Welcome to CNPRC News, your monthly news roundup from the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC). Would you please forward this to a friend? They can subscribe here. 

 'UC Davis LIVE' on the Science of Romance and Relationships 

Spring is coming, and the stores are full of red hearts and candy. What does science have to tell us about how we fall in love, and with whom? What makes us swipe left or right, and does that have anything to do with successful relationships? Join UC Davis LIVE this Thursday to discuss these questions and more with psychologists Karen Bales and Paul Eastwick who study attraction and attachment.

The conversation, hosted by Soterios Johnson, will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10.

Can Early Life Exposure to Wildfire Smoke Alter Our Genes?

Early life wildfire smoke exposure led to long-term changes in genes impacting nervous and immune systems in rhesus macaques, according to research from the CNPRC.

Previous studies indicate that early life exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with adolescent immune and respiratory challenges. These adverse effects of wildfire exposure are increasingly recognized, the mechanisms through which these changes persist in the body are still unknown.

“Epigenetics may be a potential mechanism that explains this phenomenon,” said Hong Ji, Ph.D, lead researcher on the study.

Heartbreak Hurts, in Part Because Our Cells 'Listen for Loneliness'

Loneliness is more than a feeling. Research shows it can negatively impact our immune system. Recent studies with rhesus macaques provide some hope, indicating the health effects of short-term loneliness — weeks or months at a time — are largely reversible. 

“Some degree of social connection can really rescue people’s immune systems from the negative effects of being forced to be isolated,”' says John Capitanio, Ph.D, core scientist at the CNPRC.

Zika Vaccine Shows Promising Results in Preclinical Studies

A Zika virus vaccine candidate is effective at preventing the Zika virus passing from mother to fetus in preclinical animal studies, according to a new study in the journal npj Vaccines. Collaborators on this study include Texas Biomedical Research Institute, UC Davis Veterinary Medicine, Trudeau Institute, UC San Francisco, and SUNY Upstate Medical University.