Dr. David Adler Gold is a geobiologist, combining genetics and the fossil record to study the relationship between Earth and life over long timescales. He has worked on problems as old as the origin of complex life, and as recent as the effects of global warming on marine invertebrates.
David got his PhD at UCLA working with Dr. David Jacobs. He then went on to do postdoctoral fellowships at MIT (with Dr. Roger Summons) and Caltech (with Dr. Lea Goentoro) before joining the faculty at UC Davis.
In addition to his research, Dr. Gold is also the manager of the UC Davis Fossil Collection and the Faculty Director of the UC Davis CalTeach/MAST Program, which trains STEM undergraduates to become K-12 teachers.
Current Areas of Research
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are the oldest living group of animals. In addition to asking questions about early animal evolution, we use the moon jellyfish Aurelia as a model organism for questions regarding tissue regeneration and biological aging.
Molecular Fossils
Molecular fossils are organic compounds preserved in rocks. By combining organic geochemistry and genetics, the Gold lab is testing competing hypotheses about the organisms that could have been synthesized these compounds in the deep past.
Biomineralization
We combine genetics and mineralogy to study how animals build their shells and skeletons. Biomineralization unites questions about the fossil record with contemporary issues about climate change–as ocean acidification is predicted to negatively impact the ability of marine life to build calcitic skeletons.
Latest News
Dr. Gold is elected as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences
Dr. Gold is honored to have been elected a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. The Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences are a group of distinguished scientists, nominated and appointed in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the natural sciences. You can learn more about them here.… Read More »
New Paper: Dickinsonia biomarkers
Dickinsonia is one of the best-known fossils of the Precambrian, but scientists can’t agree on what kind of creature it was or how it behaved. A biomarker preserved in some Dickinsonia fossils has been interpreted as evidence of decomposition, but could it instead be telling us how this organism ate? …… Read More »
NorCal GeoBio 2025 Is a Major Sucess
What a great time we had hosting the 3rd annual Northern California Geobiology (NorCal GeoBio) Meeting! Over 100 participants from more than a dozen universities got together at the beautiful Bodega Marine Laboratory. So many great talks and posters from early-career scientists. You can learn more about the event here.… Read More »
5 Fun Finds in the UC Davis Paleontology Collection
UC Davis’ Letters & Sciences Magazine recently published a profile on the fossil collection, including a listicle of five fossils in our collection. You can read the article here.… Read More »
Dr. Gold Quoted in TechCrunch
On a quest to revive the woolly mammoth, scientists have created a woolly mouse. Is the first step towards resurrecting extinct species? You can read the profile on TechCrunch to find out. Of course they just used a small quote of mine; if you want to know the full response …… Read More »