UNLV Research: No, the Human Brain Did Not Shrink 3,000 Years Ago
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)In new paper, UNLV-led anthropology team balks at a widely held belief that modern humans experienced an evolutionary decrease in brain size.
In new paper, UNLV-led anthropology team balks at a widely held belief that modern humans experienced an evolutionary decrease in brain size.
Less than two years after shocking the science world with the discovery of a material capable of room-temperature superconductivity, a team of UNLV physicists has upped the ante once again by reproducing the feat at the lowest pressure ever recorded. The new findings were published this month as an advance article in the journal Chemical Communications.
Schoolchildren huddled in Uvalde, Tex. classrooms as classmates and teachers are cut down by a rogue gunman. A peaceful weekend afternoon at a Buffalo, N.Y. grocery store interrupted by a white supremacist who sprays the aisles of elderly, predominantly African American weekend shoppers with an AR-15 style rifle. Only five months into the year, these attacks tallied as the 198th and 214th U.
It’s no secret that puffing cigarettes is the culprit behind a host of ailments, including respiratory diseases and throat cancer. But a new UNLV study reveals that male smokers — who, demographically, are more likely than women to light up — are also placing themselves at a significantly increased risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures, and early death.
A human rights activist and a group of anthropologists and human biologists are casting a critical lens on the way that microbiome research is conducted with Indigenous peoples. While not the first time a call for more ethical research engagement in the biological sciences has been sounded, this approach, published in the May 16 issue of Nature Microbiology, is the first to engage the microbiome sciences from an interdisciplinary perspective.
The Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV was awarded a grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety to continue its long-standing study of traffic-related injuries and fatalities in Nevada.
Women’s History Month. The 50th anniversary of the federal Title IX gender equity law. The NCAA Women’s Final Four. Women's sport is a topic getting more attention recently. But a UNLV sport marketing expert says it’s critical that we focus attention on improving gender equity all the time — and she has a winning formula for turning the tide.
By incrementally raising the pressure in diamond anvil cell, and periodically blasting it with a laser beam, UNLV scientists observed a sample of water ice make the transition from a known cubic phase, Ice-VII, to a newly discovered intermediate phase, Ice-VIIt, before settling into another known phase, Ice-X.
Nearly 15 years after the discovery of fast radio bursts (FRBs), the origin of the millisecond-long, deep-space cosmic explosions remains a mystery. That may soon change, thanks to the work of an international team of scientists – including UNLV astrophysicist Bing Zhang – which tracked hundreds of the bursts from five different sources and found clues in FRB polarization patterns that may reveal their origin.
Citlally Lopez strives to break down cultural, gender, and language barriers on her way to becoming a physician-scientist who performs her own House, M.D.-version magic, unlocking cures for diseases while making medical care accessible to underserved populations.
UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality receives $25K in scholarship funds from Troon golf company to help recruit minority and underserved students into hospitality program and across service industry.
UNLV-led research team identifies key brain protein to target for new customized drug therapies treating adverse symptoms of developmental disorder subtypes.
UNLV social media researchers spell out the hype behind the trending word game.
How one UNLV student's research could help NASA land a space probe on Venus.
Research by UNLV communications expert Natalie Pennington finds that texts, video calls burdened the mental health of working moms during pandemic.
UNLV geochemists have discovered a new mineral on the surface of the Earth. Coined "davemaoite" and entrapped in a diamond, the mineral traveled from a depth of at least 410 miles deep within the Earth's lower mantle.
With slot machines producing the bulk of profits in most of the world’s casinos, gaming managers make it their business to keep slot players happy. So how do they prevent customers who are losing from walking away? A common strategy is to lower what’s called the “house edge,” which is the casino’s advantage when looking at the long-term difference between how much was wagered versus how much was paid out.
An international team of astronomers recently observed more than 1,650 fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected from one source in deep space, which amounts to the largest set – by far – of the mysterious phenomena ever recorded. The discovery was published in the Oct. 13 issue of the journal Nature.
UNLV Small Business Development Center offers lifeline to local companies and entrepreneurs navigating economic uncertainty.
UNLV scientists are partnering with 20 other states to keep watch for flu strains that are cropping up in wastewater in communities across the country to better target future influenza vaccines and make them more effective.
In a distant star system — a mere 1,300 light years away from Earth — UNLV researchers and colleagues may have identified the first known planet to orbit three stars.
In a study published in the September issue of the journal Communications Biology, UNLV neuroscientists show that chronic hyperglycemia impairs working memory performance and alters fundamental aspects of working memory networks.
UNLV’s new intensive and innovative three-year doctoral program in occupational therapy, housed in the School of Integrated Health Sciences, is training students to meet the needs of Nevada patients — from babies in the NICU to those recovering from accidents and strokes — reclaim their lives.
A year ago, the misinformation about coronavirus focused on it being an elaborate hoax, rather than a global health crisis. While more and more people now accept that it is a threat, they don’t necessarily accept that vaccines are our best way to counter it. And sadly, our hospital ICUs are filled with people who have not been vaccinated.
Millions of spectators tuned in Friday to watch the opening ceremony of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As concerns flare over record-low water levels at Lake Mead, a new UNLV study shows that COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home orders — and a subsequent societal shift to remote work — may be exacerbating the problem.
Dreams about unmasked crowds. Getting back to the routines of work, school or the everyday things we used to do. Shaking hands and hugging. Meeting without a computer screen separating the people in the conversation. Mourning the loss of lives. Anxiety about re-entering society as the world continues to grapple with the pandemic is real.
First-of-its-kind device developed by UNLV for International Space Station experiment will test microgravity and Earth differences in growth and treatment of oral bacteria.
In "The Comfort Crisis," UNLV journalism professor Michael Easter investigates how our modern-day comforts are linked to some of our most pressing problems—obesity, chronic disease, depression—and how by leaving our comfort zone, we can improve our overall mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
A team of UNLV neuroscientists are uncovering how psychedelics affect brain activity. Their work, published recently in Nature: Scientific Reports, shows a strong connection in rodent models between brain activity and behaviors resulting from psychedelic treatment, a step forward in the quest to better understand their potential therapeutic effects.
UNLV social media expert Natalie Pennington shares the top 10 takeaways of research on the impact of video chats, email, online gaming, and other communication tech on stress, loneliness, and relationships.
A lab on UNLV’s campus has been a hub of activity in recent years, playing a significant role in a new realm of drug discovery — one that could potentially provide a solution for patients who have run out of options.
The Tuskegee syphilis experiment. The secret sale of Henrietta Lacks cancer research cells. Jim Crow laws affecting African Americans' ability to receive medical treatment. For weeks, it’s been hard to hear over the clamor of millions of Americans lining up for COVID-19 vaccines. But not everyone has been enthused — namely, large swaths of minority communities, which comprise the populations disproportionately impacted by the virus, but whose hesitance is largely fueled by the country’s racist medical past.
As Kamala Harris stood beside newly sworn-in President Joe Biden last week, all eyes were on her as she made history as the nation’s first female vice president. But, much like other prominent women who have walked the halls of the White House before her, cultural experts expect that there will be just as much focus on her fashion statements as on her political ones — and the scrutiny may be intensified as the first woman and person of color in the VP position takes on stereotypes surrounding Eurocentric standards of beauty.
Benjamin Burroughs, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at UNLV, examines the emergent digital media landscape where children are cultivated as child “influencers” and explores the ethical considerations of child-created content on social media sites like YouTube.
In a world where conspiracy theories and political polarization abound, how does one effectively pull off double duty at battling against both the spread of COVID-19 and misinformation about it? For answers, we turned to Rebecca Rice, a UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs professor who specializes in crisis communication.
Millions around the world have waited for news about a COVID-19 vaccine, regarding it as the beginning of the end for the global pandemic and a herald for the eventual return to “normal life.” Recent announcements from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna that their respective late-stage vaccine trials have shown a 90% or better effectiveness rate have received international applause, excitement furthered with estimates that doses could be ready as early as December.