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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News History

We were lucky to survive the Berlin Wall’s fall

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: Nov. 9, 2019 Thirty years ago this week the impossible happened: the Berlin Wall fell. More accurately it was crushed by Berliners both East and West who’d had enough of the scar across their cityscape. Like crowds before them, in Leipzig and Dresden in East Germany, in Budapest and Warsaw […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News Psychology

Is it possible to change your personality? Yes, if you’re willing to do the work involved

Fox 4 Originally Posted: Nov. 5, 2019 DALLAS (SMU) – Want to be more outgoing?  Or less uptight? In an interview with Fox4ward’s Dan Godwin, SMU psychology professor Nathan Hudson said that it is possible for people to change aspects of their personality.  But it will require some work on your part. You can view […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Historical data confirms recent increase in West Texas earthquakes

SMU Research Originally Posted: Nov. 4, 2019 A new analysis of historical seismic data conducted by The University of Texas at Austin, SMU and other academies has found that earthquake activity in West Texas around Pecos has increased dramatically since 2009. The study, published Nov. 4, 2019, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, […]

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Biology Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News

New Research Study Points to Potential of Oleandrin as Therapeutic Strategy for Treatment of HTLV-1, Which Affects Between 10 Million to 15 Million Worldwide

BusinessWire Originally Posted: October 29, 2019 A 2019 research publication from Robert Harrod (Department of Biological Sciences) was cited on Businesswire. This work was the product of a collaboration with investigators at the UT-Houston M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The paper was published in the Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals: Hutchison T., Yapindi L., Malu A., Newman […]

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Chemistry Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News

Why do birds migrate at night?

Mother Nature Network Originally Posted: September 30, 2019 While plenty of birds — such as swallows, hawks and hummingbirds — migrate during the day, the majority of land birds travel at night. Although it would seem more difficult to fly when it’s dark, there are good reason for the nighttime maneuvers. “Migration at night has […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News Psychology

Some Personality Traits Are Easier To Change Than Others

Forbes Originally Posted: September 2019 A growing number of studies in psychology are showing that personality is more “changeable” than previously thought. Personality changes as we age; it changes as we learn new things and are exposed to new environments. But which aspects of personality might be easiest to change, and which might be most […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News Religious Studies

Jill DeTemple is teaching local students and faculty nationwide how to effectively navigate hot-button topics

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: October 17, 2019 I don’t know about you, but the sorry state of what passes for debate these days — hair-trigger anger and social media carpet-bombing — beats me into believing that thoughtful discussion about life’s toughest stuff is dead and gone. Too often, I wind up feeling timid, tentative […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News Psychology

The (Lack of) Science Behind Time-Outs As a Tool to Discipline Children

Time Originally Posted: October 15, 2019 George Holden, chair of the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University was quoted in this article When Amy and Steve Unruh decided to adopt a four-year-old child from the Philippines, they anticipated challenges. They understood it would take time, as well as a great deal of love and […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News History

12 Surprising Facts About the Legislative Branch

The History Channel Originally Posted: October 3, 2019 The executive branch enforces laws. The judicial branch interprets laws. But it is in the law-making legislative branch, says Howard Schweber, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, “that the people deliberate and arrive at an agreement about the common good.” When writing the U.S. Constitution, […]

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Chemistry Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Faculty News

New research from SMU chemist Brian D. Zoltowski

SMU Research Originally Posted: September 12, 2019 Migratory birds are known to rely on Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate the globe. And it was suspected that a protein called cryptochrome, which is sensitive to blue light, was making it possible for birds to do this. Yet many of these animals are also known […]