Press Announcements
For Chimps, Salt and Pepper Hair Not a Marker of Old Age
Associate Professor of Anthropology Brenda Bradley and PhD candidate Elizabeth Tapanes uncovered significant variation in how chimpanzees, our closest ape relatives, experience pigment loss. While silver strands and graying hair are signs of aging in humans, graying occurs in chimps until they reach midlife and then plateaus as they continue to age, making it an unreliable indicator of age. The study by the researchers from the CCAS Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Study: Rampant Online Distrust of Health Expertise
Professor of Physics Neil Johnson led a research team that developed a first-of-its-kind map to track COVID conversations among 100 million Facebook users. Along with Associate Professor of Political Science Yonatan Lupu, the team’s findings, which were published in the journal Nature, revealed that online communities that distrust establishment health guidance are more effective than government health agencies at reaching and engaging audiences.
Breaking Down Wood Decomposition by Fungi
Associate Professor of Biology Amy Zanne was part of a research team that developed a better understanding of the factors accounting for different wood decomposition rates among fungi. Using a combination of lab and field experiments, they revealed how an understanding of fungal trait variation can improve the predictive ability of early and mid-stage wood decay, a critical driver of the global carbon cycle.
Flemming Awards Midcareer Feds’ Achievements
The 71st annual Arthur S. Flemming Awards honored the accomplishments of 13 federal employees from agencies across the federal government. Among the achievements recognized were creating the most accurate clock in the world, developing ways to see crime scene evidence invisible to the human eye and finding new ways to track influenza around the world. The Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission partners with the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration.
Politics Poll: Misinformation Concern Bipartisan. But Democrats Blame Foreign Powers, Republicans Blame Media.
The GW Politics Poll revealed a stark partisan divide over who is to blame for misinformation circulating during the presidential election season. A nationwide survey led by Associate Professor of Political Science Danny Hayes and Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs Kimberly Gross found Republicans and Democrats are highly concerned about the spread of misinformation and the potential impacts it might have on American politics and society. However, when asked who is at fault, Democrats are more likely to blame foreign governments while Republicans largely fault the media.
Researchers Discover Highest-Energy Light From a Gamma-ray Burst
Professor of Astrophysics Chryssa Kouveliotou and Assistant Professor of Astrophysics Alexander van der Horst were members of an international team of scientists who identified previously unseen components of gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the cosmos. These explosive events emit extreme amounts of energy and are accompanied by an afterglow of light over a broad range of energies that fades with time. The researchers observed a gamma-ray burst with an afterglow that featured the highest energy photons—a trillion times more energetic than visible light—ever detected in a burst. Their discovery was published in the journal Nature.
First of Its Kind Mapping Model Tracks How Hate Spreads and Adapts Online
Professor of Physics Neil Johnson led a team of researchers in developing a mapping model, the first of its kind, to track how online hate clusters thrive. Online hate spreads globally through self-organized, scalable clusters that interconnect to form resilient networks across multiple social media platforms, countries and languages. Published in the journal Nature, the team’s project seeks to understand how hate evolves online by mapping how clusters spread their narratives and attract new recruits. The mapping model could help social media platforms and law enforcement in the battle against hate online.
Knight Foundation Investment to Fund Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics
The Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics (IDDP), a newly created GW research platform supported by a $5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will fight the rise of distorted and misleading information online. With a team of researchers spanning political communication, journalism, physics, international affairs, computer science and engineering, IDDP will work to educate national policymakers and journalists on strategies to grapple with the threat to democracy posed by digital propaganda and deception. IDDP is supported by a $5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Oldest Evidence of Stone Tool Production Discovered in Ethiopia
Associate Professor of Anthropology David Braun joined an archaeological team in Ethiopia that discovered the oldest evidence of stone tool production, dating back more than 2.58 million years. The excavation took several years before the researchers exposed a layer of animal bones and hundreds of pieces of chipped stone representing the earliest evidence of our direct ancestors making and using stone knives.
Study Highlights Vulnerability of Rural Coast to Sea-Level Rise
Assistant Professor of Biology Keryn Gedan co-authored new research that highlights the growing recognition that sea-level rise will mostly impact rural land—much of which is privately owned—complicating the complex tradeoffs between the value of different land uses. Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, their work is the first to synthesize the growing number of studies of land conversion driven by sea-level rise.
New Frog Species Discovered in Southern India Biodiversity Hotspot
Detailed Early Observations of a Nearby Supernova and Associated Jet Cocoon Provide New Insights about Gamma-ray Bursts
Professor of Astrophysics Chryssa Kouveliotou and an international team of researchers provided new insights into Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most powerful explosions in the cosmos, and their relations to supernova. GRB explosions are so massive that they should always produce visible supernovae. But some supernova do not have associated GRBs. The global research group observed a hot cocoon around the jets of matter that serves as the missing link connecting supernovae and GRBs.
Rare Fossils Reveal Bird-Like Dinosaur Clues
James Clark, the Ronald Weintraub Professor of Biology, led an international team of researchers who discovered a new bird-like species of dinosaur called Xiyunykus pengi during an expedition to Xinjiang, China. The discovery fills in a missing evolutionary link for an enigmatic group of dinosaurs that share many characteristics with birds, including bird-like skulls and many small teeth instead of the large, sharp teeth seen in other dinosaurs.
‘Spiked’ Political Cartoons Find Public Display at Corcoran
A collection of censored political cartoons by fired Pittsburgh Post-Gazette artist Rob Rogers were first seen by a public audience at a nationally recognized Corcoran School of the Arts and Design exhibition titled “Spiked: The Unpublished Political Cartoons of Rob Rogers.” The gallery features 10 unpublished Rogers cartoons and eight sketches.
Corcoran Acquires Historic Art Trove
The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design acquired hundreds of sculptures, paintings and photographs from the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s permanent collection, laying the foundation for an estimable research collection that will be accessible to Corcoran students as well as faculty, staff and the public. The 18 paintings, 642 photographs, 93 prints and 15 sculptures gifted to the Corcoran School include works by Ansel Adams, Eugene Delacroix, Sally Mann, Mary Ellen Mark and William Wegman.