In the News
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February 24, 2021
“The back of the skull has a lot of information and a lot of distinct features as do the vertebrae. … There’s three-dimensional information there that you can use to find unique attributes,” said Jeffrey Wilson Mantilla, curator of the Museum of Paleontology and professor of earth and environmental sciences, whose research recently reclassified a fossil discovered in the American West in 1883 as a dicraeosaurid.
Smithsonian Magazine -
February 24, 2021
Lola Eniola-Adefeso, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering, says if research review boards aren’t diverse, then members might not have connections to diseases that disproportionately affect Black people and won’t feel relevant research needs as much funding: “NIH and other agencies need to understand that their lack of training of their reviewers and their lack of prioritization of research dollars to diverse researchers is the inherent issue.”
STAT -
February 23, 2021
Ongoing research by Rick Neitzel, associate professor of environmental health sciences, shows noise pollution during shutdowns last spring in California, Texas, New York and Florida dropped an average of 3 decibels — substantially reducing the risk of hearing loss: “If we can keep noise at a conversation level, below a daily average of 70 decibels, we can completely eliminate noise-induced hearing loss.”
U.S. News & World Report -
February 23, 2021
Michael Craig, assistant professor of energy and sustainability, says power grid operators can plan only for peaks and surges they see coming, a task of analyzing past trends and extrapolating predictions that is only growing more difficult: “We are in a nonstationary world. Climate change means that it is not stationary. The last 40 years might not be reflective of what’s coming down the pike the next 40 years.”
NBC News -
February 23, 2021
Certain foods can elicit “addictive-like” eating behaviors, such as intense cravings, loss of control and inability to cut back despite experiencing harmful consequences, says Ashley Gearhardt, associate professor of psychology: “It’s … highly processed foods that are engineered in a way that’s so similar to how we create other addictive substances.”
The New York Times -
February 22, 2021
Research by Lesly Dossett, assistant professor of surgery, found two surgical procedures for breast cancer that yield no meaningful clinical benefit continue to be utilized and have even increased: “This suggests that formal efforts to reduce low-value care through dissemination of guidelines, education of patients or providers, or alignment of incentives will be necessary to achieve full deimplementation.”
Medscape Medical News -
February 22, 2021
Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability, says that while Elon Musk’s $100 million commitment to use carbon capture technology to zap carbon dioxide out of the air is great, he believes the money could be better spent protecting what we already have: “That’s a much bigger job. We could use some money to figure out technological carbon capture, but we’ve got to protect the biological natural carbon capture first.”
Popular Science -
February 22, 2021
In an interview about the ongoing rise of attacks and violence against Asian Americans across the country, Melissa Borja, assistant professor of American culture, discussed her analysis of tweets by politicians that found Donald Trump was the main source, by far, of the rhetoric that stigmatized Asia and Asian Americans, often using racist slurs and epithets to refer to COVID-19.
National Public Radio -
February 19, 2021
The expansion of a Wayne County program that temporarily halts foreclosures for homeowners facing financial difficulties will give businesses and landlords more time to work with tenants to access rental assistance from federal relief funds, says Margaret Dewar, professor emerita of urban planning.
Detroit Free Press -
February 19, 2021
Practicing job interview skills using a virtual simulator could significantly increase the odds that young adults with autism find employment, according to research by Matthew Smith, associate professor of social work, and colleagues. Adults with autism who completed the virtual training program ultimately had better interviewing skills and less anxiety than those who only received traditional services.
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