Research

Funding boost to develop rice for the future

WSU is part of an international effort involving seven institutions to revolutionize rice production. Led by co-principal investigator Asaph Cousins, a professor in WSU’s School of Biological Sciences, and colleagues at University of Oxford, the “C4 Rice Project” recently earned a five‑year, $15 million grant renewal from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aims to […]

History project to share stories of fallen WWII Cougars

A legendary quarterback, class president, and triple-sport letterman turned husband, father and high school coach. A first-generation college student and son of a modest farming family. A business major, fraternity brother, and newlywed turned Wildcat fighter pilot. An international scholar who left the Philippines to attend college 7,000 miles away … and never returned. The […]

Cannabis reduces headache and migraine pain by nearly half

Inhaled cannabis reduces self-reported headache severity by 47.3% and migraine severity by 49.6%, according to a recent study led by Carrie Cuttler, a Washington State University assistant professor of psychology. The study, published online recently in the Journal of Pain, is the first to use big data from headache and migraine patients using cannabis in […]

Biomarkers could help diagnose male infertility

It can take a year or longer of trial and error for a doctor to determine if a man is infertile but new research by Michael Skinner, a WSU reproductive biologist, could change that. Skinner and an international team of collaborators discovered infertile men have identifiable patterns of epigenetic molecules or biomarkers attached to their […]

Powering language and culture revitalization

Language, says Kim Christen, “is really about relationships. Languages bring to life relationships to other human beings, to ancestors, to ancestors that aren’t human, to landscape, to histories, stories—to knowledge.” Christen is a professor of Digital Technology and Culture Program and the director of the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation at

Summer scholars connect research to the real world

This past summer, ten WSU Tri-Cities undergraduate students in the Chancellor’s Summer Scholar Program got to experience first-hand how top-tier university research can impact their local community. “Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree get the opportunity to be a part of intensive research that could positively influence the Tri-Cities community,” said Kate McAteer, WSUTC vice chancellor […]

PhD student creates LGBTQ digital history exhibit

Brian Stack, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History, introduced his digital Palouse LGBTQ history project during a guest speaker presentation at Neill Public Library in Pullman. Stack’s digital exhibit consists of articles, photographs, and other artifacts relating to queer history in the Palouse region from the 1970s to today, and addresses topics that […]

Interdisciplinary research to save amphibians worldwide

A diverse group of WSU scientists share a common, critial goal: to prevent the occurrence of a second fungal pandemic—an explosive threat looming just over the horizon. Their collective efforts have put WSU in the national spotlight as an emerging center for amphibian research.

Study finds minimal effect on major crime from legal marijuana sales

Legalizing recreational marijuana has had minimal effect on violent or property crime rates in Washington and Colorado, a WSU study funded by the National Institute of Justice has found. “As the nationwide debate about legalization, the federal classification of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, and the consequences of legalization for crime continues, it is […]

Grizzlies show remarkable gene control before and during hibernation

Being a human couch potato can greatly increase fat accumulation, hasten the onset of Type II diabetes symptoms, result in detrimental blood chemistry and cardiovascular changes, and eventually, bring about one’s death. Large hibernators such as bears however have evolved to adapt to and reverse similar metabolic stressors they face each year before and during […]