During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the University began to add modern buildings to the formerly all-Gothic campus.

Sereno, team discover prehistoric giant Sarcosuchus imperator in African desert

13 August 2007 - University of Chicago Paleontologist Paul Sereno has uncovered the remains of a giant prehistoric crocodile from the African Sahara that dwarfs its modern counterparts. The animal, called Sarcosuchus imperator (“flesh crocodile emperor”), grew to a length of 40 feet and weighed eight tons, twice as much as an elephant. Modern crocodiles rarely exceed 14 feet and weigh no more than half a ton.

Gesturing aids thinking, memory

13 August 2007 - University of Chicago Susan Goldin-Meadow and her colleagues have discovered that gesturing while speaking aids a speaker’s memory when explaining information that was previously learned.

Study conducted in Chicago neighborhoods calls ‘broken-windows’ theory into question

13 August 2007 - University of Chicago A major study by University researchers who videotaped street activity on thousands of blocks throughout Chicago shows there is a much smaller connection than commonly believed between a neighborhood’s appearance and its crime rate.

Brain activity is influenced by chemosignals, University researchers find

12 August 2007 - University of Chicago University researchers have found for the first time that airborne “chemosignals,” substances undetectable as odors, have a measurable impact on brain metabolism, according.

Prenatal exposure to methamphetamine increases risk to males who use drug in teen or adult years

12 August 2007 - University of Chicago Exposure before birth to methamphetamine, the world’s second most widely used illicit drug, according to the World Health Organization, renders males, even as adults, much more susceptible to the drug’s brain-damaging effects, reveal University researchers in a study performed on mice.

Herbal supplements may cause risks for patients anticipating surgeries

12 August 2007 - University of Chicago A new study by researchers in the University Medical Center gives patients and physicians specific recommendations for discontinuing the use of herbal medications prior to surgery. In the Journal of the American Medical Association, the three physicians assess the interactions between herbs, anesthesia and surgery and suggest ways to reduce the associated risks.

University astronomers learn more about possible dangers of solar flares during solar maximum

12 August 2007 - University of Chicago Once every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic field flips over, causing a great deal of commotion; large solar flares send great geysers of hot gas and huge quantities of charged particles erupting from the surface and streaming into space during a period called “solar maximum.”

Molecular mechanism is key in brain development

12 August 2007 - University of Chicago Elizabeth Grove, Assistant Professor in Neurobiology, Pharmacology & Physiology, and Tomomi Fukuchi-Shimogori, a postdoctoral fellow, have discovered a molecular mechanism associated with brain development.

Researchers discover mutations that increase risk of Crohn’s

11 August 2007 - University of Chicago A team of researchers at the University, the University of Michigan and others has identified the first genetic abnormality that increases susceptibility to Crohn’s disease.

Researchers find cause for neonatal diabetes

11 August 2007 - University of Chicago In a report in The New England Journal of Medicine, an international team of researchers from Chicago, the University of Bergen, Norway, and the San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy, describes two cases of neonatal diabetes resulting from a complete deficiency of glucokinase, an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the regulation of blood-sugar levels.

Astronomers find clues to heavy elements in universe

11 August 2007 - University of Chicago This image of a portion of the Small Magellanic Cloud was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Welty and his colleagues used the HST imaging spectrograph to probe the space between the stars of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

DASI data support inflation theory

10 August 2007 - University of Chicago The leading theory regarding the origin of the universe has just passed another major test, one posed by University astronomers and their colleagues working at a National Science Foundation observatory at the South Pole.

Physics of fluids shows promise for coating of transplanted cells

10 August 2007 - University of Chicago Sidney Nagel, the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor in Physics, and Milan Mrksich, Associate Professor in Chemistry, have completed the first major step in developing a coating to protect islets from the immune system. They have developed one of the world’s smallest shrink-wrap systems, one that may eventually be used for cell transplantation in patients suffering from diabetes millitus.

Professor finds that nonhuman primates have evolutionary reason to bond with their offspring

10 August 2007 - University of Chicago Dario Maestripieri, Assistant Professor in the Committee on Human Development and the Committee on Evolutionary Biology, has studied the behaviors of nonhuman primates in his research. His most recent study found that these primates bond with their offspring and demonstrate a strong motivation to look after their young.

Researchers find cause of common genetic disorder

09 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers from the University, Columbia University and Baylor University have separately identified genetic abnormalities in mice that are responsible for the multiple malformations associated with a human disorder called DiGeorge syndrome, which is the second most common genetic cause of heart defects.

Research shows students who begin school in small classes have an edge

09 August 2007 - University of Chicago Students beginning school in small classes continue to benefit many years later and outscore other students in high school mathematics, according to new research co-authored by scholars at the University.

Mathematicians view unstable activity in brain to better understand circuitry of visual cortex

09 August 2007 - University of Chicago Scientists are deducing the internal circuitry of the visual brain by mathematically reproducing the geometric hallucinations people see when they ingest mind-altering drugs, view bright, flickering lights or encounter near-death experiences.

Environment influences children’s ability to form, comprehend complex sentences

08 August 2007 - University of Chicago University researchers show in a study, that the language environment children experience greatly influences their individual differences in syntax acquisition. This finding challenges a long-standing contention that syntax, the organization of words into sentences, develops uniformly and naturally because of inborn characteristics.

Hospitalists, a new medical specialty, reduce mortality, cut costs, study shows

08 August 2007 - University of Chicago Physicians who concentrate on hospital care produce better results than the general internists who have traditionally managed hospital stays, a study by University researchers showed.

University physician utilizing Argonne software designed to study energy beams

08 August 2007 - University of Chicago The proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory will provide nuclear physicists with an unprecedented variety of beams of short-lived radioactive elements, many at intensities more than 100,000 times those currently available. These beams also will produce high heat levels.

DASI grows into new fields of observation after latest results

07 August 2007 - University of Chicago When University physicist Sean Carroll began planning a schedule of speakers for the COSMO-02 workshop that assembled 275 cosmologists in Chicago last month, John Carlstrom, the S. Chandrasekhar Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics and the College, was not on the program. But Carroll gratefully made last-minute arrangements that would allow Carlstrom to announce his team’s latest experimental results from the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer.

International sex survey shows women do not experience age-related sexual dysfunction

07 August 2007 - University of Chicago Earlier this month, Edward Laumann, the George Herbert Meade Distinguished Service Professor in Sociology, presented his latest research results on the differences between men and women in age-related sexual dysfunction at a conference of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health.

Researchers study incarcerated mothers’ prospects

07 August 2007 - University of Chicago On any given day, there are approximately 84,000 women in federal and state prisons and nearly 70,000 additional women incarcerated in county jails, numbers that are now doubling every seven to eight years. Most of these women were custodial parents prior to their incarceration, so when they go to prison, children are often left behind.

Gene therapy boosts chemo treatment

06 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers at the University have found a way to combine cancer chemotherapy with gene therapy designed to disrupt the growth of blood vessels to a tumor. The combination, tested in mice, is far more effective than standard chemotherapy and has no additional side effects. This innovative approach is described in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Research may aid in rapid diagnosis, treatment of AMKL

06 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers at the University have identified a gene defect that causes the development of leukemia in children with Down syndrome. The discovery could speed diagnosis and provide a new target for therapy.

Researchers define infants’ quantitative abilities, find flaws in earlier research on development

06 August 2007 - University of Chicago Although many people would like to think their babies are bright enough to count before their first birthday, and some child psychologists have suggested they can, this possibility is disputed in the results of a 10-year evaluation by leading scholars at the University.

Researchers show people overestimate ability to effectively communicate ambiguous information

05 August 2007 - University of Chicago Most people seriously overestimate their ability to communicate effectively, even when dealing with information they know to be ambiguous, say Chicago psychologists Boaz Keysar and Anne Henly. In a recent study of 40 pairs of listeners and speakers, “When it comes to communication, people overestimate their skill,” said Keysar, Associate Professor in Psychology and the College.

Researchers develop sensors with ability to measure extremely large magnetic fields

05 August 2007 - University of Chicago The silver chalcogenides magnetic sensor, developed by researchers at the University and Argonne National Laboratory, has been used to make precise measurements of magnetic fields as high as 600,000 Gauss, or more than a million times Earth’s magnetic field.

Hillocks finds that standardized writing assessments may be harmful to children’s learning

05 August 2007 - University of Chicago George Hillocks Jr., Professor in English Language & Literature and Director of the Master of Arts Program in Teaching, has spent much of the past decade trying to determine what effect standardized writing assessments have on writing ability.

Nicotine extends duration of pleasant effects of dopamine

04 August 2007 - University of Chicago Brief exposure to low levels of nicotine not only boosts the brain’s ‘reward’ system but also blocks a rival system that limits the duration of such rewards, report University researchers in the journal Neuron. The finding helps scientists understand why nicotine addiction takes root so quickly and lasts so long.

Chemical method makes further investigation of carbohydrates possible

04 August 2007 - University of Chicago University scientists have described the first chip-based chemical strategy for rapidly screening carbohydrates for biologically useful activity. The technique enables researchers to scan a single chip for literally thousands of different biologically active compounds that could someday play a key role in the treatment of disease or as a diagnostic for biological warfare agents.

Male-driven evolution confirmed in Li’s study of mutations

04 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers from the University have estimated that genetic mutations, the raw material for evolution, occur 5.25 times more often in males than in females. This discovery should lay to rest any doubts raised by recent studies questioning the dominant role that males play in producing mutations for molecular evolution.

Structure of anthrax toxin offers clues to treatment

03 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers from the University and Boston Biomedical Research Institute have described the three-dimensional structure of edema factor, one of the three toxins that make anthrax so deadly. This finding, published in today’s issue of Nature, is a crucial step toward designing drugs to block the harmful effects of anthrax and perhaps other bacterial toxins.

Researchers discover women inherit male odor preferences through paternal genes

03 August 2007 - University of Chicago University researchers are receiving international attention for a recent study of women’s scent preferences, which was published in this month’s issue of the journal Nature Genetics. Martha McClintock, the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor in Psychology; Carole Ober, Professor in Human Genetics; and Suma Jacob, (A.B. ’91; Ph.D. ’98; M.D. ’01) a University postdoctoral fellow and lead investigator for the study, discovered that women prefer the scent of some men over other men because of genes they have inherited from their fathers.

Microprobe aids in new collaborative research on chromosomes

03 August 2007 - University of Chicago This false-color image of the distribution of calcium in the chromosomes of a deer, was obtained using secondary ion mass spectrometry with the University’s high-resolution scanning ion microprobe. Such images are revealing new details about cellular reproduction.

Variations discovered in fourth chromosome of fruit fly

03 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers in Ecology & Evolution overturned a classic belief that has been published in both genetics and evolution textbooks since the 1930s, when they reported in the Jan. 4 issue of Science that the tiny fourth chromosome of the fruit fly, believed to be identical in every member of the species, actually has several regions that vary.

Researchers measure importance of natural selection at genetic level

03 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers from the University have demonstrated that natural selection plays a much larger role in molecular evolution than anyone had suspected. Their report, published in the Nature, shows that about 25 percent of genes are evolving rapidly in response to competitive pressures. A second paper by other researchers in the same issue confirms this discovery.

New study by economist Levitt determines risks of fatal crashes, strategies to reduce accidents

02 August 2007 - University of Chicago Drunk drivers are at least 13 times more likely to cause a fatal crash than are sober drivers, according to a new study by Steven Levitt, Professor in Economics, and Jack Porter, professor of economics at Harvard University.

Experiment results lead to technology in nanoscale structures

02 August 2007 - University of Chicago The image above is a false-color transmission electron microscope image of self-assembled silver nanowires that were produced in the laboratory of Heinrich Jaeger, Professor in Physics. The center-to-center spacing between neighboring wires is 50 nanometers.

Experiments suggest silicon is an element in Earth’s core

02 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers in Geophysical Sciences used a diamond anvil cell to simulate high pressures found at Earth’s core. The chemical ingredients at the center of the Earth are surprisingly complicated, according to high-temperature, high-pressure experiments conducted by University scientists.

Discovery of inheritability of social behavior traits has human implications

01 August 2007 - University of Chicago In a study conducted by Dario Maestripieri, Associate Professor in Human Development, rhesus macaque babies were found to exhibit the behaviors of their birth mothers, though the babies were adopted and raised by foster mothers.

Phenomenon found in droplets may lead to microscopic uses

01 August 2007 - University of Chicago A water drop drips through silicone oil showing that the neck of the drop is initially a smooth parabola around the drop’s narrowest point and then becomes a long and thin thread.

Nasal sprays prove most effective as first line of treatment for seasonal allergies

01 August 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers from the University have demonstrated that corticosteroid nasal sprays are more effective than antihistamines when used “as needed” for treatment of seasonal allergies. This finding, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that the current guidelines and prescribing patterns, which favor the use of antihistamines as the first-line treatment for mild or moderate allergies, need to be revised.

Researchers find that good night’s sleep enhances language learning

31 July 2007 - University of Chicago Scientists at the University have demonstrated that sleep has an important impact on improving the ability to learn language. The researchers found that sleep improved the ability of students to retain knowledge about speech produced by a computer, even when the students seemed to forget some of what they had learned during the day before a night’s sleep.

Study shows sexual orientation is linked to brain metabolism

31 July 2007 - University of Chicago University researchers have shown for the first time that strong sexual orientation among men appears to be connected with brain metabolism. The results of their study are reported in a paper that was presented the annual Society for Neuroscience conference in New Orleans.

Researchers discover a new delivery system for antimicrobial medications

31 July 2007 - University of Chicago A multicenter research team led by a University researcher has discovered how to deliver antimicrobial medications directly to the infectious parasites that cause such diseases as toxoplasmosis, even when the parasites lay hidden and inactive within cysts, where they have been untreatable by any available medicines.

Robotic system reduces invasiveness of prostate surgery, speeds recovery

30 July 2007 - University of Chicago A surgical team at the University Hospitals uses the da Vinci robotic system to remove a cancerous prostate gland in a patient. This new laparoscopic technique allows patients to undergo the surgery with less pain, smaller scars and minimal blood loss, and to recover more rapidly.

Infant mortality rates improve as air quality improves, study shows

30 July 2007 - University of Chicago Tiny particles in the air probably have a greater impact on infant health than has previously been realized, according to new research published by a University economist, who specializes in environmental regulation, and his colleague.

Scientists identify defects in protein hydrogen bonds

30 July 2007 - University of Chicago These illustrations show the pattern of underwrapped hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure of human apomyoglobin (which carries oxygen from the muscles), hen egg-white lysozyme (an enzymatic protein), and human microglobulin (an immune system protein). The ribbon representations are an aid to the eye. The protein backbones are presented in blue. The well-wrapped backbone hydrogen bonds show as grey segments, and the underwrapped hydrogen bonds are displayed as green segments.

Tabletop experiment yields bubbly surprise

29 July 2007 - University of Chicago Front and side views of a pinch-off in an air burst from a nozzle tilted by 2 degrees. The nozzle’s tilt is indicated in white in the bottom-left frame. In the front views at top, the neck broadens before breakup, resembling a crimped and bent double cone. Then, a pair of tiny satellite bubbles is produced.

Small class size helps to bridge gap in achievement

29 July 2007 - University of Chicago Smaller classes may offer a solution to a puzzling and disturbing gap in academic achievement between white and black students, according to recent research by Diane Whitmore, an Assistant Professor in the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies who joined the faculty this quarter.

Chicago astrophysicist analyzing data from rare gamma-ray burst

29 July 2007 - University of Chicago An artist’s conception of the violent blast of gamma rays emitted by the recent GRB030329 in the constellation Leo is shown above. Gamma ray bursts are explosions so powerful that they can be seen across billions of light-years of space, emitting 10 times as much energy in a few seconds as the sun will release in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime.

Study shows speech and gesture differ in their communication sequences

28 July 2007 - University of Chicago The ability to develop a form of communication that becomes a simple language is a skill that extends beyond childhood, according to new research on the use of gestures among deaf children and experiments with adults.

Chemists use model to predict when, where blood will clot

28 July 2007 - University of Chicago University chemists have demonstrated for the first time how to use a simple laboratory model consisting of only a few chemical reactions to predict when and where blood clotting will occur.

Researchers implicate gene complex, tie it to disorder that affects 2 million Americans

28 July 2007 - University of Chicago A research team based at the University has traced increased susceptibility to bipolar disorder to two overlapping genes found on the long arm of chromosome 13.

Paleoclimatic record holds clues to explaining abrupt climate changes

27 July 2007 - University of Chicago A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that abrupt climate change may be more typical of Earth’s history than the relatively stable conditions humans have enjoyed not only for the last few centuries, but the last 10,000 years. Yet most scientists, economists and policy-makers pay more attention to the issue of gradual climate change.

Research on tumor development has implications for humans and cancer

27 July 2007 - University of Chicago Female rats that are apprehensive of new experiences as infants maintain that temperament and die earlier from mammary and pituitary tumors than do their more adventuresome sisters, according to new research by a team based at the Institute for Mind and Biology at the University.

Drug to treat hepatitis B proves useful in blocking anthrax toxin

27 July 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers at the University have found that a drug approved to treat chronic hepatitis B can block the action of an anthrax toxin. In the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by Wei-Jen Tang shows that in vitro, the drug adefovir dipivoxil effectively reduces the effects of edema factor, one of the two deadly toxins produced by anthrax.

Study finds ability to perceive others’ intentions begins during first year

26 July 2007 - University of Chicago Amanda Woodward’s current research has revealed that humans develop the capacity to perceive others’ intentions during the first year. New research at the University shows that the basic human capacity to read the intentions of others begins to emerge early in the first year of life.

Researchers map out networks that determine cell fate

26 July 2007 - University of Chicago A two-step process appears to regulate cell-fate decisions for many types of developing cells, according to researchers from the University. This finding sheds light on a puzzling behavior. For some differentiating stem cells, the first step leads not to a final decision but to a new choice. In response to the initial chemical signal, these cells take on the genetic signatures of two different cell types. It often requires a second signal for them to commit to a single cellular identity.

New salamander species provide new answers to old questions in evolution

26 July 2007 - University of Chicago Neil Shubin, Chairman and Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, and the scientists with whom he works recently discovered in China fossils of a new species of salamander, Chunerpeton tianyiensis, one of the earliest-known salamanders.

Optical fractionation technique takes HOT technology to new level of sorting particles

25 July 2007 - University of Chicago Holographic optical tweezers are used to create a lattice of discrete optical traps through which small objects, such as proteins or biological cells, are driven by flowing fluid. The fluid is contained in a small transparent sample chamber into which the laser traps are projected with a microscope objective lens.

Simulations show dark matter’s role in galaxy formation

25 July 2007 - University of Chicago The three images at above from a supercomputer simulation of the evolution of the universe show a cubic volume of outer space measuring approximately 280 million light years across. The images portray, from top to bottom, the universe 470 million years, 2.1 billion years and 13.4 billion years (the present) after the big bang.

Simulation may reveal the detailed mechanics of exploding stars

25 July 2007 - University of Chicago This supercomputer simulation from the Center for Astrophysical Thermonuclear Flashes shows the density changes in the material of a white dwarf star, a star that has burned most or all of its nuclear fuel. The star is smaller than Earth but much denser. A teaspoon of the material at its densest (shown in red), would weigh a ton on Earth. At its most diffuse (the regions in white and purple), the density becomes gaseous.

Observational evidence provides new theory on the formation of stars

24 July 2007 - University of Chicago Twenty thousand light years across, this perspective of the Milky Way galaxy is a view from above. The areas highlighted in the boxed section of the image show where NGC 6231 formed at about the same time NGC 6397 had passed through the Milky Way nearly five million years ago, providing new evidence about star formation.

Small naps big boost for young doctors on long hospital shifts

24 July 2007 - University of Chicago Vineet Arora has published a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine on the benefits of naps for young medical residents working extended hospital shifts. The first study to assess the benefits of naps for medical residents during extended shifts found that creating protected times when interns could sleep during a night on-call significantly reduced fatigue.

Researchers identify new neural behavior pattern

24 July 2007 - University of Chicago This image was taken from Professor Jack Cowan’s video simulations of brain activity. The pattern shows how neurons fire in clustered bursts of activity instead of in spirals or waves. Cowan, who shares the discovery of this newly identified pattern with Tanya Baker, a Ph.D. student in Physics, describes the pattern as resembling the movements of flaming jellyfish.

Chicago physicists believe extra dimensions exist as they search for more clues

23 July 2007 - University of Chicago The display above is a simulated graviton event in the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The tower shown above is of detected energy from the debris of a collision between a proton and an antiproton, which balances an undetectable graviton. An undetectable graviton carries the force of gravity, which “escapes” into extra-dimensional space.

Simulating cosmic collisions prepares astronomers to detect gravitational waves

23 July 2007 - University of Chicago The gaseous disks of two galaxies collide in this series of images produced in a supercomputer simulation. Approximately three billion years after the collision begins, the two supermassive black holes at the center of the galaxies merge. Such mergers produce strong gravitational waves, which scientists hope to detect with the proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Study shows new markets are now facilitating coupling in major cities

23 July 2007 - University of Chicago As more people remain single for longer periods of time or become single because of divorce, elaborate “markets” to facilitate people in their search for companionship and sex have developed in major cities, according to a new study by a University research team.

Compound could make hydrogen fuel storage more efficient, practical

22 July 2007 - University of Chicago David Mao, Visiting Scientist in Geophysical Sciences, and his daughter Wendy, a graduate student in Geophysical Sciences, have synthesized a hydrogen clathrate hydrate, a promising new compound that could lead to useful storage methods for hydrogen. The lack of practical storage methods has hindered the more widespread use of hydrogen fuels, which are renewable and environmentally friendly.

Women’s attractiveness judgments track men’s affinity to children, hormone levels

22 July 2007 - University of Chicago New research at the University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, shows that women subconsciously pick up cues in men’s faces that indicate an interest in children and subsequently, use those cues to determine if they are attracted to those men for long-term relationships.

Auger may clear up contradictory data on high-energy cosmic rays

22 July 2007 - University of Chicago Above is a photo of the high-energy cosmic ray surface detector stationed in the Mendoza Province of Argentina, where University scientists are conducting the Auger Project.

Study shows aspirin can help prevent polyps in colorectal cancer patients

21 July 2007 - University of Chicago Taking one aspirin a day can prevent the development of precancerous polyps in patients at increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to a study by University researchers and colleagues published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Aspirin’s protective effect was so significant that the study was stopped early.

Gender equity enhances older couples’ sexual well-being

21 July 2007 - University of Chicago Older couples who live in Western countries and who enjoy more equality between men and women are most likely to report being satisfied with their sex lives, according to a new study on sexual well-being, aging and health that was conducted in 29 countries by a University research team.

University researchers discover pathway that regulates growth of nerve cells along spinal cord

21 July 2007 - University of Chicago The spinal cord’s commissural neurons, which receive sensory signals such as pain from the primary neurons in other regions of the body, have a complex growth process. Growth occurs at the growth cones (pictured above) found at the tip of each axon. Receptors in the growth cones detect extracellular signals and grow toward or away from the source.

Heckman’s research shows non-cognitive skills promote achievement

20 July 2007 - University of Chicago Persistence pays, contends economist James Heckman, as do other non-cognitive skills, for both the individual and society. Like persistence, dependability and other under-studied traits probably play as important a role in work and school success as do more easily measured skills, such as those recorded on achievement tests, writes Heckman in a forthcoming book.

Study shows lonely people at greater risk of hypertension

20 July 2007 - University of Chicago University psychologists have found a 30-point difference in systolic blood pressure readings between older Americans who experience loneliness and those who are not lonely, showing that loneliness could increase the risk of death from stroke and heart disease.

Vernacularization in cultures originates from informed choices about language, literature

20 July 2007 - University of Chicago Cosmopolitanism has become a watchword for both good and ill. While it seems to stand for enlightened tolerance of and interest in diverse cultures, it may simultaneously stand for their eradication. But it may be a watchword that is misunderstood, after all, as Sheldon Pollock points out, it barely ever occurs in the original Greek, and there may be something just as shadowy about its modern-day occurrences.

Digestive disorder caused by gluten is common

19 July 2007 - University of Chicago A massive, multicenter study has found that celiac disease, a digestive disorder, is much more common in the United States than previously believed. The study found that one out of every 133 Americans has celiac disease. Since only about one out of 4,700 Americans has been diagnosed, this means that 97 percent of cases in this country go undetected.

Gene variation finding may open door to screenings for SIDS risk

19 July 2007 - University of Chicago About 5 percent of deaths from sudden infant death syndrome in African Americans can be traced to defects in one gene, and half of those deaths result from a common genetic variation that increases an infant’s risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm during times of environmental stress.

Study shows urban law firms have grown, as has business litigation

19 July 2007 - University of Chicago In the space of 20 years, the Chicago legal world changed from a relatively cozy establishment of lawyers in modest-sized firms to a profession dominated by large firmsÑan environment where some lawyers make vast amounts of money and those in solo practice make remarkably less.

Cosmologists solving mysteries of gamma-ray bursts

18 July 2007 - University of Chicago Astrophysicist Don Lamb has just completed one of the most scientifically explosive months of his career. Scientists announced that NASA’s Swift satellite and ground-based telescopes had discovered the most distant exploding star on record.

Genome scan reveals recent adaptive evolution of over 700 human gene variants

18 July 2007 - University of Chicago By scanning the entire human genome in search of genetic variations that may signal recent evolution, University researchers have found more than 700 genetic variants that may be targets of recent natural positive selection during the past 10,000 years of human evolution.

Pardee’s careful scrutiny of ancient texts reveals colorful world of Ugaritians

18 July 2007 - University of Chicago Ugaritic is a uniquely hybrid early writing system similar to the Hebrew alphabet, in that it basically represents consonants. The difference is that the letters were written not in script but in wedge shapes with a stylus on clay tablets. This form of writing the alphabet was thus a formal imitation of the better-known Babylonian writing of Mesopotamia. Above is a drawing of the original text that tells the tale of how the god El holds a big feast at which he becomes drunk. The story is appended with medical instructions at the end, which Pardee interprets as a hangover cure.

Physicians not implementing care management processes proven to increase quality of patient care

17 July 2007 - University of Chicago Lawrence Casalino was the lead author of a paper that described how patients suffering from chronic disease are not receiving the benefits of many care management processes.

Survey shows altruism may create happier marriages

17 July 2007 - University of Chicago In the nation’s first survey of altruistic love, scholars have found that people who have strong feelings of love for other people in general are more likely to have strong romantic relationships.

Lahn’s analysis of genes indicates human brain continues to evolve

17 July 2007 - University of Chicago Human evolution, in what has become our most important organ, the brain, is still under way, University researchers report in two related papers published in the Science. The studies show two genes linked to brain size are rapidly evolving in humans.

University study challenges a conventional theory in evolution

16 July 2007 - University of Chicago New data suggest that the accumulation of genetic changes is not solely determined by natural selection. A study by University researchers contradicts conventional theory by showing that the percentage of mutations accepted in evolution also is strongly swayed by the speed at which new mutations arrive at a gene: the faster the speed of new mutations, the greater the percentage of those mutations accepted.

Geologists discover unexpected evidence about Tibetan Plateau

16 July 2007 - University of Chicago Geologists have learned that the height of the Tibetan Plateau, a vast, elevated region of central Asia sometimes called “the roof of the world,” has remained remarkably constant for at least 35 million years.

Ryan’s commutation not the first issued in history to correct injustice, say scholars

16 July 2007 - University of Chicago Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan’s recent decision to commute the sentences of all 167 Illinois death row prisoners, which followed a moratorium and a review of the death penalty system by a gubernatorial commission, has provoked outspoken criticism and rallied support alike.

Broken gene reveals evolution of salt retention, possible ties to hypertension

15 July 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers at the University have found genetic evidence to support the sodium-retention hypothesis, a controversial 30-year-old theory that the high rate of hypertension in certain ethnic groups is caused, in part, by an inherited tendency to retain salt.

New protein-binding method may lead to reduction of drug side effects

15 July 2007 - University of Chicago The light-colored oval on this computer-generated image of a protein highlights the location of a dehydron, an unprotected dry region where water can easily get in to destroy the hydrogen bond that holds proteins together. The colored bars designate various amino acids (two of which are labeled in red), the building blocks of proteins.

Survey on physicians’ religious beliefs shows majority faithful

15 July 2007 - University of Chicago The first study of physician religious beliefs has found that 76 percent of doctors believe in God and 59 percent believe in some sort of afterlife. The survey, performed by researchers at the University and published in the July issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found that 90 percent of doctors in the United States attend religious services at least occasionally, compared to 81 percent of all adults. Fifty-five percent of doctors say their religious beliefs influence how they practice medicine.

Research team further explores exotic Fermion superfluid

14 July 2007 - University of Chicago Cheng Chin, now a Chicago faculty member, and his colleagues conducted the experiments under the leadership of Rudolf Grimm at Innsbruck University in Austria. Their experiments may lead to a better scientific understanding of superconductivity and advance a growing new field called superchemistry. In the long term, they may also provide a strategy that could aid the development of quantum computers.

Computation scientists prepare to support collider research through grid computing

14 July 2007 - University of Chicago Sometime thi year, the largest scientific instrument ever built will begin flowing massive quantities of data into an international network of computer centers, including one the University is operating jointly with Indiana University. The first phase of the Chicago-Indiana center, formally known as the Midwest Tier-2 center, is now up and running, crunching test data in preparation for the real thing.

Physicists describe strange, new fluid-like state of matter

14 July 2007 - University of Chicago In this comparison of granular jets at atmospheric pressure and in a vacuum, a-c show images from a high-speed video of a granular jet produced by the impact of a heavy sphere at atmospheric pressure. d-f show images from a high-speed video of the jet at reduced pressure. Air compressed between the sand grains provides most of the energy that drives the jet.

Researchers studying developmental path for generating B cells from stem cells

14 July 2007 - University of Chicago Gene regulatory networks orchestrating the generation of a B-cell precursor from a hematopoietic stem cell are shown above. Four successive, interdependent developmental states are depicted. Each transition is enabled by distinct combinations of regulatory molecules (gene regulatory proteins like PU.1 and signaling receptors like IL-7R). Gene regulators activate or repress target genes whereas signaling receptors induce or modify the activities of gene regulators.

Air bubbles experiment could lead to new nanotech fibers

13 July 2007 - University of Chicago Wendy Zhang, Assistant Professor in Physics and the College, is perfecting a technique that could lead scientists to develop extremely thin wires for use in biomedical and biotechnology procedures.

Research shows pre-’90s progress in narrowing achievement gap has stalled

13 July 2007 - University of Chicago The achievement gap between African Americans and whites, which narrowed for much of the 20th century, has stalled and is likely to persist for generations unless something is done to improve the learning experiences of African-American children, contends new research conducted by Derek Neal, Professor in Economics.

Study shows women of African ancestry diagnosed with more virulent form of breast

12 July 2007 - University of Chicago A study comparing, for the first time, breast cancers in women from Nigeria, Sénégal and North America has revealed that women of African ancestry are more likely to be diagnosed with a more virulent form of the disease than women of European ancestry.

Evidence of battle at Hamoukar points to early urban development

12 July 2007 - University of Chicago New details about the tragic end of one of the world’s earliest cities, as well as clues about how urban life may have begun there, were revealed in a recent excavation conducted in northeastern Syria by archaeologists from the Oriental Institute and the Syrian Department of Antiquities.

Chemosignal produced during lactation increases sexual motivation in women

12 July 2007 - University of Chicago Breast-feeding women and their infants produce a substance that increases sexual desire among other women, according to a recent paper by University researchers.

Researchers create model to study birth defect’s development

11 July 2007 - University of Chicago A collaboration between clinical and basic scientists at the University has led to identifying the first genetic cause of one of the most common birth defects of the brain, Dandy-Walker malformation.

Brain circuitry involved in language reveals differences in man, non-human primates

11 July 2007 - University of Chicago What makes humans different from primates? How did we develop the ability to talk and to walk on two legs, yet be the only organism that seems vulnerable to neurodegenerative diseases.

Analyses pinpoint origin of asteroid’s fatal fireball

11 July 2007 - University of Chicago This painting by Donald Davis depicts an asteroid slamming into tropical, shallow seas of the Yucatan Peninsula in what is today southeast Mexico. The aftermath of this immense asteroid collision, which occurred approximately 65 million years ago, is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species on Earth. The geological studies conducted by the University’s Lawrence Grossman and Denton Ebel of the American Museum of Natural History explain the complex chemistry of the fireball that the asteroid impact produced.

Physicists determine air gives liquids their splash

10 July 2007 - University of Chicago Photographs of a drop of alcohol hitting a smooth, dry, glass surface show the drop in the first frame just before impact. The next three frames in each row show the evolution of the drop after impact. In the top row, the drop splashes at atmospheric pressure, followed by the next three rows, which show the drops under decreasing air pressure. In the fourth row, at the lowest pressure, there is no splashing and no apparent undulations in the rim.

Cox-2 drugs overprescribed for years, study says

10 July 2007 - University of Chicago The now-infamous pain relievers known as Cox-2 inhibitors were overprescribed long before their current problems came to light, a new study concludes. Most of the growth in Cox-2 use between 1999 and 2002 came among patients who were least likely to benefit, namely those without a high risk of gastrointestinal complications, according to the study. Cox-2 inhibitors were developed for patients who had gastrointestinal problems with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.

New method is developed to measure blinking nanocrystals, boosting their technological value

10 July 2007 - University of Chicago Matthew Pelton, a research fellow in the James Franck Institute at the University, adjusts a green laser used to monitor the sporadic blinking of quantum dots. Scientists at the University have discovered a better way to measure a confounding property of microscopic high-tech particles called quantum dots.

How galaxies form and what astronomers see in their telescopes

09 July 2007 - University of Chicago Assistant Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Andrey Kravtsov and a team of researchers have resolved an embarrassing contradiction between a favored theory of how galaxies form and what astronomers see in their telescopes.

Genes specifying architecture of the human brain may have started evolving faster some 20 million years ago

09 July 2007 - University of Chicago Genes that specify the architecture of the human brain seem to have started evolving faster some 20 million years ago, when the great apes split off from Old World monkeys.

How changes in daylight affect mood

09 July 2007 - University of Chicago Among the mechanisms that regulate reproduction and health in humans and other animals is a biological clock, which researchers had thought was regulated primarily by sunlight until work by Brian Prendergast, Assistant Professor in Psychology, showed memory and genetics also play a role.

When patients choose prayer over treatment

08 July 2007 - University of Chicago How do doctors interpret and respond to conflicts between their best medical advice and a patient’s religious concerns? A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that such conflicts are not uncommon, that most physicians strive to accommodate the demands of a patient’s faith, but that certain types of conflict tend to push doctors over a threshold toward negotiation, persuasion and appeal to other authorities.

Mammals may have evolved the delicate bone structure of the middle ear at least twice

08 July 2007 - University of Chicago Mammals seem to have evolved the delicate bone structure of the middle ear at least twice. The surprising discovery comes from a fossil, found off the southern coast of Australia, that belongs to an ancestor of the platypus.

Crucial clue to understanding and ultimately eliminating sudden infant death syndrome

08 July 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers may have found a crucial clue to understanding and ultimately eliminating sudden infant death syndrome, the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in the United States. Approximately 3,000 infants die each year from the disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New compound found that blocks anthrax lethal factor

07 July 2007 - University of Chicago Chicago scientists screened 10,000 small molecules for activity against anthrax lethal factor using peptide arrays and mass spectrometry.

Keeping the brain active may help stave off signs of Alzheimer's disease

07 July 2007 - University of Chicago A University of Chicago study found that mice that lived in an 'enriched environment' with chew toys, running wheels and tunnels that helped keep their brains and bodies active had lower levels of Alzheimer's-associated brain plaques and protein buildup than mice that lived in less stimulating surroundings.

Measuring medical personnel’s CPR application

07 July 2007 - University of Chicago University researchers are using new technology to measure, for the first time, how closely well-trained hospital staff comply with established guidelines for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. The results reveal room for improvement.

Graduation rates overstated

06 July 2007 - University of Chicago The University’s Consortium on Chicago School Research has discovered in the results of a new study that although graduation rates have been improving along with academic achievement among Chicago Public Schools students, the actual graduation rate is much lower than typically reported.

Obesity not as deadly as government thought

06 July 2007 - University of Chicago Putting on weight is not nearly as deadly as the government thought, according to a new calculation from the CDC that found people who are modestly overweight actually have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight.

Genes involved in evolution of brain development identified by researchers

06 July 2007 - University of Chicago Two genes implicated in the dramatic expansion of the human cerebral cortex, a development considered to be one of the hallmarks of human evolution have been identified by researchers.

Extensive gene traffic discovered by researchers

05 July 2007 - University of Chicago University researchers have discovered there is extensive gene “traffic”, the process of genes leaving and arriving on the chromosome, on the mammalian X chromosome. They also have overturned a conventional theory about how genes evolved on the sex chromosome.

Sweat odor affects women and homosexual men alike

05 July 2007 - University of Chicago Strong airborne chemicals emitted in male perspiration and associated with sexual reproduction trigger a heightened response in the brains of homosexual men similar to that seen in heterosexual women.

Possibilities for RIA’s big science projects anticipated by researchers

05 July 2007 - University of Chicago Mark Kedzie of Argonne National Laboratory's Physics Division examines a module of superconducting resonators that accelerate particles at Argonne's ATLAS facility. RIA would incorporate this technology.

Hope for finding clues to earliest life

04 July 2007 - University of Chicago Experiments led by the University’s Nicolas Dauphas have validated some remarkable rocks from Greenland as the potential site for the earliest evidence of life on Earth.

Arm bone find explains animal evolution from water to land

04 July 2007 - University of Chicago How land-living animals evolved from fish has long been a scientific puzzle. An important part of the mystery is the transformation of the fins of fish into the arms and legs of humans’ ancestors.

Study finds those who outgrow foster care still struggle

04 July 2007 - University of Chicago As the definition of adulthood has shifted in this country and young people are living with their parents even into their 20's, one group has been mostly left behind in this phenomenon: thousands of people who grow up in foster care.

Keep blood pressure low the sweet way

03 July 2007 - University of Chicago According to a new study, eating half a bar of dark chocolate each day may lower high blood pressure though experts cautioned that the results should not be read as an invitation for chocoholics to pig out.

Smokers are more aware of secondhand smoke’s harmful effects

03 July 2007 - University of Chicago Advertisements like those created by the state of Washington Department of Health, may have contributed to a decline in secondhand smoke in households, as did the restrictions on smoking in public places.

Calculating electronic properties of molecules

03 July 2007 - University of Chicago David Mazziotti, University quantum chemist has proposed a new research tool that could help scientists more rapidly solve problems in atmospheric chemistry, combustion, medicine and other areas of research where the behavior of electrons plays a key role.

Genes that regulate brain development and function resulted from intense evolutionary selection

02 July 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers have reported new findings that show genes that regulate brain development and function evolved much more rapidly in humans than in nonhuman primates and other mammals because of natural selection processes unique to the human lineage.

Researchers anticipate results on rare gamma rays

02 July 2007 - University of Chicago Black holes, remnants of exploded stars and other exotic celestial objects emit streams of gamma rays that carry trillions of times more energy across the universe than visible light. Scott Wakely considers gamma rays the juiciest portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

A clearer view of how grains flow

02 July 2007 - University of Chicago The University of Chicago feels far from the Midwest's farms, but experiments at the Hyde Park campus could prove useful to corn and grain growers.

Studies find growth genes keep rapidly mutating

01 July 2007 - University of Chicago Nature apparently thinks you can, according to two University of Chicago studies providing the first scientific evidence that the human brain is still evolving, a process that may ultimately increase people's capacity to grow smarter.

Be small and live in deep, tropical water to avoid becoming a fossil

01 July 2007 - University of Chicago A scientist at University of Chicago and colleagues say they've found the best way to avoid becoming a fossil is to be small and live in deep, tropical water. The four paleontologists who have published a detailed, global study of clam preservation say their work is intended to enhance evolutionary studies by determining what's missing from the fossil record and why.

Study suggests women seem better able to survive social isolation than men

01 July 2007 - University of Chicago A pioneering University of Chicago research team reported that female rodents handle stress much better than males, which may hint at why women seem better able to survive social isolation than men.

Human genes still evolving

30 June 2007 - University of Chicago A comprehensive scan of the human genome finds that hundreds of our genes have undergone positive natural selection during the past 10,000 years of human evolution.

Subatomic particle that reverses identity 3 trillion times a second

30 June 2007 - University of Chicago Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Physicists have reported what would seem to set a new standard for vacillation: a subatomic particle that reverses identity three trillion times a second, switching into its upside-down mirror-image evil-twin antimatter opposite and then back again.

Studies hint that brain may still be evolving

30 June 2007 - University of Chicago Researchers say that two genes involved in determining the size of the human brain have undergone substantial evolution in the last 60,000 years, leading to the surprising suggestion that the brain is still undergoing rapid evolution.

Ideas to treat flu in a pinch

29 June 2007 - University of Chicago Despite recent moves by the federal government to build drug stockpiles for a possible outbreak of avian flu, some experts say the plans so far have neglected a key possibility: What if a pandemic strikes before the stockpiles are in place?

Sex survey reveals couples in Western countries are the most satisfied

29 June 2007 - University of Chicago A groundbreaking international sex survey reveals that couples in Western countries are the most sexually satisfied, while countries in the East appear to be less satisfied.

Key gene mystery unlocked by scientists

29 June 2007 - University of Chicago For three decades scientists have known that humans and chimpanzees share 99 percent of the same genes, but they have been at a loss to explain what causes the two to be so obviously different physically, behaviorally and mentally.

Diabetes cure work backed by scientists

28 June 2007 - University of Chicago When Denise Faustman announced that she had cured mice of diabetes, funders didn't exactly beat a path to her door, and colleagues didn't shower her with hosannas.

Chicago physics professor helps convert three atoms into a special state of matter

28 June 2007 - University of Chicago A University of Chicago physics professor is among a team of researchers who've converted three atoms into a special state of matter.

Impotence can be a warning sign for heart disease

28 June 2007 - University of Chicago A University of Chicago study has found impotence also can be a warning sign for heart disease. Researchers found the link between impotence and heart disease is stronger than that of any other known risk factor, including smoking, family history and high blood pressure.

Post-traumatic stress disorder existed in Civil War

27 June 2007 - University of Chicago According to a study, a look at the medical records of Civil War soldiers suggests post-traumatic stress disorder existed back then, too.

Sleeping difficulties suffered by millions of women during their lives

27 June 2007 - University of Chicago Martha Yasso, like many mothers of young children, was tired all the time, tired that whenever her 3-year-old son went down for a nap, she grabbed the chance