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Hidden lakes on Mars, asteroid worth global economy, reverse ageing | Top scientific discoveries in 2020

Our universe is just like a mystery novel with a thriller “whodunnit” plot. It’s waiting to get demystified as scientists across the world continue to brainstorm the very existence and sustainability of life on Earth and even the presence of extraterrestrial matter floating in space. Is life possible beyond Earth? Is Big Bang the beginning of the universe? — The year 2020 has seen some breakthrough discoveries and exciting revelations by scientists and researchers.

Dirk Schulze-Makuch.
Schulze-Makuch

A study led by Washington State University scientist Dirk Schulze-Makuch revealed that two dozen planets, identified by researchers, may have conditions more suitable for life than Earth.

As per a report in Astrobiology Web, these more “liveable” planets are older, a little larger, slightly warmer and possibly wetter than Earth. Some of these orbit stars that may be better than even our sun. Life could also more easily thrive on planets that circle more slowly changing stars with longer lifespans than our sun.

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India Today
The Wall Street Journal

Context, not screen time, is a better predictor of well-being among student-athletes

Why and when student–athletes use social media, rather than how much, has a greater influence on their mental health, according to one of the first wide-scale surveys of social media engagement and well-being in college athletes.

Chris Barry.
Barry

“A user’s perception of their social media use and the importance it has in their daily life is particularly telling,” said Chris Barry, psychology professor and principal investigator for the project.

“We saw a huge increase in screen time, but a lot of that was very functional for what they had to do academically and what they had to do to stay connected with friends and family,” said Barry. “However, we saw decreases in reported anxiety, stress, and loneliness, which were completely counter to what we expected. In hindsight, it may have been a sense of relief about some academic and athletic demands being lowered; and it may also have been a sense of ‘we’re all in this weird common experience.’”

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WSU Insider

Ask Dr. Universe: How many black holes are in the galaxy and the universe?

While we can’t see black holes with our eyes, astronomers have figured out how to spot these objects in our universe.

Sukanta Bose.
Bose

One astronomer who is really curious about understanding black holes is my friend Sukanta Bose, a researcher at Washington State University.

“Of course, we cannot see every galaxy,” Bose said. “We see many galaxies that are closer because they are brighter.”

The Sun is a star, but it is far too small to become a black hole. Only heavier stars make black holes. When it comes to stellar mass black holes, astronomers estimate there are ten million to a billion right here in the Milky Way galaxy.

Bose and fellow researchers have been able to spot black holes because of a new way to detect something called gravitational waves. When two black holes collide, they can create a kind of wave that brings information to Earth about its source and helps us learn more about the universe.

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Ask Dr. Universe

Fine arts flourishes even during the pandemic

From moist, cool clay to wet, drippy paint and dry, smudgy charcoal, visual art is a distinctly hands‑on, sometimes messy, field of practice and study. So, what happens when art education goes online?

Io Palmer.
Palmer

“Remote teaching certainly hasn’t slowed us down. In fact, these strange times have helped us reimagine new, more expanded ways to reach out to our students while still having deep and meaningful experiences in the virtual classroom,” said Associate Professor Io Palmer.

Joe Hedges.
Hedges

She and many of her fine arts colleagues, including Joe Hedges, assistant professor of painting/intermedia, have created their own makeshift media studios where they shoot, produce and edit demonstrations and tutorial videos for their students to watch online anytime.

“Each of our students is really on a personal journey of creative exploration. We are not prescriptive about where that journey leads, so we use frequent one-on-one and group dialogues and critiques to help guide their learning in a highly individualized way, maintaining individual connections with each student wherever they are,” Hedges said.

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WSU Insider

Cluster hire program addresses racism and social inequality

Five new WSU faculty positions have been created to help promote equity and diversity across the Washington State University System.

Elizabeth Chilton.
Chilton

The new positions are an integral part of the University’s Racism and Social Inequality in the Americas cluster hire program which was initiated by Provost and Executive Vice President and Professor of Anthropology, Elizabeth Chilton to demonstrate WSU’s commitment to inclusive excellence. The program is designed to address the urgent need for faculty specializing in interdisciplinary research topics associated with equity and diversity.

The following proposals were accepted:

  • African Diasporas in the Americas (Department of History)
  • Indigenous Knowledge, Data Sovereignty, and Decolonization (Digital Technology and Culture Program and WSU Tri-Cities)
  • Music of Black Americans/Music and Social Justice (School of Music)
  • Racialized Justice in America (Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology)
  • Social and Environmental Justice (School of Design and Construction)
Lisa Guerrero.
Guerrero

Professor of Comparative Ethnic Studies, Lisa Guerrero, associate vice provost for inclusive excellence, will manage the cluster hire program as one of her first initiatives in her new position.

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WSU Insider