Research – Page 24 – College of Arts & Sciences

Want to Avoid a Cold? Try a Tattoo or Twenty, says UA Researcher

May 6, 2016

From the May 2016 Desktop News |There’s no known cure for the common cold, but receiving multiple tattoos can strengthen your immunological responses, potentially making you heartier in fighting off common infections, according to research by a trio of University of Alabama scholars. However, receiving a single tattoo can, at least temporarily, lower your resistance, says Dr. Christopher Lynn, UA associate professor in the Department of Anthropology. The research was published online in the American Journal of Human Biology. Lynn […]

Geologist Receives NSF CAREER Award to Study Volcanic Lightning

May 6, 2016

Dr. Kim Genareau saw this explosion first hand at the Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala.

From the May 2016 Desktop News |The National Science Foundation selected Dr. Kimberly Genareau, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, for a CAREER Award, which will support five years of volcanic lightning research with more than $430,000. The multi-year award funds both basic research and the development of educational materials for children. Genareau will lead experiments to observe the chemical changes that occur in volcanic ash when struck by lightning by performing a series of triggered lightning […]

When Fame Breeds Infamy: Shooters Who Want Attention, a Growing Phenomenon

April 27, 2016

From the 2016 Celebrating Excellence | With at least two attention-driven mass shootings in the last year, it has never been more important to accurately understand the minds of killers—especially those who kill for fame. Dr. Adam Lankford, an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, has been studying fame-seeking mass shooters since the aftermath of 9/11. In the past year, his research on the subject has been cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The […]

Communicating Over Coffee: Coffee Shop Restores Confidence after Brain Injury

April 27, 2016

From the 2016 Celebrating Excellence | Prior to her stroke, Nancy Taylor, a client at the Speech and Hearing Center at The University of Alabama, loved learning. She was social and vibrant, and then one day—the day she had her stroke—she lost her ability to talk. “I feel like I’ve had to do life over,” Taylor said. “People treated me like I was handicapped, but I’m just trying to find my words.” Taylor has aphasia, an acquired language disorder, and […]

Beer in Your Bones: Geologist Reconstructs Past Civilizations Using Chemistry

April 26, 2016

From the 2016 Celebrating Excellence | Dr. Fred Andrus says he would never do this to you, but if he pulled one of your teeth, took it to his lab, and dissolved it, he could tell you about where you lived as a child. How? By analyzing isotopes, or variations of chemical elements. “Isotopes are used to detect everything from steroid use to the paths that medicines and nutrients take in your body,” said Andrus, a professor in the Department […]

Professor to Aid National Park Service in Mapping of Florida Bay

April 7, 2016

Researchers use satellite images and "ground-truthing" to map the boat paths that are damaging the Florida Bay.

From the April 2016 Desktop News |A UA professor and graduate student are developing a map of Florida Bay in Everglades National Park in order to help the U.S. National Park Service conserve the fragile environments and animal population within it. Dr. Michael Steinberg, an associate professor in New College and the Department of Geography, said the map is crucial to slowing the habitat damage caused by boats and other external, man-made forces. “If you have a lot of boat […]

NSF Dissertation Grant Being Used to Conduct Research at Moundville

April 7, 2016

Erik Porth will be analyzing these ancient sherds from Moundville in order to learn more about the civilization's social structures and decline.

From the April 2016 Desktop News | Despite the extensive excavations that have been done at the Moundville Archaeological Park since 1939, Moundville’s decline—and its social organization—are largely shrouded in mystery. But with the help of a $9,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, University of Alabama doctoral student Erik Porth and his dissertation adviser, Dr. John Blitz, are hoping to uncover some of the secrets. “Social organization doesn’t fossilize,” said Blitz, a UA professor in the Department of Anthropology. […]

Where Science Meets Fiction

February 8, 2016

The x-ray image superimposed over the optical image creates the purplish smile of The Cheshire Cat Galaxy Group.

From the February 2016 Desktop News | When Dr. Jimmy Irwin, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, began his research on the Cheshire Cat group of galaxies, he was interested in more than just the teasing smile of a disappearing cat. “The two bright eye galaxies,” Irwin said, “are actually moving very fast relative to one another, so I thought this may be a collision between two groups.” And if there was a collision, the new galaxy would […]

Research Featured in World’s Top Science Journal

February 8, 2016

Dr. Eben Broadbent (front) and Dr. Angelica Almeyda Zambrano (third from front), with field assistants from the Instituto Boliviano de Investigacion Forestal, carry a ‘pequi-pequi’ boat motor to the river in preparation for travel to one of their forest study sites.

From the February 2016 Desktop News | Last week’s online edition of Nature, the world’s most highly cited interdisciplinary scientific journal, published research co-authored by Department of Geography professors Drs. Eben Broadbent and Angelica Almeyda Zambrano. On average, Nature publishes only 8 percent of the 200 or more research papers submitted for publication each week due to rigorous selection criteria, according to the journal. In 2013, only 856 of the 10,952 papers submitted to Nature were published. Most submissions are declined […]

Cybercrime Internship Gaining Steam

February 8, 2016

From the February 2016 Desktop News | In the world of cybercrime, offenders tend to have the upper hand. According to Beau Sams, a UAPD officer at The University of Alabama’s Joint Electronic Crimes Task Force, or JECTF, “Technology always outpaces law enforcement’s ability to deal with it.” But by partnering with academia—and student interns, who are closer to the forefront of technology and social media—police officers are hoping to catch up. The JECTF internship, which began in spring 2015, currently […]