Faculty

Human hikers effect wildlife behavior

Even without hunting rifles, humans appear to have a strong negative influence on the movement of wildlife. A study of Glacier National Park hiking trails during and after a COVID-19 closure adds evidence to the theory that humans can create a “landscape of fear” like other apex predators, changing how species use an area simply […]

Mayan “supermarkets”

More than 500 years ago in the midwestern Guatemalan highlands, Maya people bought and sold goods with far less oversight from their rulers than many archeologists previously thought.  “Scholars have generally assumed that the obsidian trade was managed by Maya rulers, but our research shows that this wasn’t the case at least in this area,” […]

Likely cause of increasingly common birth defect

An alarming increase in the occurrence of the most common genital malformation in male babies, hypospadias, is likely due to environmental factors, such as toxicant exposure, which alter epigenetic programming in a forming penis.  That’s according to a new study in Scientific Reports that identified a direct link between hypospadias tissue samples and the presence of epigenetic […]

$1.89M NIH grant to advance research in rapid evolution

What if scientists could have the funding to explore new directions of research free from the initial goals written into many grants? With a recent $1.89 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institutes of Health, Seth Rudman has that opportunity. Rudman is an assistant professor in WSU Vancouver’s School of Biological Sciences. MIRA […]

Research to recover rare earth elements

Xiaofeng Guo, assistant professor of chemistry, is part of a national team of scientists who recently received $39 million to develop market-ready technologies to increase domestic supplies of elements necessary for the transition to clean energy. He will be investigating how supercritical carbon dioxide could be used to recover critical elements, especially rare earth elements, […]

Twin study links exercise to beneficial epigenetic changes

A new WSU-led study indicates consistent exercise can change not just waistlines but the very molecules in the human body that influence how genes behave. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers found the more physically active sibling in identical twin pairs had lower signs of metabolic disease as measured by waist size and body mass […]

Hands-on classroom: ancient dart throwing

The first complex weapon system developed by humans is helping Washington State University students learn about both ancient technological innovation and modern-day experimental archeology.  Originating in Europe over 30,000 years ago, the “atlatl” consists of a short stick or board with a cup at one end that enables the wielder to throw a dart farther […]

A new holiday song with a rat pack vibe

Just in time for the holidays, Washington State University Emeritus Professor of Music Greg Yasinitsky has a new song, “It’s Santa!,” which is now streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Deezer, and more.  “It’s Santa!” has a fun, swinging rat pack vibe of vocals backed by a roaring big band. The band is Yasinitsky’s […]

Cancer treatment could impact health of future generations

In one of the first-known studies of its kind, research led by WSU biologist Michael Skinner indicates a common chemotherapy drug could carry a toxic inheritance for the children and grandchildren of adolescent cancer survivors. The study, published online in iScience, found male rats who received the drug ifosfamide during