- Cannabis users appear to be relying less on conventional sleep aids: 80% of surveyed cannabis users reported no longer using sleep aids such as melatonin and benzodiazepines. Instead, they had a strong preference for inhaling high-THC cannabis by smoking joints or vaporizing flower https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/11/13/cannabis-users-appear-to-be-relying-less-on-conventional-sleep-aids/ 1944 comments science
- Wildlife crossings potentially save millions in Washington state: Crossings over highways intended to preserve biological diversity also appear to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, saving roughly $235,000 to $443,000 every year per structure. https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/08/30/wildlife-crossings-potentially-save-millions-annually-in-washington-state/ 26 comments science
- Concrete industry is under pressure to reduce CO2 emissions, and seafood waste is a significant problem for fishing industry. Shrimp shells nanoparticles made cement significantly stronger — an innovation that could lead to reduced seafood waste and lower CO2 emissions from concrete production. https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/08/02/researchers-improve-cement-with-shrimp-shell-nanoparticles/ 235 comments science
- Study: Zoom fatigue may be a real condition, but for some people, the “constant mirror” effect of seeing their own faces didn’t appear to make virtual meetings more unpleasant. Furthermore, for highly self-conscious people, more frequent self-view was associated with worse attitudes. https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/01/03/not-everybody-hates-looking-at-themselves-on-zoom/ 12 comments science
- While attractive hospitality workers typically earn higher customer service scores than their peers, wearing face masks—a practice widely adopted during the pandemic—levels the playing field, a new study says. Average-looking workers were perceived as more attractive when they were wearing masks. https://news.wsu.edu/news/2021/12/16/pandemic-masks-level-playing-field-for-hospitality-workers/ 8 comments nottheonion
- Atom laser creates reflective patterns similar to light. The researchers ‘poked’ at the atom laser by putting optical obstacles in its path, essentially shining specific wavelengths of laser lights onto the accelerating stream of atoms. https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2021/12/10/atom-laser-creates-reflective-patterns-similar-to-light/ 5 comments science
- Cannabis impacts sperm counts, motility in two generations of mice - WSU Insider https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2021/12/02/cannabis-impacts-sperm-counts-motility-in-two-generations-of-mice/ 80 comments science
- Researcher in WSU’s Department of Animal Sciences, will use the grant to create a kind of doppelganger of deadly viruses that can hunt down and kill the original virus. Terms a ‘Trojan virus’ that sneaks into host cells and destroys those viral genes, essentially killing the disease-causing virus. https://news.wsu.edu/news/2021/10/12/new-research-aims-to-create-trojan-virus-that-can-destroy-viruses-after-infection/ 7 comments science
- The psychological toll of losing a job due to COVID-19 caused many young hotel and restaurant workers to consider changing careers. Laid-off hospitality employees—particularly women and younger workers—reported being financially strained, depressed, socially isolated and panic stricken. https://news.wsu.edu/2021/07/15/pandemic-layoffs-pushed-hospitality-workers-leave-industry/ 172 comments science
- Novel study of high-potency cannabis shows some memory effects. The researchers found no impact on the users’ performance on decision-making tests in comparison to a sober control group but did find some memory impairments related to free recall, source memory and false memories. https://news.wsu.edu/2021/07/08/novel-study-high-potency-cannabis-shows-memory-effects/ 31 comments science
- For the first time, researchers have hard evidence that human-made hexagonal diamonds are stiffer than the common cubic diamonds found in nature and often used in jewelry. https://news.wsu.edu/2021/03/31/lab-made-hexagonal-diamonds-stiffer-natural-diamonds/ 17 comments science
- People who talk with their doctors are more likely to get vaccinated during a pandemic, according to a study. Doctor communication with patients is particularly pressing now given that that one in five Americans showed an unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine and the amount of misinformation. https://news.wsu.edu/2021/03/15/doctor-communication-key-pandemic-vaccine-adoption/ 6 comments science
- Insights on how night shift work increases cancer risk.Night shifts disrupt natural 24-hour rhythms in the activity of certain cancer-related genes, making night shift workers more vulnerable to DNA damage while also causing the body's DNA repair mechanisms to be mistimed to deal with that damage. https://news.wsu.edu/2021/03/08/research-offers-insights-night-shift-work-increases-cancer-risk/ 13 comments science
- Biomarkers in fathers’ sperm linked to offspring autism - These biomarkers are epigenetic, and can be passed down to future generations. In a set of blind tests, researchers were able to use these to determine whether other men had fathered autistic children with 90% accuracy. https://news.wsu.edu/2021/01/11/biomarkers-fathers-sperm-linked-offspring-autism/ 2351 comments science
- Researchers for the first time found a correlation between gut microbiome in children and common chemicals found in their home environment. Children with higher levels of PFASs in their blood had reduced amount and diversity of bacteria, while phthalates were associated with reduced fungi. https://news.wsu.edu/2020/11/12/researchers-find-connection-household-chemicals-gut-microbiome/ 33 comments science
- Cannabis reduces OCD symptoms by half in the short-term: People with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, report that the severity of their symptoms was reduced by about half within four hours of smoking cannabis, according to a recent study https://news.wsu.edu/2020/10/20/cannabis-reduces-ocd-symptoms-half-short-term/ 101 comments science
- Study from WSU shows that some planets may be better for life than Earth https://news.wsu.edu/2020/10/05/planets-may-better-life-earth/ 12 comments science
- Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety & stress, but it may not be enough for levels caused by COVID-19. Researchers found that the association between decreased physical activity and stress was confounded by genetic and environmental factors. https://news.wsu.edu/2020/09/08/covid-stress-may-hard-beat-even-exercise/ 7 comments science
- New research finds that parents suppressing feelings of stress around their kids can actually transmit those feelings to the children. The study found that children had a physical response when parents tried to hide their emotions. https://news.wsu.edu/2020/04/23/everything-not-fine-kids-can-tell-parents-suppress-stress/ 10 comments science
- New research suggests seductive details can inhibit learning: When teachers use a funny joke, a cat video or even background music in their lessons, it can keep students from understanding the main content https://news.wsu.edu/2020/03/19/seductive-details-inhibit-learning/ 112 comments science
- Infants from rural families tend to display negative emotions such as anger and frustration more frequently than their urban counterparts, according to a recent study. Babies born in big cities, on the other hand, typically are less fussy and not as bothered by limits set by their caregivers. https://news.wsu.edu/2020/03/17/live-may-influence-babys-behavior/ 32 comments science
- Research shows boredom is on the rise for adolescents, which found that boredom is rising year after year for teens in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, with greater increases for girls than boys (n = 106,784). https://news.wsu.edu/2019/11/19/research-shows-boredom-rise-adolescents-especially-girls/ 5 comments science
- Timed release of turmeric stops cancer cell growth. WSU research team has developed a drug delivery system using curcumin, the main ingredient in the spice turmeric, that successfully inhibits bone cancer cells while promoting growth of healthy bone cells. https://news.wsu.edu/2019/06/20/timed-release-turmeric-stops-cancer-cell-growth/ 105 comments science
- Most teens report using marijuana less often after legalization, finds a new study (n>76,000). Marijuana use went down significantly among 8th and 10th graders after legalization, and among 12th graders who didn’t work. https://news.wsu.edu/2019/03/15/teens-report-using-marijuana-less-often-legalization/ 464 comments science
- New research shows while conservatives and liberals tend to disagree on many environmental issues, they both view the development of solar power and other forms of renewable energy as financially savvy and a step towards self-sufficiency. https://news.wsu.edu/2018/10/16/renewable-energy-common-ground/ 18 comments worldnews
- PTSD rate among prison employees equals that of war veterans - Prison employees experience PTSD on par with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, finds a new study. Working conditions in prison can include regular exposure to violence and trauma, and threats of harm to the workers and their families. https://news.wsu.edu/2018/07/13/ptsd-rate-among-prison-employees-equals-war-veterans/ 1580 comments science
- WSU researchers build -300ºF alien ocean to test NASA outer space submarine - to determine how a submarine might work on Titan, the largest of Saturn’s many moons and the second largest in the solar system. The space agency plans to launch a real submarine into Titan seas in the next 20 years. https://news.wsu.edu/2018/02/07/wsu-builds-nasa-alien-ocean/ 298 comments space
- Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that predicts how well people perform certain mental tasks when sleep-deprived. Individuals with a particular variation of the DRD2 gene are resilient to the effects of sleep deprivation when completing tasks that require cognitive flexibility. https://news.wsu.edu/2017/12/20/gene-influences-sleep-deprived-performance/ 8 comments science
- One of the planet's biggest potential carbon sinks doesn't require carbon to sink very far. According to new research, soil minerals buried just a few feet below the surface can store vast amounts of carbon. https://news.wsu.edu/2017/11/08/huge-carbon-sink-in-soil/ 3 comments science
- New technology promises to curb wasteful methane flaring in oil and gas fields. The new reactor uses the addition of an electric field to make methane easier to break down, enabling the use of much lower temperatures and an inexpensive nickel catalyst. https://news.wsu.edu/2017/08/01/wasteful-methane-flaring-alternative/ 3 comments science
- Washington State University physicists have created a fluid with negative mass, which is exactly what it sounds like. Push it, and unlike every physical object in the world we know, it doesn’t accelerate in the direction it was pushed. It accelerates backwards. https://news.wsu.edu/2017/04/10/negative-mass-created-at-wsu/ 44 comments science
- Study finds anonymous online comments influence opinions on vaccination. Researchers showed participants two PSAs (one pro- and one anti-vaccine) followed by anonymous comments. Participants were equally persuaded by the PSAs and the online comments. https://news.wsu.edu/2015/02/02/online-comments-influence-opinions-on-vaccination-decisions/#.vnpotc4yg5j 4 comments science
- Localized drought may have triggered the 13th century abandonment of southwest Colorado by the ancestral Pueblo people. https://news.wsu.edu/2014/12/04/localized-climate-change-contributed-to-ancient-depopulation/#.vkep_v4as 41 comments science
- An apple a day could keep obesity away: Granny Smith apples benefit growth of friendly bacteria in colon due to high content of non-digestible compounds including dietary fiber and polyphenols, and low available carbohydrates content, and may help prevent disorders associated with obesity https://news.wsu.edu/2014/09/29/an-apple-a-day-could-keep-obesity-away/#.vcqa_gesz94 914 comments science
- Preventing foodborne illness, naturally – with cinnamon: Seeking ways to prevent some of the most serious foodborne illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria, two scientists have found promise in an ancient but common cooking spice cinnamon https://news.wsu.edu/2014/07/16/preventing-foodborne-illness-naturally-with-cinnamon/#.u8u5vpmsxxv 5 comments science
- Researchers have got computers to teach other computers. One computer taught another to play Pac-Man, and the student soon surpassed its master. https://news.wsu.edu/2014/03/27/towards-knowledge-transfer-between-robots-computers-teach-each-other-pac-man/#.uztzhkisz94 118 comments science
- Jet Fuel, Common Plastics, Cause Disease For Multiple Generations, Including Obesity http://news.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?action=detail&publicationid=34689&typeid=1 4 comments science
- Prospective Alzheimer’s drug builds new brain cell connections. Washington State University researchers have developed a new drug candidate that dramatically improves the cognitive function of rats with Alzheimer’s-like mental impairment http://news.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?action=detail&publicationid=33329&typeid=1 8 comments science
- Dioxin causes disease, reproductive problems across generations. Writing in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers say dioxin administered to pregnant rats resulted in a variety of reproductive problems and disease in subsequent generations http://news.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?action=detail&publicationid=33053&typeid=1 3 comments science
- Super lithium-ion batteries! Coming soon in a phone near you. http://news.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?action=detail&publicationid=31776 14 comments science