For flickers, looks can be deceiving

"The hybrid zone between the yellow- and red-shafted flickers is particularly striking, but despite very apparent morphological and ecological differences, genetic studies beginning in the late 1980s found few differences between these two 'subspecies,'" adds flicker expert William S. Moore, a Wayne State University professor who was not involved with this research. 

June 7, 2018

What will pulling out of the Iran deal do for Israel?

The U.S. just pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. Will this be good or bad for Israel in the short run? What about in the long run?

May 21, 2018

Will the new U.S. embassy lead to peace?

The US embassy move should have been part of “final status” talks, not a premature and needless step to fulfill a rash campaign promise.

May 17, 2018

Wayne State looks to the stars

Wayne State University is adding a state-of-the-art robotically controlled observatory to its assets. But, the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory is located on 40-acres in the mountains of New Mexico.

May 14, 2018

(Column) Americans' enthrallment with British royalty

Janine Lanza, associate professor and director for the Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program at Wayne State University, examines the intense interest many Americans have in the affairs of British royalty. “Our history and Constitution forbid noble titles from taking hold in this country. American culture traditionally prizes individual achievement and accomplishment rather than status conferred by birth,” she says. “However, the pomp and ceremony of Old World royalty have captivated a country with a brief history and no traditions to rival the pageantry that marks such royal events.”

May 10, 2018

Dry Times: Looking back 100 years after prohibition

A 2012 archaeological dig by Wayne State University uncovered hard evidence of a Purple Gang gambling room in the basement of this 19th century building, as well as the collapsed remains of a tunnel that allowed those in the know to access the space.

May 1, 2018

Professor explores constraints on policy learning after disaster

Kristin O'Donovan, assistant professor of political science will explore the limits on policy learning about disaster mitigation after a community has experienced a disaster. 

April 20, 2018

Research reveals insects were major food source millions of years ago

Julie Lesnik from the department of Anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said: "Insects are an important food source for billions of people in the world today but researchers tend to ignore this food source when reconstructing past diets.

April 16, 2018

Wayne State teams up with Applied Materials

Materials engineering solutions provider Applied Materials, Inc. and Wayne State University will work together to create new thin film deposition processes for the advancement of semiconductors.

April 13, 2018

The dark side of social media

Over the last two years, according to an analysis by the Free Press and BuzzFeed, at least 50 violent acts, two a month, have occurred on Facebook and Instagram live and Twitter's Periscope — the latest one here in Detroit. Criminologist Matthew Larson, an associate professor of criminology at Wayne State University, said given the millions of live-streams every day, "these acts of violence are especially rare and no doubt outliers." 

April 13, 2018

WSU student educates medical professionals on LGBTQ health

For the LGBTQ community, usually that anxiety exists because they haven’t come out to the medical staff serving them. Or, it’s because they fear being judged or mistreated for being open about their lifestyle. 

April 11, 2018

Driverless cars

There is no question that driverless cars will encourage more road usage. As the costs of traveling falls, cars will travel more frequently and farther. Driverless deliveries become easier and restaurants and supermarkets will likely expand their delivery radiuses.

March 29, 2018

Urban planning

Carolyn Loh, associate professor in Wayne State University’s Urban Planning Department, wrote a column identifying issues that are of particular interest to urban planners, particularly in light of the upcoming midterm and statewide election campaigns. 

March 22, 2018

Michigan Central Station, what happens to land nearby?

"If Ford was prepared to come in and redevelop that building, then this is what is called a planning gain," said Robin Boyle, professor of urban planning at Wayne State University. 

March 22, 2018

Trump-Hitler comparisons

Comparing politicians to Hitler is nothing new, of course. We live in an age where George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton (“Hitlery”) and Barack Obama have all seamlessly been compared to Hitler. That’s just a few of the more recent examples, but they clearly show just how little value such glib analogies have.

March 12, 2018

The science of anuptaphobia — the fear of being single

Dating anxiety is well-documented, but, being single also has moments of anxiety. In fact, the fear of being single is often based on social judgment that “there is something wrong with you” for not maintaining relationships, says Stephanie Spielmann, assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University, who has studied the fear of being single. 

February 5, 2018

Column: Don’t attack legal immigration

“If you hate legal immigration, then Trump’s new plan is for you,” Jonathan T. Weinberg wrote. The plan, according to Weinberg, would give us a nearly 40 percent cut in what President Trump calls “chain migration,” and the rest of us call “family-based migration” – legal immigration to the United States to join a close family member who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder. “Trump’s plan is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how U.S. immigration law works, and what immigration to this country has always looked like. This plan isn’t an attack on illegal immigration; it’s an attack on the legal immigration that has made this country strong,” Weinberg wrote.

February 1, 2018

What history tells us about power of presidential speeches

What makes a president’s words ring throughout history? What are the best presidential speeches in history? Wayne State University history professor Marc Kruman says the most impactful presidential speeches usually come at inaugural addresses when the leaders tend to be aspirational. Kruman says Trump’s first inaugural address, which referenced “American carnage” and other dark and negative imagery, played to his campaign style. Kruman says Trump is unlikely to change his style and delivery any time soon. “I’d be surprised if he sought to redirect it,” says Kruman.

January 30, 2018

3 strategies today’s activist women share with their foremothers

The first year of Donald Trump’s presidency has inspired a fresh wave of women’s movements. Both one day and one year after his inauguration, millions of people across the globe participated in the first and second women’s marches, demonstrating support for causes such as equal pay, safe workplaces and campuses, reproductive rights and a stronger social safety net.

January 26, 2018

Meteor that flashed above Windsor and Detroit was 'maybe the size of your desk'

The sight of meteors similar to the one that that flashed above Windsor and Detroit Tuesday night is more common than some may think. "There's sort of ten-ish per year that get hundreds of people reporting that they've seen it," said David Cinabro, the chair of Wayne State University's physics and astronomy department.

January 17, 2018