Research

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Brain scans highlighting areas (in red and green) where women who started menopause at an older age tended to have a thicker outer layer of the brain, known as the cortex.

Study finds estrogen-based hormone therapies could protect brain health in older women

A gavel sit on top of a cross, which sit upon an American flag.

Christian nationalists’ views on punishing lawbreakers contingent on identity of victim and offender, study finds

Individuals walk around downtown Shanghai with skyscrapers in background.

Official newspaper of China has reduced foreign news coverage during President Xi Jinping’s administration, study finds

In a new article, Jack Zhang, associate professor of political science at the University of Kansas, finds that the People’s Daily newspaper has reduced foreign news coverage during President Xi Jinping’s administration, suggesting such coverage is influenced more by domestic politics than by China’s growing international interests.

Science and Technology

Research could lead to cheaper, better testing for ‘forever chemicals’ in US drinking water

A new investigation from the University of Kansas improves detection of PFAS, a family of so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water supplies. The method, which can measure such trace pollution levels of PFAS in water more quickly and inexpensively than current techniques, recently was published in the open-source journal PLOS Water.

Poet and scholar argues attention to place is one of the most urgent practices of our time

“Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods” (Princeton University Press) makes a cultural argument as much as an agricultural one: that perennial foods — crops that return year after year, building deep root systems and healthier soil — represent not just a different way of farming but a different way of belonging to the earth. The collection includes a contribution from Megan Kaminski, poet and professor of environmental studies at the University of Kansas.
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Science officers with NASA monitor data from the Artemis II mission.

KU researcher’s work contributes to data transmission link from Artemis II mission

Research from Erik Perrins, University Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, enabled observers on Earth during the April mission to receive high-bandwidth transmissions from the Orion capsule, such as video and audio feeds, without being corrupted by errors.
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Health and Well-Being

Researchers unveil method for safeguarding privacy of electrocardiograms

Researchers from the University of Kansas have developed a privacy-preserving AI model called (PP-VAE) to protect personally sensitive data about a patient’s sex, age, race and even exact identity derived from electrocardiogram signals.

US tobacco firms used cigarette-selling tactics to globally market ultraprocessed foods

A new study from the University of Kansas details how U.S. tobacco corporations expanded into global food markets from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, using strategies honed through cigarette sales to market ultraprocessed foods, which are industrially processed and contain ingredients and additives that maximize their appeal.
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Brain scans highlighting areas (in red and green) where women who started menopause at an older age tended to have a thicker outer layer of the brain, known as the cortex.

Study finds estrogen-based hormone therapies could protect brain health in older women

Researchers from the University of Kansas discovered older women who had used hormonal birth control in young adulthood were more likely to have larger volumes in brain regions vital to memory, cognition and information processing.
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Teaching, Learning and Behavior

Research examines how asexual, aromantic individuals view intimacy to improve education, counseling

Research from KU is examining how aromantic and asexual individuals view intimacy to better understand how they view relationships, to better understand themselves and to improve everything from relationship education, sexual assault prevention and counseling for all people. The improvement could also help address the mental health crisis among young people.

Studies show that mentoring can also benefit the mentors decades after experiences

Mary Fry, professor of educational psychology at KU, has co-written two studies that examined mentoring programs. One found that the Strong Girls program benefited those providing the guidance to young girls 10 years after their experience, and another found “sideways mentoring” among peers helped scholars for as long as 20 years.
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Pop art illustration of lips

Study reveals what people really see when they read lips

New research from the University of Kansas uses network science to determine why people make mistakes when lip reading. The research could improve lip-reading training as well as help the advancement of automatic transcription. The results appear in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
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Arts, Architecture and Humanities

Home on the range: Kansas sabbatical inspires artist

Barry Fitzgerald is returning to Lindsborg to show paintings he made while spending a month at the nearby Red Barn Studio. It was his first artistic residency after a long and successful career as an illustrator.

Poetry translator serves as cross-cultural ambassador for latest project, ‘Last Stops of the Night Journey’

A University of Kansas professor says his latest translation of an Italian poetry collection, like all his work, is driven by his love of literature. Patrizio Ceccagnoli will give a reading for Milo De Angelis’ “Last Stops of the Night Journey” on April 28.
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sculpture by Steve Gurysh that incorporates Mars Global Simulant, titled "Many Moons Ago"

Keeler Professorship fuels KU collaboration on Mars simulant research

Steve Gurysh, associate professor of visual art, will further his exploration of Mars Global Simulant through sculpture and by contributing to evolutionary biology scholarship at KU.
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Business, Economics and Innovation

Research shows AI advertising can deliver relevant content without spying on users' internet behaviors

Four experiments conducted by a University of Kansas researcher have shown that AI-derived ads can deliver effective, relevant advertising for users without tracking their internet behavior. The findings counter prevailing attitudes that online surveillance is necessary for effective advertising at a time when the future of online privacy is at stake, according to the study author.

Decline in local newspapers reshapes corporate social responsibility, research finds

In a new article, Jun Ho Lee, assistant professor of strategy and international business at the University of Kansas, finds that the decline of local newspapers reduces both external oversight and public visibility, weakening the demand for companies to maintain corporate social responsibility engagement.
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Two unseen people shake hands over a desk littered with business tech and materials.

Entrepreneurs need partners unless solo founder has broad and deep experience, study finds

In a new scholarly article published in the Strategic Management Journal, a University of Kansas business scholar explored whether entrepreneurs need co-founders, finding disadvantages partially diminished when a solo founder has broad and/or deep experience.
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Law, Politics and Society

Christian nationalists’ views on punishing lawbreakers contingent on identity of victim and offender, study finds

In a new scholarly article, Kevin Mullinix, associate professor of political science, finds Christian nationalism shapes beliefs about who is most deserving of punishment in society in ways that are contingent on the identity of the offender and victim — and the extent to which the crime violates particular norms.

Study finds landback returns of Indigenous lands happening across country, can lead public planning

KU researchers launched a project to document instances of “landback,” in which land is returned to Indigenous communities, tribes and owners. Analysis of the data shows the returns are happening and increasing in frequency across the country. That could be the impetus for public planning as a discipline to rethink how it approaches working with such lands and move beyond simple land acknowledgements, the authors said.
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Individuals walk around downtown Shanghai with skyscrapers in background.

Official newspaper of China has reduced foreign news coverage during President Xi Jinping’s administration, study finds

In a new article, Jack Zhang, associate professor of political science at the University of Kansas, finds that the People’s Daily newspaper has reduced foreign news coverage during President Xi Jinping’s administration, suggesting such coverage is influenced more by domestic politics than by China’s growing international interests.
More Law, Politics and Society