Published research/scholarship/creative work

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

Teens with COVID‑19 knowledge reported better well‑being

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 […]

Drones show potential to improve salmon nest counts

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 […]

Combining past and present

An exhibit by Washington State University fine arts associate professor Dennis DeHart showcases the unique experience of “re-photography”: combining images of the same location taken from different periods of time. “Foremost, I hope viewers have an enjoyable art experience that includes many layers of multidisciplinary creative scholarship,” he said. “I also hope viewers leave with […]

Increasing evidence that bears are not carnivores

A new study on the diets of giant pandas and sloth bears led by Charles Robbins, a Washington State University wildlife biology professor, adds evidence that bears are omnivores like humans and need a lot less protein than they are typically fed in zoos. Bears are not cats or dogs, and feeding them like they […]

Eight proteins regulate insulin in hibernating bears

Feeding honey to hibernating bears helped Washington State University researchers find the potential genetic keys to the bears’ insulin control, an advance that could ultimately lead to a treatment for human diabetes. Every year, bears gain an enormous amount of weight, then barely move for months, behavior that would

Methane emissions from reservoirs are increasing

Over time, the water collected behind dams will release greater amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas with even worse effects than carbon dioxide, according to a recent study by researchers at WSU and the University of Quebec. “On a per mass basis, methane has a much stronger impact on climate than carbon dioxide does,” said […]

Self‑pollinating plant shows rapid loss of genetic variation

Pollinators like bees are important to biodiversity in their own right, but a study led by Jeremiah Busch, a Washington State University evolutionary biologist, indicates that their decline will also have potentially devastating impacts on plants, and quickly. “If pollinators are lost, it’s not just going to be a problem for the pollinators: plant populations […]