EurekAlert! Staff Picks
Each week, our team members share their favorite recent news releases, stories that caught their eye, sparked their curiosity, or made them think. We hope you’ll find them just as interesting!
Noreen Rozario
Editorial Coordinator
In theme with the upcoming holidays, I came across a release posted by Oregon State University related to a study on professional Santas published in the Academy of Management Journal! The new study's findings are based on interviews and surveys of professional Santas in the United States. The researchers categorized Santas into three groups:
Prototypical: Has most of the typical physical and internal "Santa image" attributes (example: older white men with beards and round bellies).
Semi-prototypical: Has some (but not all) of the key "Santa image" attributes, and find creative ways to make up for the differences (example: a skinny Santa claiming he is getting healthy).
Non-prototypical: Has little resemblance to the traditional "Santa image" but strongly embrace the Santa identity year-round despite facing rejection (examples: a woman, an Orthodox Jew or a person of color).
The study further suggests that having a sense of calling to a role because of a personal, moral or social significance (such as teaching, nursing or faith-based jobs), may help people succeed in a role even if they don't meet typical societal requirements. They also mention encouraging leaders to be more flexible with roles in order to welcome more diverse candidates.
I really enjoyed the quotes referenced in this release and it made me happy to hear that i, too, could be a Santa, haha.
As one of the authors, Borbala Csillag, put it: "The expectations for playing the role may seem exclusive, but they are surmountable," suggesting that the findings have broader implications in that you don't have to possess the "must-haves" to live out a calling, whether it's for Santa, teaching, or nursing etc.
I thoroughly enjoyed this feature story by the University of California - Riverside that focuses on tips for eating heart-healthy during Thanksgiving. Since half of my family has high cholesterol or elevated levels, I find it important to prioritize heart-healthy eating for my family and myself (especially during the holidays when we tend to indulge in more richer foods!!).
I appreciated the Q&A style approach of the story, as it was easy to read and provided valuable insights. The timing of the story was def relevant, as Thanksgiving is just around the corner (next week!). Including information about Dr. Sadek in the first few grafs helped establish his credibility and gave me assurance to keep reading. And the engaging opening paragraph, with its descriptive words like “buttery sides” and “decadent desserts,” piqued my interest (because I love food lol!) and encouraged me to continue reading.
I’m def going to share this feature story article with my family in hopes that they can make better (more informed) choices about their Thanksgiving meals this year!
This feature story from Rice University was a interesting read because it highlights an innovative story about co-founder Barclay Jumet, who went from sewing bow ties using his mom's sewing machine to inventing "smart" fabrics. Alongside his adviser Daniel J. Preston, Barclay is co-founder of Actile Technologies, "a startup transforming everyday fabrics into smart, touch-based communication devices." The "smart" fabrics deliver haptic cues (squeezes, vibrations, heating and cooling) through lightweight, flexible materials. The "smart" garments look and feel like regular uniforms or athletic wear, but inside there are woven channels and conductive fibers that can deliver distinct sensations that can act as signals that the body can instantly recognize without requiring sight or sound.
The innovative fabric can have multiple purposes including: tactile cues for communication, warming elements for cold environments, nonelectronic cooling systems that can dissipate body heat (kind of like a phone’s or laptop’s cooling system), which can be used for athletes in pads or soldiers in body armor.
Actile's research has shown to be highly effective and they're quickly gaining major traction and funding! The startup was recently named a finalist in NATO’s DIANA accelerator program, is competing in the U.S. Army’s xTechSearch 9 program, and received grants from Rice’s One Small Step Grant and National Science Foundation I-Corps program to speed up development.
This story really captures the spirit of innovation and demonstrates their journey to apply groundbreaking technology to solve real-world problems.
I enjoyed reading this release about "DNA flowers" because the image caught my attention. The image is a visualization of a flower and it looks visually appealing (also, who doesn't like looking at pictures of pretty flowers?). These "DNA flowers" are essentially microscopic soft robots shaped like flowers that can change shape and behavior in response to their surroundings, just like living organisms do.
The inspiration of the idea came from "natural processes such as flower petals unfurling, coral pulsing, and tissues forming in living organisms" -- all beautiful descriptions of a flower. The researchers wanted to mimic these complex behaviors in artificial materials, a challenge that has long stumped scientists working at microscopic scales.
I like that the release clarifies this technology is still in early testing stages and suggests ideas like potential medical and environmental uses that could be possible with the use of these DNA flowers. And it offers a transparent and realistic view of the scientific process and the technology's evolving nature.
I found this Feature Story from the University of Illinois to be an interesting read because it describes one my fave holiday (Thanksgiving) foods: corn! More specifically the story is about a corn breeder and Ugandan doctoral student, Chris Mujjabi, who found an envelope of seeds labeled 'Kitale Synthetic' in storage room, which resonated with him as a piece of his African heritage.
A fun fact I learned while reading this story is that corn is a staple food among many African countries! The story describes his journey to create three new white corn hybrids suitable for the Central Illinois climate and hopes for it to taste like "home." He references how African corn is considered "starchy and not too sweet" in contrast with the sweet corn common in the U.S. His hopes to create a white corn hybrid that tastes like "home" was successful when he hosted a "Kasooli Party" (meaning white corn in the Luganda language), for the local African community, who preferred the new white corn hybrids in comparison to the American sweet corn.
I think this story beautifully describes Mujjabi's scientific innovation journey while blending his culture into the mix.
I found this release about a study on osteoporosis to be an interesting read last week! My mom recently got diagnosed with osteoporosis, while I have been dealing with shoulder and back pain for some time. For context, osteoporosis is a condition where bones gradually lose strength and density, making them more fragile and prone to fractures. Researchers analyzed health and genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people and found not only that osteoporosis raises the risk of rotator cuff tears (RCTs), especially in women, but that the two conditions share common genetic roots. The study suggests that managing bone health could play an important role in preventing painful shoulder injuries. I am thankful that my mom received an early diagnosis and is taking steps to prevent further bone decay. Her doctor also recommended weight-bearing exercises, so our family has embarked on a "weight exercise" journey together. I want to reduce my chances of developing osteoporosis and other issues like RCTs, and the first step is to increase my strength to maintain healthy bones!
A release by Curtin University describes how researchers helped uncover evidence of a mysterious giant asteroid impact, hidden not in a crater but in tiny pieces of glass found only in Australia. These tiny pieces of glass, known as tektites, are special due to their unusual chemical composition and their age, approximately 11 million years!!! The researchers believe that the impact responsible for creating this cosmic glass must have been huge, although the crater has yet to be found. I think these new findings pave way for more research on Earth's geological past and I am so curious to learn about this unknown crater in the future when they discover it!
When I was in elementary school, I used to love making origami with my friends so I really enjoyed this Feature Story about origami and its surprising link to engineering and geometry! Larissa Novelino, an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, utilizes origami—a centuries-old Japanese art of paper folding—to help her design buildings, materials and machines.
To provide some context, "origami engineering" takes the geometric principles behind folding and applies them to address real-world challenges. She employs these principles to develop everything from portable emergency shelters to lightweight materials with unique mechanical properties.
Students in her classes are so surprised at how much folding a piece of paper can teach them about geometry, mechanics and design and emphasizes that this method provides an accessible and tangible way to understand concepts that often appear abstract when viewed on a computer screen. I always appreciated hands-on learning, and this one is most definitely an engaging one!
It's truly amazing and inventive to see an art form (like origami) intersecting with science in such a fascinating way! Here’s to more creativity and thinking outside the box!
I was today year's old when I learned that some rodents, including squirrels, have thumbnails instead of claws!? In this release from the Field Museum, researchers examined hundreds of rodents in museum collections to see where thumbnails crop up. They say this research could shed light on how rodents evolved into so many different species that thrive all over the world! It's so fascinating to learn random facts about animals like squirrels because we see them a lot in our daily lives..
I thought this release by the University of Michigan was quite interesting! In the ever-evolving topic of electric vehicles, this research stands out to me because it offers a practical tool for drivers who are thinking about switching to electric cars. The researchers developed a free online calculator that allows drivers to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions based on their vehicle type, driving habits, and location. This innovative tool can give us valuable insights into the environmental impact of our driving choices, which make it a useful resource for environmentally-conscious consumers like myself!
As a Bengali-American, I was interested in this release by Boston University School of Public Health because it relates to Bangladesh! Researchers developed a new evidence-based strategy that has been shown to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in Bangladesh’s brick manufacturing industry by encouraging operational changes that emphasize practicality and profitability. I appreciated how this benefits both the workers and the environment, and loved to see how successful this study was! When I went there in 2019 (before the pandemic), I recall the city air being so thick and sticky but this study makes me hopeful to see more progress in improving air quality in South Asia.
I found this Feature Story to be a fun read! It highlights a fashion designer named Iris van Herpen, who showcased a beautiful bioluminescent dress during Paris Haute Couture Week. The dress was made using 125 million living algae (!!!) and was developed in collaboration with biodesigner Chris Bellamy and researchers from the Universiteit van Amsterdam. I find it fascinating when science intersects with cool fields such as fashion!
Being an avid coffee drinker, I really enjoyed reading this feature story by The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. It describes a new resource - a digital platform - that is helping Honduran coffee farmers, who are at risk of losing access to the European market due to a lack of tools to trace the deforestation-free status of their coffee. The new platform is tailored for small-scale producers like Honduran coffee growers, which is allowing hundreds of farmers to meet compliance requirements. I thought it was also thoughtful and impressive that the new software is made accessible at little to no cost, acknowledging the financial constraints that may be faced by these farmers.