Pesticides Content

Using Glowing Fish to Detect Harmful Pesticides

Andy Fell — August 15, 2023 - 10:00am

Birth defects related to chromosomal abnormalities often stem from exposure to chemicals early in the mother’s life. But determining which chemicals are at fault poses a serious challenge — akin to solving a hit-and-run case, decades after the fact. Two researchers in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis College of Biological Sciences are developing a method that could identify harmful chemicals far more quickly, with the help of red- and green-glowing zebrafish.

Aged Before Their Time: Atrazine and Diminished Egg Quality in Mice

Andy Fell — December 19, 2022 - 11:33am

Female infants are born with several million immature egg cells, or oocytes. Over the course of the reproductive years, a few hundred of them will develop into mature eggs for potential fertilization. Because of this extended maturation process, the oocytes of humans and other mammals are vulnerable to both developmental exposures and the aging process.

Climate Change Is Ratcheting Up the Pressure on Bees

Katherine E Kerlin — October 14, 2022 - 2:43pm

Extreme weather like drought, heat and storms also affects wild and native bees, says Jennie L. Durant in this essay for The Conversation.

Preventing Serious Brain Damage From Nerve Agents

Amy M Quinton — September 26, 2022 - 10:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers are developing ways to prevent long-term brain damage in humans when poisoned by organophosphate chemical nerve agents or pesticides.

Pesticides Can Affect Multiple Generations of Bees

Amy M Quinton — November 29, 2021 - 11:52am

A 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study finds that pesticides not only directly affect bee health, but effects from past exposure can carry over to future generations.

Pesticides and Food Scarcity Dramatically Reduce Wild Bee Population

Amy M Quinton — October 06, 2020 - 9:30am

The loss of flowering plants and the widespread use of pesticides could be a double punch to wild bee populations. In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that the combined threats reduced blue orchard bee reproduction by 57 percent and resulted in fewer female offspring. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

How Much Does It Cost California Cannabis Growers to Safety Test?

Amy M Quinton — April 23, 2020 - 11:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers find that California cannabis safety tests cost growers about 10 percent of the average wholesale price of legal cannabis. The biggest share of this expense comes from failing the test.

DDT Linked to Higher Risk of Diabetes Among Asian Indian Immigrants to U.S.

Katherine E Kerlin — November 20, 2019 - 1:14pm

Previous exposure to the pollutant DDT may contribute to the risk of Type 2 diabetes among Asian Indian immigrants to the United States, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

The study, published today in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology, linked high levels of DDT, or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, in Indian immigrants with risk factors for metabolic disease.

Diversity as Natural Pesticide

Katherine E Kerlin — October 12, 2016 - 11:50am

Monoculture crops provide the nutrient levels insect pests crave, explains a study led by the University of California, Davis, in the journal Nature. Returning plant diversity to farmland could be a key step toward sustainable pest control.

Turtles, Pesticides and Parks

Katherine E Kerlin — April 20, 2016 - 1:23pm

Western pond turtles in Sequoia National Park and other California remote wildlands have been exposed to an assortment of agricultural pesticides and industrial contaminants, according to a study from the National Park Service and 51�ԹϺ�� Davis.