Documenting the Monkey Stone Age in Real-Time

For the last six years, graduate student Meredith Carlson has studied the ongoing development of stone tool use in white-faced capuchins on the islands of Coiba and Jicarón, both located within Panama's Coiba National Park.

13 College of Letters and Science Faculty Members Receive Research Revitalization Grants

Thirteen faculty members from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis were recently awarded Revitalization Research Program Grants. Intended to support faculty whose research programs have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the college-funded grants support the continuation or completion of stalled, high-priority projects. The selected faculty members represent the breadth of research conducted at the College of Letters and Science.

Rise of Archery Technology in South America Dated to 5,000 Years Ago, Linked to Increasing Social Complexity

When did archery arise in the Americas? And what were the effects of this technology on society? These questions have long been debated among anthropologists and archaeologists. But a recent study published in Quaternary International and led by an anthropologist from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis is shining light on this mystery.

Study Reveals How Genetic Uniformity Affects Offspring Fertility for Generations

When it comes to the architecture of the human genome, it’s only a matter of time before harmful genes arise in a population. These mutations accumulate in the gene pool, primarily affected by a population’s size and practices like marrying within a small community. New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal provides rare direct evidence showing that increased homozygosity leads to negative effects on fertility in a human population.

The Universality of Song: Humans Can Recognize a Song’s Intent Regardless of Language

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that there is an association between how songs sound and their place in our emotional lives. Sourcing songs from across the globe, Manvir Singh and his fellow researchers found that people from different types of societies can successfully identify a song’s type by how it sounds, regardless of the language of its words.