On Thursday, NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity discovered 3-billion-year-old organic compounds. According to WVU Associate Professor of Geology Kathleen Benison, the newly discovered organics provide “a real possibility” of future life on Mars.
Sunday's deadly eruption of Volcan Fuego in Guatemala highlights the dangers of volcanoes and the differences between them. Unlike the relatively peaceful, if still devastating, eruption on-going on Hawai'i, yesterday's eruption of Fuego was very violent and overwhelmed the areas surrounding the volcano, including residential areas.
Steadily rising suicide rates are related to the country’s opioid epidemic, a West Virginia University epidemiologist says. According to Dr. Ian Rockett, WVU’s newest study reveals that drug suicides are a significant public health issue.
New cracks and lava leaks on Hawai’i near two established volcano vents pose significant hazards for the area’s residents, and not only from the currents of lava flow creeping toward the Pacific Ocean. According to Graham Andrews, West Virginia University volcanologist, large earthquakes and repeated small, explosions at the volcanos, plus toxic gases and vapors released from the lava and where the it enters the ocean are likely to make breathing difficult, a combination that is making life on Hawai’i perilous.
A lot of people are excited to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married, even though they’ve never met these people. Some people might think that parasocial attachments to celebrities and royalty is bizarre, but research suggests it’s actually quite normal and can even be healthy. Human beings are social beings, and we are hardwired to feel connected with other people, even if those people don’t even know us.
On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was unconstitutional. PASPA regulated betting on professional and amateur sports since 1992, and effectively outlawed betting on sports everywhere in the United States except in the State of Nevada.
Once a point of potential cooperation in the early days of the Trump administration, Syria is now an area of possible increased military conflict as the interests of the U.S. and Russia diverge in the Middle East, a West Virginia University expert says.
Paul Ryan’s decision to retire is likely rooted in fears that he could lose his seat in the upcoming election, that the GOP could lose the majority—or both, according to one West Virginia University expert. American politics expert Jason MacDonald says Ryan is calculating the number of House Republican retirements and weighing his own political future
While West Virginia University social media expert Elizabeth Cohen says dramatic changes may not occur in Facebook’s business model—or even in people’s online behaviors—she says Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony is a societal turning point for data privacy discussions. Further, she says, it’s time to classify social media companies like Facebook so the need for regulatory rules—if any—can be determined.
The Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. is now being carried forward by a new generation. Marjorie Fuller, director of the Center for Black Culture and Research at West Virginia University, and Meshea Poore, vice president of WVU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, believe that as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, his work is more relevant now than ever.