The people of UNLV put their expertise to work every day in Nevada and around the world conducting research that solves problems, creates opportunities, and answers the profound questions of our time.
This was certainly true in 2022. Throughout the year, Rebel researchers tackled a variety of tough topics, from the intricacies of the human brain to the breadth of deep space. They also discovered a new form of ice, found evidence of our region’s volcanic history in the receding shoreline of Lake Mead, debunked a widely held view of human brains and evolution, and advanced our understanding of human health throughout the lifespan.
Below are just a few of the many news stories from 2022 highlighting the impact of UNLV research.
Great Minds
UNLV and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health were awarded $11.3 million in continuing grant funding from the National Institutes of Health in February to advance neuroscience research in Southern Nevada. Since 2015, researchers from the two organizations have partnered to investigate diagnostic methods, health disparities, and therapeutic interventions related to neurodegenerative disorders, including work to better understand commonalities among disorders.
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A Cool Discovery
In March, UNLV scientists reported the discovery of Ice VIIt, a new form of ice that could provide clues for our understanding of distant, water-rich planets. The team also created a new method for measuring the properties of water under high pressure.
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Adventures in Space
Throughout the year, UNLV researchers highlighted their out-of-this-world discoveries.
- UNLV astrophysicist Bing Zhang participated in a study by an international team of scientists that revealed an evolving, magnetized environment and surprising source location for deep-space fast radio bursts – observations that defy current understanding. ,,,,,,.
- covered a new paper – by UNLV astronomers Anna Childs, Rebecca Martin, and Mario Livio – that sought to determine whether red dwarf systems had enough of the ingredients that we think kick-started life on Earth.
- Geoscientist Libby Hausrath is part of NASA's Mars 2020 science team, and her research centers on the types of rocks and soils the rover will gather to send back to Earth for future study. She discussed her work with , , and .
- In November, Zhang and colleagues were back in the news for reporting the discovery of a unique cosmological gamma-ray burst that defies prevailing theories of how the violent cosmic explosions form. This “oddball” burst led the team to propose a new model, or source, for certain types of FRBs: , ,
Smoke Break
From Italy to China to France, dozens of outlets around the globe picked up news of a UNLV study which revealed 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. The research team — led by Qing Wu, a researcher with UNLV’s School of Public Health and the university’s Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine — analyzed nearly 30,000 broken bone cases reported over the past three decades and found that smoking increases the risk of breaking a bone by as much as 37%.
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Big Brains
A UNLV-led team of anthropologists made international headlines this summer for a paper that takes aim at a popular scientific claim that modern humans experienced an evolutionary decrease in brain size around 3,000 years ago. The evidence doesn’t support it, according to anthropology professor Brian Villmoare, who doubled down to say it may not have happened in the last 30,000 or even 300,000 years.
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Volcanoes in the Valley
Rocks not seen since the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s are now exposed along the shrinking Lake Mead shoreline. A UNLV study revealed that many of the rocks contain ash from volcanoes throughout the Southwest that rained down on the region as much as 12 million years ago. Researchers are determining how often Southern Nevada was inundated with ash to prepare for future events from active faraway volcanoes.
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Population Forecast
The Center for Business and Economic Research in August released its annual population forecast, which found that Southern Nevada is still on track to add more than 1 million residents in coming years — bringing the population to an estimated 3.39 million by 2060. CBER director Andrew Woods and research director Stephen Miller told journalists that they expect strong economic activity, such as an anticipated high-speed light rail project and new hotel rooms, to drive the population growth. As Southern Nevada’s population ages, they also predict a shift away from reliance on the hospitality sector to other industries, such as health care.
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Women in Science
Women much more enthusiastically embraced the live chat function during pandemic Zoom classes than men, according to research led by UNLV psychology professor and gender development expert Rachael Robnett. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE this fall, found that women were significantly more likely than men to say the live chat feature made class fun, helped them feel more comfortable participating in discussions, facilitated learning, and would be a welcome addition if incorporated post-pandemic. Researchers hope the data could be a key to broadening underrepresented groups’ access to STEM disciplines as colleges incorporate technology into hybrid and in-person courses.
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Record-Breaking Physics Find
Tired of high electric bills and energy grid blackouts? Dream of an efficient bullet train system between Southern Nevada and California? A group of UNLV physicists may have a fix for that. A team from UNLV's Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab is bringing science closer than ever to a usable, replicable material that could one day revolutionize how energy, people, and goods are transported. The research may also one day change how everyday technological devices — from laptops to MRI machines — are powered.
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Research Roundup
Throughout 2022, UNLV faculty were called on regularly by reporters to lend insight on issues making news in health, science, business, society, and more. Each opportunity brought research in focus and reinforced the important role that university faculty play in helping us understand and make sense of the world around us.
Health
- Nursing professor Jennifer Vanderlaan’s research on water births gained national attention via and. Vanderlaan also did a live interview with about the rise in home births, and nurse midwife Kate Woeber spoke to about C-section recovery.
- Sports psychologist Brad Donohue spoke to about psychology-backed strategies to hit fitness goals.
- ,,, and UNLV neuroscientists Rochelle Hines and Dustin Hines that brought science one step closer to developing targeted drug therapies that may reduce seizures, sleep disorders, and related symptoms common in people with intellectual disabilities. The Hineses were also quoted by, , and () about the impact of psilocybin and other psychedelics on health.
- Kinesiology professor and acting department chair John Mercer believes that underwater running could be key in healing injuries. He spoke to about his research.
- The interviewed English professor Melissa Carrion, who studies the rhetoric of health and medicine, for a story about lay people’s research into vaccines.
- School of Public Health professor Jennifer Pharr shared her research on the impact that racial disparities play in drowning deaths, especially during ongoing swim program cutbacks and a lifeguard shortage: ,
Culture and Society
- History professor Elizabeth White Nelson studies popular culture trends throughout the ages, and her research-based comments on Valentine’s day were picked up by,,,,,, and.
- African American and African Diaspora Studies professor Tyler D. Parry shared his research expertise on the history of jumping the broom, a Black wedding tradition, with, and.
- Katherine Walker, an English professor with expertise on the history of magic and the occult, chatted with about Halloween’s origins and with the about the storied past of exorcisms.
Business and Sports
- Brett Abarbanel, director of research at the International Gaming Institute, explained to how the legalization of sports betting has led to an overall increase in betting. She told and that Super Bowl LVI played a role in skyrocketing sports betting figures.
- Law professor Jean Sternlight shared her research on ways emerging technology is changing the U.S. legal system with and.
- interviewed sports marketing expert Nancy Lough about the ways a new NCAA rule allowing college athletes to earn money off of their names, images and likenesses has reshaped the game landscape, especially for women.
Science
- highlighted a discovery by Stephen Rowland, professor emeritus of geology, and recent graduate student researcher Lauren Parry of a mammoth fossil that provides the first-ever proof of animals in the Amargosa Valley during the Ice Age.
- Simon Jowitt, professor in economic geology, discussed the important use of magnets and how that applies to mining in and. He also spoke to and about the future of mining.
- Can humans think without using language? Insights from psychology professor Russell T. Hurlburt were featured in,,, and.
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