The invasive Asian clam is more common in the lower Columbia River than its native habitat of southeast Asia, according to a study of the clam’s abundance in the river. The findings don’t bode well for potential future invasions by the even more destructive quagga and zebra mussels. So far, the Columbia is one of […]
A recent study titled “The Pot at the End of the Rainbow” is one of the first to examine motives for cannabis use among sexual minorities quantitatively. Led by Washington State University psychologists, the researchers analyzed survey data from nearly 4,700 university students from across the country. “People who are in sexual minority groups not […]
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 […]
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,” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
A pandemic survey found that adolescents who answered more COVID-19 test questions correctly also reported lower stress, anxiety and depression as well as lower loneliness and fear of missing out, also known as FOMO. For the study, published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies, Washington State University researchers surveyed 215 teens ages 14–17 across […]
Struggling salmon populations could get some help from the sky. A Washington State University study showed that drone photography of the Wenatchee River during spawning season can be effective in estimating the number of rocky hollows salmon create to lay their eggs, also called “redds.” The drone imagery appeared to find roughly double the […]