Science & Technology

$3M grant supports transformative graduate student research

Washington State University will soon be preparing graduate students to tackle a difficult, interdisciplinary problem that is more than 1,200 miles long: the Columbia River. With the support of a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, WSU will develop a research training program focused on the relationships among rivers, watersheds, and communities. The […]

Toxin-adapted fish pass down epigenetic mutations

You can take a fish out of toxic water, but its epigenetic mutations will remain for at least two generations. A research team led by Washington State University scientists analyzed the epigenetics—molecular factors and processes that determine whether genes are turned on or off—of a group of Poecilia mexicana fish, or Atlantic molly, that live […]

High-resolution X-ray spectrometer coming to Pullman

The WSU Nuclear Science Center, in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry and the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, will acquire a new high-resolution X-ray spectrometer to perform both X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy. The high-resolution X-ray spectrometer will benefit analytical chemistry and materials science research at WSU by providing the means to perform […]

Understanding cybercrime marketplaces

As instances of online identity theft continue to rise over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, WSU criminologist Alex Kigerl is helping to shed light on the shady world of cybercriminals and how it operates. A backstabbing crime boss and thousands of people looking for free tutorials on hacking and identity theft were among the […]

Writing, currency fueled ancient society growth

When it comes to the great civilizations of human history, the pen really might have been mightier than the sword. “There’s a fundamental relationship that exists between the way in which societies process information and how large they are able to become,” said Tim Kohler, WSU an archaeologist and a corresponding author of an international […]

$1.2M NSF grant to support new generation of female leaders

Maria Gartstein found herself in an unfamiliar position when she reached the level of associate professor in 2008. “I was unsure of what to do next,” Gartstein said. “I always had a pretty good sense of what it would take to get tenure but once I got it I realized I hadn’t really thought beyond […]

Watershed planning for rural growth, threatened salmon

A report by scientists with WSU’s State of Washington Water Research Center could help inform decision makers and planners in watersheds across the state, as they develop projects that balance growth with the needs of threatened salmon and steelhead. “Our guidance highlights available approaches that can benefit endangered species and their habitat, as well as […]

Interdisciplinary research reveals valuable pine resin possibilities

WSU researchers have reverse engineered the way a pine tree produces a resin, which could serve as an environmentally friendly alternative to a range of fossil‑fuel based products worth billions of dollars. Colleagues in the Institute for Biological Chemistry literally dissected the machinery by which loblolly pine produces oleoresin. Key aspects of their work utilized […]