Mental health providers should prescribe exercise more often to treat depression and anxiety. Researchers found that regular exercise reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, stress, and anger. Exercise can fill the gap for those who can't access traditional therapies due to cost or stigma.
A study by Southern Methodist University found that children who witness violence between their parents report fewer trauma symptoms if they don't perceive the violence as threatening. The researchers highlight the importance of assessing how threatened a child feels when his or her parents are violent toward one another.
Researchers found a plausible cause for small earthquakes in North Texas linked to the operation of a saltwater injection disposal well. The study suggests that fluid injection may have affected tectonic stress, reactivating faults and generating quakes.
Scientists are using infrasound to monitor volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth, for early warning of eruptions that could threaten passenger airlines and cargo ships. The technology aims to discriminate between different eruptive styles, improving alert systems for volcanic ash clouds.
A new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that human running speeds can exceed 28 mph due to limitations imposed by muscle fiber contractile speed. Researchers found that elite sprinters' foot-ground contact times are brief, implying a biological limit on how quickly muscles can generate forces.
Physicists are developing a $278 million neutrino detector to study fundamental mysteries of the universe. The NOvA collaboration, involving 180 scientists from 28 institutions, aims to better understand matter and dark matter, the universe's formation and evolution, and astrophysical events.
A new mathematical model simulates the Big Bang's physical processes, including gas motion, radiation transport, chemical kinetics, and gravitational acceleration. The model's tight coupling enables highly accurate and numerically stable simulations on large supercomputers.
The reconstructed skeleton of Paluxysaurus jonesi enables Texans to see their state dinosaur in three dimensions for the first time. Scientists discovered that the dinosaur had a long neck like Brachiosaurus, a tail almost as long but not gigantic, and relatively long front arms.
Physicists have improved measurements of the top quark's mass, which bears on the nature of the Higgs boson. The new world average value constrains the range of possible Higgs measurements more tightly than ever.
Human performance experts Peter Weyand and Matthew Bundle conclude that Oscar Pistorius' artificial lower limbs provide a significant competitive advantage in sprint running. The blades allow him to reposition his limbs 15% more rapidly, reducing muscle forces required for sprinting by less than half.
Geochemical analysis of rare ancient soils provides new data on Central Africa's paleoclimate during the Late Jurassic period. The findings indicate an extremely arid climate with minimal rainfall and few vegetation species, contrasting with the lush tropical rainforest it is today.
Researchers used portable 3D laser scanners to capture and preserve a 110-million-year-old fossilized dinosaur footprint, providing valuable data for scientific research and education. The preserved track will be made available for download, allowing others to study and analyze the specimen.
The SMU Geothermal Lab has been awarded a $5.25 million grant by the US Department of Energy to provide data for the National Geothermal Database. The project aims to expand geothermal production in the US, providing critical information on Enhanced Geothermal Systems and oil & gas resources.
Fossil land snail shells found on the Canary Islands show a decrease in relative humidity over 50,000 years, with a peak around 15,000-20,000 years ago. This suggests an overall increase in dryness, resulting in the current semiarid conditions.
Researchers at Southern Methodist University discovered that Ethiopia's climate 27 million years ago had warmer soil temperatures and higher rainfall. The study used oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in fossil soils found in the highlands of northwest Ethiopia, providing a previously unknown picture of the paleolandscape.
Historian Sherry Smith finds examples of government restitution in US history, including posthumous pardons for WWI prisoners, reparations to Japanese Americans, and return of native lands. The global movement towards reparations is gaining steam, with the US Senate recently apologizing for slavery.
Researchers at Southern Methodist University develop a four-week program to teach asthmatics how to better control their condition by changing the way they breathe. The study aims to reduce both the expense and suffering associated with chronic asthma, with promising results in limiting severity and frequency of attacks.
A team led by James E. Quick discovered a fossil supervolcano in the Sesia Valley, revealing unprecedented depth of magmatic plumbing. This find advances scientific understanding of active supervolcanoes like Yellowstone and may help predict future eruptions.
The study found that Pistorius' energy cost of running is similar to accomplished male distance runners but 17% lower than performance-matched sprinters. His ability to hold speed over longer sprint races is identical to intact-limb athletes, but his sprinting mechanics are dissimilar.
A new NSF-funded research group will integrate technology from Southern Methodist University, two other North Texas universities, and 11 industry partners to create net-centric solutions. The consortium aims to improve research capabilities in the US by combining academic expertise with high-tech companies.
A new study finds that oil and gas production in the Barnett Shale area can contribute significantly to smog formation in Dallas-Fort Worth, with emissions comparable to those from all cars and trucks. The study also highlights the potential for cost-effective control strategies to reduce emissions.
The Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University will participate in the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), a UARC funded by the DoD, focusing on complex systems engineering issues. SERC aims to support defense system development and integration.
A Texas state dinosaur is facing a name change after research revealed it was misidentified as Pleurocoelus. The new species, Paluxysaurus jonesi, was discovered by Southern Methodist University scientist Peter Rose, who studied sauropod bones in central Texas.
SMU chemist Brent Sumerlin has received a $475,000 NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award for two related nanotechnology research projects. His work focuses on developing novel materials with composite properties, including automatic insulin release technology for diabetics and self-repairing coatings for airplane wings.
The study aims to separate dysfunctional brain activity from 'noise' using spatial statistical modeling, a new technique that uses neighboring locations to strengthen weak signals. The research could help identify specific areas of the brain affected by the syndrome in Persian Gulf War veterans.
Researchers at Southern Methodist University identified four potent chemical compounds that slow neuron degeneration, a key cause of old-age diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The compounds, called 3-substituted indolin-2-one derivatives, are non-toxic even at high doses, offering hope for halting neurodegenerative diseases.
The discovery of Dallasaurus, a three-foot long lizard that lived 92 million years ago, fills a gap in the understanding of mosasaur evolution and reveals that they transitioned from land to sea. The fossil find provides significant insights into the biology and natural history of mosasaurs, which were top predators in their ecosystem.
SMU and UNC researchers discovered that the E(Z) protein silences genes by modifying a specific chromatin protein, a mechanism found to be conserved in both humans and Drosophila. This breakthrough sheds light on how Polycomb-group proteins regulate gene expression during development.