Tags: Human Nature
Something we almost missed: a terrific interdisciplinary study mapping the cerebral cortex in mammalian brains that sheds new light on its development and organization, was published in the December 2012 issue of Cerebral Cortex. This research brought together UGA faculty from the departments of computer science, cellular biology, psychology and physics and astronomy in the Franklin College; the Faculty of Engineering, the Bioimaging Research…
Social media has enabled the tracking and analysis of tornado debris by researchers in the department of geography:
After tornadoes touched down in the Southeast on April 27, 2011, many people in the storm's path did the most logical thing they could-they posted images of the aftermath on Facebook.
The University of Georgia's John Knox and his student researchers went one step further. They used the social media site to create and analyze a…
Franklin faculty continue to be quoted widely in the news media. A sampling from March 2013:
Research on potential triggers for eating disorders by associate professor Ping Shen featured widely in media including Yahoo! News, Medical News Today, Health Canal and others
Research led by assistant professor of chemistry Tina Salguero into a pigment known as Egyptian blue that may have modern applications in telecommunications or security ink…
This is a big discovery:
University of Georgia researchers discovered important genetic clues about the history of microorganisms called archaea and the origins of life itself in the first ever study of its kind. Results of their study shed light on one of Earth's oldest life forms.
"Archaea are an ancient form of microorganisms, so everything we can learn about them could help us to answer questions about the origin of life," said William…
The breadth of research in psychology is not limited to humans but reaches into questions about how all creatures learn about the world:
A new study from University of Georgia behavioral scientists reports that bearded capuchin monkeys, Sapajus libidinosus, are skilled at solving problems associated with using tools. The monkeys, like humans, use their bodies to learn about the world, according to a new paper published in the journal PLOS ONE on…
Very interesting new research from the department of cell biology. The new work
has identified the neural pathways in an insect brain tied to eating for pleasure, a discovery that sheds light on mirror impulsive eating pathways in the human brain.
"We know when insects are hungry, they eat more, become aggressive and are willing to do more work to get the food," said Ping Shen, a UGA associate professor of cellular biology in the Franklin…
They describe surprise in discovering that the calcium copper silicate in Egyptian blue breaks apart into nanosheets so thin that thousands would fit across the width of a human hair. The sheets produce invisible infrared (IR) radiation similar to the beams that communicate between remote controls and TVs, car door locks, and other telecommunications devices. “Calcium copper silicate provides a route to a new class of nanomaterials that are…
The Origins Lecture Series continues this week, with the Origins of Biomolecules by Claiborme Glover of biochemistry and molecular biology:
This lecture will explore the physical and chemical origins of biomolecules prior to the origin of life. We will focus first on the "Bio" (the likely nature of the first living thing); second, on the "Molecules" (the organic compounds of which that first living thing was composed), and third, on the "…
An outstanding honor will be presented to Henry "Fritz" Schaefer from the American Institute of Chemists:
Schaefer, Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, will receive the Chemical Pioneer Award at the AIC's annual meeting in April. The award recognizes researchers whose work has had a major influence on advances in chemistry.
Past recipients include Nobel laureates Linus Pauling and Glenn T. Seaborg,…
Two of the three research proposals selected for funding by the Centers for Disease Control in a recent competition are from Franklin College faculty:
Funded by the UGA Research Foundation and the CDC, the awards provide pilot research project funding to promote collaboration in scientific innovation and technology development at the interface of human, veterinary and ecological health, increase quality and output of research, and…
David Saltz, head of the department of theatre and film studies, and assistant professor Anthony Marotta are presenting a paper this weekend at the International Conference in Commedia dell'Arte at the University of Windsor, Ontario.
Their paper, A 21st century huminoid robot, becomes a commedia performer, details a project that brings together several UGA units that we've written about previously when it was performed for the public back in…
Along with a couple of dozen colleagues from campus, I was involved in a day-long workshop back in the fall on the subject of communicating research: how to accurately condense descriptions of research for public consumption. It's not inevitable that we always can, but we do try. And now, Columns reports that workshops to assist faculty on this subject will soon be repeated:
A team of UGA faculty and staff is beginning a new program to…
Great new work from Debra Mohnen and Li Tan in the BioEnergy Science Center:
When Li Tan approached his colleagues at the University of Georgia with some unusual data he had collected, they initially seemed convinced that his experiment had become contaminated; what he was seeing simply didn’t make any sense.
Tan was examining some of the sugars, proteins and polymers that make up plant cell walls, which provide the structural support and…
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on a new study authored by a UGA sociology PhD candidate with some interesting findings:
the study, “Technological Change and Professional Control in the Professoriate,” includes interviews with more than 40 professors at three universities. It suggests that professors often use such technologies for logistical purposes rather than to improve learning.
“There is little or no indication that innovative…
Students and faculty in the department of geography have pioneered a terrific new collaboration with NASA set to begin this summer:
University of Georgia's department of geography will partner with NASA through DEVELOP, a national student internship program created to enhance training and development in Earth science. The UGA collaboration is only the second housed strictly at a university in the U.S.
Initial UGA projects include analyzing the…
UGA researchers have received significant NIH support for development of new tools to detect virus strains of influenza:
researchers are refining a nanotechnology-based method that uses laser light beams to more accurately predict emerging influenza strains-particularly strains with a risk of high mortality. The work will be funded by the National Institutes of Health and will total $1,124,914 over the next four years.
Influenza kills thousands…
It often seems as though major developments in energy efficiency or conservation are so elusive that the entire pursuit may appear to be futile. But we are surrounded by smaller steps forward, almost on a daily basis. UGA researchers report today on one small step with major implications:
University of Georgia scientists have fabricated what is thought to be the world's first LED that emits warm white light using a single light emitting material…
More evidence that the front lines of research on life-threatening diseases are right here on the UGA campus and in the Franklin College. Insightful new work from a research group lead by faculty member Natarajan Kannan of the Institute for Bioinformatics and the department of biochemistry and molecular biology:
Enter protein kinases. Like specialized traffic signals, this huge class of proteins is critical for many aspects of cell communication…
Terrific story in this week's Columns about one of our romance language faculty members, her research and its impact. What is research in language studies? You might be surprised:
the average American's knowledge of Spain's imperial expansion probably ranges from a few names of conquistadors to practically nothing.
For Elizabeth Wright, an associate professor of Spanish in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, developing a broader…
December was a short month on campus but there was no shortage of news stories featuring the work and expertise of Franklin College faculty. A sampling:
Linguistics professor Bill Kretzschmar was quoted in a Fox News article on Google Books study on how language changes over time. Kretzschmar was also quoted in a Florida Times-Union story about Jacksonville’s disappearing Southern accent.
Professor and senior associate dean Hugh…
It's still quiet around campus but our offices are open as faculty and staff get ready to welcome the students back next week. Between now and then we'll have much to share about performances, research, exhibitions, awards and distinguished visitors to campus.
So... welcome back.
Image: UGA photo of the main library facade by Peter Frey.
As the year winds down, I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful 2012 on the Chronicles. We launched the blog right before the new year and brought it into full operation as the year progressed. The Franklin College has wonderful IT professionals, and it is because of them that this idea of a college-specific media site has come to fruition. I am indebted to them, particularly Sean Hendrix and Lauren Blais. My thanks and appreciation for…
A ScienceNow article in Wired.com features the work of a faculty member from psychology:
Primatologist Dorothy Fragaszy of the University of Georgia in Athens says orangutans might have ideas of the sort that Gruber describes, but that’s not the most plausible explanation. Fragaszy cautions that Gruber cites only one study that discusses orangutans developing stick skills in the wild — and she says that work isn’t conclusive about when…
From time to time we've mentioned the long-term investments at UGA in people and research on the issue of developing renewable energy sources. The university has cultivated a wide range of expertise on the subject that goes back decades. And all of that research on everything from fermentation of sugars in plant lignin to biodiesel and drought resistant strains of switchgrass would not be complete without also looking at public support for…
A three-day SEC-sponsored event in February to discuss the future of renewable energy will feature two Franklin researchers with wide experience in our region's quest for renewable fuels:
The SEC Symposium theme, “Impact of the Southeast in the World’s Renewable Energy Future,” will explore the spectrum of renewable energy technologies, including bioenergy, solar, wind, wave/flow and nuclear.
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Researchers from all 14 member schools will…