What happened in research this week at UC Davis? I'm glad you asked. 

Protecting seals from influenza

The recent outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza among elephant seals at Año Nuevo highlights how a virus better known for outbreaks on chicken farms has also hit pinnipeds -- seals and sea lions -- especially hard. UC Davis epidemiologists have laid out a plan for protecting these species as the virus continues to spread. 

Kidney disease and the gut microbiome 

A new UC Davis Health study involving both human patients and mouse experiments shows that kidney disease can turbocharge production of nitrates by bacteria in the colon, causing more kidney damage. The work, published this week in Science, could lead to new drugs to break this cycle. 

How do they count calories, anyway? 

Ever wondered where the calorie counts on food labels come from? That is a question at the heart of a lawsuit around David Protein bars. There are two main methods, UC Davis Professor of Nutrition Debbie Fetter explained to GQ magazine, and they can give different results. That's because not all calories are equal: some might be inaccessible to human digestion. 

A roadmap to room-temperature superconductors 

Physicists have been dreaming for decades of superconductors that work at ambient temperatures. Right now, superconducting magnets in, for example, MRI machines have to be cooled with liquid helium, limiting how they can be used. But UC Davis physics professor Warren Pickett and colleagues recently pointed out that there is no physical law preventing room-temperature superconductors, so they must exist somewhere. Pickett and company set out a new plan to find them. 

I might get my flying car yet!