News Archive
Sunday, July 3 2016
-
Iowa State researchers describe copper-induced misfolding of prion proteins
Iowa State University researchers have integrated research approaches to discover how copper ions cause prion proteins to misfold and seed the misfolding and clumping of nearby prion proteins. They also found the copper-induced misfolding and clumping is associated with damage to nerve cells in brain tissue from a mouse model. The findings are published today in Science Advances.
-
Decision to ban unrealistic body images has merit, but presents challenges
A public health measure and a slippery slope. That's how Iowa State University experts describe the decision by London's mayor to ban ads with "unrealistic body images" from the city's public transit system. The ban is intended to limit exposure to ads that can have harmful effects, but it raises questions on how to define what's acceptable.
-
ISU scientists develop nanomachines to diagnose illness
Tiny machines that build themselves and detect disease? Step inside the nanoscale world of Eric Henderson.
-
Breathing new life into schoolyards benefits entire communities
Millions of American elementary school children are sidelined on barren plots of cracked asphalt that resemble parking lots rather than schoolyards. And despite the educational and health benefits of green landscapes, only two major cities in the United States — Denver and Boston — have renovated all of their public schoolyards. Bambi Yost, an Iowa State University assistant professor of landscape architecture, and her students are part of a collaboration of nonprofits, government agencies, landscape architects, schools, community members and universities. Together they are breathing new life into more than 300 neglected schoolyards in the School District of Philadelphia. They represent a burgeoning national movement to green schoolyards.
-
Give ‘em enough rope: Iowa State University veterinarians find an easier way to collect diagnostic samples from pigs
Iowa State veterinarians have found that taking oral fluid samples from swine allows them to monitor diseases accurately without the difficult step of taking individual blood samples.
-
Workshop to present commercial viability of ‘Hexcrete’ idea for taller wind turbine towers
Iowa State University engineers will explain the benefits of their Hexcrete technology for taller wind turbine towers during a workshop in late June. They'll also discuss how potential partners can be involved in building a full-scale prototype tower. The engineers have been developing the precast concrete technology since 2010.
-
Even when help is just a click away, stigma is still a roadblock
Stigma is a major barrier preventing people with mental health issues from getting the help they need. Even in a private and anonymous setting online, someone with greater self-stigma is less likely to take that first step to get information about mental health concerns and counseling, according to a new Iowa State University study.
-
Iowa State University entomologists assess possibility of fighting soybean aphids with other insects
Iowa State University entomologists are studying the possibility of combating soybean aphids, one of the most damaging pests Iowa farmers battle, by introducing a species of stingless wasp that eats them. The harmless, stingless wasps may offer a form of biological control that could suppress soybean aphid populations.
-
Leath announces initiatives to enhance safety at Iowa State
At the June 9 Iowa Board of Regents meeting, ISU President Steven Leath announced three initiatives to enhance campus safety: development of a body camera policy for ISU Police; a new mobile app that will power the department's safety escort service; and expansion of the Multicultural Liaison Officer program, which began last spring.
-
Iowa State physicist wins early career awards to study mysterious materials
Iowa State's Rebecca Flint recently won two early career research grants. The support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation will advance her theoretical studies of unique materials featuring strongly interacting electrons. At low temperatures, these materials obey new laws of physics and have exotic properties.
-
Bad behavior may not be a result of bad parenting, but a lack of common language
Most parents will admit that talking with a teenage child is difficult at times. It is even more challenging when parents and children don’t speak the same language fluently – a reality for a growing number of immigrant families in the United States. New research from Iowa State University suggests this language barrier can have negative consequences for adolescent self-control and aggressive behavior.
Change Agent: Ajay Nair
Ajay Nair travels the state helping vegetable growers improve their operations. He’s grafting a deeper understanding and appreciation of locally grown produce onto Iowa’s strong agricultural roots.
In the news
Americans spending more time staring at a screen
With all the devices providing media at our fingertips, it's no surprise that we're spending nearly half our day staring at a screen. Iowa State University psychology professor Douglas Gentile says all the time spent with devices takes away from other things we value.
A new critique of grit
Grit is front and center on the national education agenda, and some schools are trying to teach it, but ISU Assistant Professor Marcus Crede says "grit is far less important than has commonly been assumed and claimed. And it doesn't tell us anything that we don't already know." His research study, "Much Ado about Grit: A Meta-Analytic Synthesis of the Grit Literature," will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
ISU marching band performed in France for D-Day anniversary
The Iowa State University Cyclone Football "Varsity" Marching Band performed during memorial services at the Normandy American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, Brittany American Cemetery and elsewhere in France to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of World War II's D-Day invasion.
A student-run farm cultivates passion for sustainable agriculture
Iowa State students are growing about 40 different fruits, vegetables and herbs on their organic farm this season, providing produce for the local community. Students from various majors are finding a passion for the physical work and satisfaction of growing food.