Sea otters may seem like cute and fluffy animals, but their bodies offer clues to the condition of coastal waters—the same waters that humans use, play, and work in. The next Davis Science Café will feature U.S. Geological Survey geneticist Liz Bowen, who will explain what sea otters can tell us about marine ecosystem health. Bowen, a USGS researcher based on the UC Davis campus, will explain how RNA in blood and tissue samples collected from wild sea otters can serve as indicators of environmental change. The café will start at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at City Hall Tavern inside Bistro 33 in Davis. Bowen joins us ahead of the Science Café discussion to preview some of the research she’ll be sharing. 

LINKS:

• Science Cafe
• Pacific Nearshore Project
• Capital Science Communicators