They’re coming but there’s no need to fear (although you may want to reach for some earplugs). Brood X periodical cicadas are set to emerge in at least 15 states – including West Virginia - in late May, according to scientists with the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design.
Spring is here and the Easter holiday is around the corner, which means farm and feed stores everywhere have cute baby animals, such as bunnies and chicks, available for purchase. While you may be tempted to bring home a bunny or some chicks as a holiday gift for your children, West Virginia University Extension Service Agents Natasha Harris and Jesica Streets have shared a few considerations before making the investment.
NASA rover Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars Thursday, Feb. 18, and West Virginia University geologist Kathleen Benison is on the scientific team choosing which Martian rocks to bring back to Earth for study.
Earlier this week, Old Man Winter packed a dual punch of ice and snow that blanketed a large part of the U.S., including southwestern West Virginia. In addition to causing power outages and dangerous roads, ice storms also present a number of hazards for landowners, including severe damage to forests and the value of timber. WVU Extension Service Forestry Resources Specialist David McGill notes it’s important for landowners to remain calm and seek out resources to develop a plan to address the damage.
One West Virginia University financial expert believes the recent stock surges of GameStop and other companies undermine public confidence in the market and could ultimately harm the economy. A coordinated effort by individual traders on social media platforms has manipulated prices for GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Blackberry and others, said Alexander Kurov, Fred T. Tattersall Research Chair and Professor of Finance in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. GameStop stock shot up more than 1,700% since early January and, now, some trading platforms are restricting trades on the video game retailer.
In Los Angeles, emergency workers are deciding who gets taken to the hospital and who doesn’t as nearly 8,000 COVID-19 patients overcrowd its healthcare facilities. Ambulance crews there have been instructed to not take patients with little chance of survival and to reserve oxygen use for hospitalized coronavirus patients, a directive that West Virginia University College of Law Professor Valarie Blake says raises legal and ethical questions.
The storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. by domestic terrorists on Wednesday (Jan. 6) should come as no surprise, according to political science and history experts at West Virginia University. Extreme political ideologies fueled the attack on the U.S. Capitol, an action reminiscent of fascist regimes elsewhere in the world, researchers said.
Three West Virginia University professors say hate and fear fueled the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Wednesday (Jan. 6). In the coming days, these experts say we as a nation must consider culpability and explore how we can create a better future to prevent violence, disrupt misinformation and reform the justice system.
Recently the secretive mink has become a hot topic in COVID-19 headlines. SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) was detected in farmed mink in several countries including the United States. A wild mink tested positive near a farmed mink facility in Utah. While the mink, a mammal similar to weasels and river otters, is prevalent in the Mountain State, Sheldon Owen, wildlife specialist at the West Virginia University Extension Service, says there’s no need for alarm.
As conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines seem to comfort some people, others are anxious to get the shot they believe will protect them from the deadly virus. Social media has played a role in the spread of information and mis-information alike, according to Elizabeth L. Cohen, associate professor in West Virginia University’s Department of Communication Studies.