ Aggie Square is solving pressing challenges through collaborative research and cutting-edge technology.

Study Suggests Dance and Lullabies Aren’t Universal Human Behaviors

Andy Fell — April 29, 2025 - 8:00am

Social singing and dance are often assumed to be hard-wired into the human condition; studies have supported the conclusion that these are common across cultures. But new research from a ��ҵ��, anthropologist challenges the idea that dance and lullabies are universal among humans.

Can Citizen Science Be Trusted? New Study of Birds Shows It Can

Andy Fell — April 15, 2025 - 4:18pm

Platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird encourage people to observe and document nature, but how accurate is the ecological data that they collect?

Play Dives into the Life of Famed Mathematician Emmy Noether

Andy Fell — March 27, 2025 - 9:33am

Mathematics and theatrics combine this April in Diving into Math with Emmy Noether, a play about the pioneering and influential mathematician who is often referred to as the “mother of modern algebra.”

Fish Teeth Show How Ease of Innovation Enables Rapid Evolution

Andy Fell — February 26, 2025 - 8:00am

It’s not what you do, it’s how readily you do it. Rapid evolutionary change might have more to do with how easily a key innovation can be gained or lost rather than with the innovation itself, according to new work by biologists at the ��ҵ��, who studied how teeth in certain fishes evolved in response to food sources and habitats.

Their work was published Feb. 26 in Nature.

Diving in Antarctica

Andy Fell — February 11, 2025 - 2:06pm

The McMurdo Dry Valleys don’t look like they belong in Antarctica. Largely devoid of snow, the landscape is mostly dirt and rock. When explorer Robert Falcon Scott trekked the area in 1903, he referred to it as “the valley of the dead.”

But that name is a misnomer. While life may not be evident to the naked eye, beneath the icy surface of Lake Fryxell, microscopic communities teem with life. Microbes, nematode worms and tardigrades thrive in this environment.

Creating Nanoislands for Better Platinum Catalysts

Andy Fell — January 28, 2025 - 4:27pm

Noble metals such as platinum can make useful catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions, particularly hydrogenation (adding hydrogen atoms to a molecule). The research team led by Professor Bruce Gates at the ��ҵ�� Department of Chemical Engineering is interested in making platinum catalysts that are highly efficient and stable during chemical reactions.

Men and Women Equally Attracted to Younger Partners, ��ҵ�� Study Suggests

Karen Michele Nikos — January 27, 2025 - 12:35pm

Men and women alike are drawn to younger partners, whether or not they realize it. The conclusion came from a ��ҵ��, study of 4,500 blind dates of people seeking a long-term partner.

New Angle Etching Technique for Making Quantum Devices

Andy Fell — January 24, 2025 - 4:40pm

Researchers at the ��ҵ��, have demonstrated an angle etching method for fabricating quantum photonic devices at the wafer scale in silicon carbide.

Color centers are the essential hub for photons (particles of light) in quantum devices. They are the components that emit and maintain photons, functioning as a quantum memory bank. However, they are challenging to fabricate, particularly for the industrial development of quantum technology.