By combining seawater data taken from clam shells and thousands of climate simulations, researchers found that 900 years of cooling in the Gulf of Maine were suddenly reversed in the late 1800s. Why did that happen? The “recent, rapid ocean warming” was “likely due to increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and changes in western North…

While virtual reality has been around for decades, a combination of higher-resolution graphics, smoother tracking of the user’s movements and cheaper, sleeker headsets has propelled the immersive technology into arenas beyond gaming and military training. In health care, VR has been used to prepare surgeons for complicated operations and help burn patients better manage their…

Faculty from Iowa State University’s English Department are helping high school apprentices in welding and machinery at John Deere sharpen their writing and speaking skills through a four-week, in-person communications training. The collaboration between ISU and the world’s largest farm machinery manufacturer kicked off last year at Deere’s facilities in Davenport and East Moline, Illinois,…

While arts and cultural organizations across the U.S. have increasingly prioritized diversifying their customer base, many struggle to know if their efforts are moving the needle. Findings from a new study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, may be able to help. The researchers tracked changes in the racial makeup and income…

Thomas Iadecola worked his way through the title of the latest research paper that includes his theoretical and analytical work, patiently explaining digital quantum simulation, Floquet systems and symmetry-protected topological phases. Then he offered explanations of nonequilibrium systems, time crystals, 2T periodicity and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. Iadecola’s corner of quantum condensed matter…

City lights that blaze all night are profoundly disrupting urban plants’ phenology – shifting when their buds open in the spring and when their leaves change colors and drop in the fall. New research coauthored by Iowa State University Associate Professor of Environmental Science Yuyu Zhou shows how nighttime lights are lengthening the growing season…

The majority of heart attacks and strokes in the world are ischemic, meaning a clot or buildup of plaque in an artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching cells in the heart or brain. Blocked for too long, tissues die. But similar to the way exercise helps muscles adapt to more strenuous workouts, a growing number…

From ghost signs to light shows, a new book explores how public art can illuminate urban spaces, foster community and reflect evolving social and political narratives. Iowa State University Professor of History James Andrews and Associate Professor of English Margaret LaWare edited and contributed to the collection of essays in “Art and the Global City:…

Iowa State University plant breeders and researchers are working to develop a new crop suited for the plant-based protein market. The first step is developing new varieties of mung bean, a new crop here in the United States. Farmers in Asia have grown mung bean for hundreds of years. This crop is uniquely positioned to…

Figuring out whether early childhood services need to be improved or expanded requires good data, not just anecdotes. But accessing that data is tricky when the entities providing resources and support to families with young kids – federal and state departments, local governments, nonprofit organizations and private businesses – operate in siloes. To address this…