Press Announcements
Researchers Shed Light on the Evolution of Extremist Groups
Neil Johnson, professor of physics, alongside a team of GW researchers compared the growth of the Boogaloos, a U.S.-based extremist group, to online support for ISIS, a militant, terrorist organization based in the Middle East. Their findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest the need for specific policies aimed at limiting the growth of such extremist movements.
New Director of the Project for Media and National Security Announced
Columbian College's School of Media and Public Affairs announced that Thom Shanker, a longtime Pentagon correspondent and editor for The New York Times, has been selected as the next director of the Project for Media and National Security (PMNS). The PMNS works to deepen public understanding of national security by convening conversations between policymakers and journalists, as well as with researchers and students, focusing on military, cyber and other national security issues.
The Cerebellum’s Role in Brain Evolution
Elaine Guevara, a former postdoctoral scientist in Columbian College's Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, led a study on how the cerebellum underwent evolutionary changes that may have contributed to human culture, language and tool use. Published in the journal PLOS Genetics, the epigenetic differences identified in the study are relevant for understanding how the human brain functions and its ability to adapt and make new connections.
Brood X Cicadas and their Impact on the Ecosystem!
John Lill, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and Zoe Getman-Pickering, a postdoctoral scientist at GW, are studying the impact of the cicadas on the ecosystem and environment.
Arthur S. Flemming Awards Honor Outstanding Federal Employees
Vaccine Hesitancy Poses Threat to Efforts to End Pandemic: New Commentary
David A. Broniatowski, associate director of GW's Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics, co-authored an editorial about how vaccine hesitancy could pose a major threat to public health efforts to end the pandemic. The editorial is published in the journal Science.
George Washington University Helps Digitize Popular COVID-19 Memorial
With help from anthropology professor Sarah Wagner, a team from GW, UMD and Artist Suzanne Firstenberg created a digital exhibition that now gives others the chance to visit the “IN AMERICA How Could This Happen…” art exhibition virtually.
Tackling Alarming Decline in Nature Requires ‘Safety Net’ of Multiple, Ambitious Goals, Researchers Say
Amy Zanne, associate professor of biological sciences, was part of an international team of researchers analyzing new goals for biodiversity being drafted by the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity. The team is studying failed goals from the past in order to better plan for the future. Their work aims to provide a safety net for nature that will help scientists and politicians approach the subject holistically in order to slow the loss of biodiversity.
The George Washington University Announces Transformational $12.5 Million Gift Advancing Work on Religious Freedom
Ancient Earthquake May Have Destroyed Ancient Canaanite Palace
Professor of Classics and Anthropology Eric Cline co-directed a team of Israeli and American researchers that uncovered evidence of an earthquake that may have destroyed a flourishing Canaanite palatial site about 3,700 years ago. Funded by grants from the National Geographic Society and the Israel Science Foundation, the group made the discovery at the 75-acre site of Tel Kabri in Israel, which contains the ruins of a Canaanite palace and city dating back to 1900-1700 B.C.
Changing Landscapes, Changing Diets: How Fossilized Teeth Reveal Ancient Dietary Shifts
Enquye Negash, a postdoctoral researcher in the Columbian College’s Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, led a new study that documents dietary shifts in herbivores that lived between 1 to 3 million years ago in Ethiopia's Lower Omo Valley. By examining the fossilized teeth of herbivores such as antelopes and pigs, she found a shift away from woody vegetation foods to foods representative of grasses and sedges. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
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.