Feeling stressed? Researchers at IU are studying how stress reshapes the brain

Posted on June 19, 2018 by ScIU Editorial Team

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published by Rachel Skipper in January 2017, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events. This post is also part 1 of a two part series. Check out part 2 here!

An illustration of the brain surrounded by a pattern of multicolored squares

Imagine it’s 9:45 am. You have a meeting across town in 15 minutes and you just realized that you overslept your alarm! You throw on some clothes, grab a cup of yesterday’s coffee, and rush out the door, only to realize that your car has a flat tire…

Feeling stressed? Anyone who has experienced a situation like that knows what stress feels like. But, while stressful experiences aren’t pleasant, we typically find ways to deal with them. We solve whatever issues that have come up, find ways to relax, and move on. But what happens when severely stressful circumstances hit? Or when stressful experiences are unrelenting? (more…)

Fatherhood in the animal kingdom and its intricate relationship with aggression

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Kat Munley

On Father’s Day, hundreds of thousands of people across the United States will show appreciation for the love, encouragement, and support that their fathers have provided them throughout their lifetimes. Interestingly, numerous animals provide parental care to their offspring, from fish and birds to non-human primates and humans. Yet, there is substantial evidence that many species must juggle parental care with another social behavior that is essential for reproductive success and survival: aggression.

Over twenty-five years ago, field endocrinologist John Wingfield and colleagues proposed the Challenge Hypothesis based on data acquired from seasonally-breeding male birds. The Challenge Hypothesis posits that seasonal changes in the secretion of testosterone (T) — a steroid hormone produced by the gonads that facilitates reproduction and its associated social behaviors — are the result of a trade-off between the extent of parental care that an individual provides and the amount of competition that individual faces in their environment. (more…)

New Research on the Prevalence of Consensual Non-Monogamy

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Sara Driskell

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published in February 2018, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events.

A Black man in sunglasses and a cap is hugging two people from behind at an outdoor event; one is a shirtless man also in sunglasses, and the other is a woman with curly hair. — Three people hugging at an outdoor event. Photo by: Creative Commons (CCBY) Image cc: StockSnap

When you do an image search for dating or relationships, the results almost entirely focus on two people, usually in an implied heterosexual relationship. Most popular TV shows and movies focus on the same types of couples as well. However, it’s important to recognize that other types of relationships exist too. Consensual non-monogamy is one type of relationship that is often overlooked in both popular culture and scientific research. New studies from IU are trying to fill that gap and shed light on a surprisingly common type of relationship.

Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute has always been at the forefront of research into gender, sexuality, relationships, and well-being. Now, new findings from Kinsey show that over 20% of people surveyed have had open sexual relationships in their lifetimes; that is, relationships with an agreed-upon, sexually non-exclusive component [1]. (more…)

Sexual science: An interview with Justin Garcia

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Chris ChoGlueck

“Our sexuality is becoming digital,” notes Dr. Justin Garcia, a leading expert in modern human mating. While new modes of sexuality and romance bring benefits, they also invite ethical questions. Take the phenomenon of “sexting,” the transmission of sexual images and messages via mobile phone or other electronic media. After discovering that sexts are shared on average with more than 3 friends—and at even higher rates by men than women—Garcia and his colleagues wondered: How does consent work when an intimate message can be both unsolicited and then widely shared? How do the risks of non-consensual sharing differ for women versus men?

A picture of Dr. Justin Garcia in his office smiling into the camera. — Dr. Justin Garcia, a leading expert in modern human mating. (Image credit: IU Communications.)

“Sexting” is just one of many sexual practices studied by the Ruth N. Halls Endowed Associate Professor of Gender Studies, who is also Research Director at the Kinsey Institute. Garcia’s approach combines evolutionary biology with feminist and queer theory to study human sexual behaviors, such as “hookup” culture and female orgasm. At first just an evolutionary biologist, he recounts how he “stumbled into doing a sex study.” While working in an evolutionary genetics lab as an undergraduate at Binghamton University, he began studying genetic markers associated with risk-taking and pleasure-seeking in men. He wouldn’t use the same moralizing language of “promiscuity” today, but these projects piqued his intellectual interest in sexual behavior. They even launched his career as a science communicator on the national circuit. One evening, on the Don Lemon show, he fielded zany questions about whether this so-called “promiscuity gene” might be a “Tiger Woods gene,” referring to the buzz around the professional golfer’s extramarital affair.

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An astronomer’s sleep schedule

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Jennifer Sieben

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published in July 2017, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events.

Looking up at a large silver building, vaguely octagonal in shape, that contains the WIYN telescope. There is a blue sky behind it. — The WIYN telescope (owned and operated by a consortium, which consists of the U. of Wisconsin, Indiana U., National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) and the U. of Missouri) at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. This building contains the telescope with a primary mirror diameter of 3.5 meters. This is the telescope that I used to collect data during my trip. Image by: Jennifer Sieben

If you aren’t in the field of astronomy, it may be hard to understand what we astronomers do. Surely we don’t set up small telescopes in our backyard to do research—most locations are plagued by light pollution, but neither can we all afford personal island observatories. However, the observatories we do get to visit now put even Uraniborg to shame.

To give a little background first, I am studying star formation in distant galaxies by looking at a narrow band of red light, called Hα emission, which is emitted by young, hot stars. In order to do this, we need a powerful telescope through which we can take images.

Although collecting data with such powerful telescopes happens infrequently, in my opinion, it is the best part of being an astronomer—even if you have to adopt a strange sleep pattern. In 2017, I had the great pleasure of flying to Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona to do research. This was my schedule for the second day/night of observing. (more…)

The art of dissemination part 2: Consumer report

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Alexandra Moussa-Tooks

This is the second part of a series on the dissemination of science. Read part 1 here!

Many of the products and services we consume are the result of rigorous science. This may be more noticeable in the health field – a new treatment, a new drug – but you may not realize that science is used to create and improve software, teaching practices, and other everyday products. One question that arises is: how do scientists get their work from the highly technical and perhaps non-interpretable “benchwork” science stage to something that can be disseminated and applied to the public?

The answer is “intermediates.” One example may be a physician who does not conduct their own research. As consumers, we expect that our treatment providers are up-to-date with new empirically supported treatments and methods. Thus, this physician should be familiar and practiced in new techniques and products that their patients require. The question is, how do they get proper information, tools, or training? Here, I conceptualize “intermediates” as those who work at the intersection of scientific research and general public consumption, individuals that teach and support those that work directly with consumers. (more…)

Perks of the job

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Lana Ruck

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published in October 2016, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events.

What does summer vacation look like for a scientist? For some, summer break is much-needed time to catch up on research projects and writing, but for many of us, summer centers around one thing: field work. Quite often, much of the data that scientists rely upon can only be collected in natural settings outside the lab, so we must take part in extended field projects all over the globe. For a few geologists and paleoanthropologists at IU, this means traveling thousands of miles to Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania and spending several weeks camping out at one of the most famous locations for evidence of human evolution.

Panoramic view of the edge of the large gorge, with desert plants all around. — Panoramic view of a small section of Olduvai Gorge, which is over 30 miles long.

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A gut feeling: Demas lab explores how microbiome influences social behavior

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Kat Munley

Social behavior is most commonly associated with electrical and chemical signaling in the brain. But, did you know that your gut may also communicate with your brain? There is emerging evidence that the gut microbiome, a population of about 100 trillion microorganisms that resides in the gastrointestinal tract, may communicate with the central nervous system to mediate cognitive function and behavior. In both rodent models and humans, gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in gut microbial communities) is associated with a suite of immune and psychological disorders, including anxiety and depression. Therefore, exploring the mechanisms by which the gut microbiome affects social behavior not only aids in the development of treatments for these psychopathologies, but it also enhances our understanding of how this complex system contributes to fitness.

A drawing of microorganisms living in the small and large intestines. The potential pathways by which these microbiota can influence social behavior are superimposed over the intestines. — Schematic of the pathways by which the gut microbiome may influence social behavior. The gut microbiome and brain communicate via the endocrine and immune systems. Signaling between these structures provides information about an animal’s internal physiology. This interaction can be affected by alterations in the composition of gut microbiota via antibiotic treatment or by changes in available food resources. Image credit: Kristyn Sylvia.

Research in Dr. Greg Demas’s lab in the Department of Biology at IU focuses on investigating how disrupting the gut microbiome influences different social behaviors. Kristyn Sylvia, a fifth year Ph.D. student in the lab, has spent much of her graduate career exploring the physiological and hormonal underpinnings of gut-microbiome interactions. Kristyn’s research is unique among the majority of gut microbiome studies as her work utilizes a non-traditional animal model, Siberian hamsters, to examine the behavioral consequences of gut dysbiosis. Unlike germ-free mice, which are the model system of choice for most microbiome research, non-model species allow research to examine the natural functions of gut microbiota in mammals. (more…)

Earth Day 2018: Reclaiming climate science

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Chris ChoGlueck

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published for Earth Day 2017 and has been lightly edited to reflect current events.

When scientists communicate with the public about politics, they often frame the issue as “science vs. politics.” For instance, some scientists champion speaking truth to power, while others suggest that they stay out of the political fray altogether. Both arguments assume that science and politics are independent and mutually exclusive. Furthermore, they presuppose that science could and should remain politically neutral. I’d like to discuss why this framing is problematic and how we might instead understand the political role of science. Since Earth Day was this past Sunday, let’s focus on climate science in the public discourse.

This same science-vs.-politics framing has arisen in the discussion of the past actions of the Trump administration. Many scientists and science supporters consider the White House to have an “anti-science agenda,” especially regarding environmental science and climate change. This agenda included a temporary suspension of all Environmental Protection Agency grants, removal of the White House’s climate change webpage, and restriction of public communications for agencies such as the National Park Service. In response, many scientists condemned the White House’s actions as politics interfering with sound science. Following the Women’s March on Washington, they focused their energy toward a public demonstration, now officially “the March for Science,” which first occurred on Earth Day (April 22) 2017, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants.

Science activists wearing white lab coats hold signs such as “Scientists serving the common good,” “Stand up for science,” and “Scientists speaking truth to power.” They are gathered at a rally in Boston to “Stand Up for Science.” Many of the rally participants were also attendees at the AAAS annual conference during the same afternoon. — Coinciding with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), science activists rally to “Stand Up for Science” in Boston, February 2017. Marches and rallies for science are becoming an increasingly common form of political activism (Credit: Sarah McQuate at Sciencemag.org).

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The art of dissemination part 1: Publish or perish

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Alexandra Moussa-Tooks

Just like scientific findings themselves, the processes by which scientists communicate within their communities and with others can be nebulous. Historically and today, academic scientists have developed a contentious relationship with public communication of their work (e.g., books, news, social media, etc.), which has been perceived by other scientists as a sign of questionable scientific rigor or a lack of dedication to the field. [1] Unfortunately for scientists, this popularization can (counter intuitively) lead to rejections for funding and employment. [1] Nonetheless, we sit at one of those times in history in which science is being forcefully tossed into the general public and political arena for scrutiny.

Accordingly, the scientific community, namely funding agencies and academic institutions, has taken drastic steps to become more transparent and accessible. In this three-part series, I hope to break down some of the means by which scientists disseminate their work within their communities, to intermediates, and to the general public. Moreover, I hope to answer the following questions: Are we doing a good job disseminating science and how can we improve?

To answer this question, we first need to define dissemination. Dissemination is a process we as humans engage in daily: spreading information and knowledge to others. Primarily, dissemination allows scientists to become informed of the work being conducted within their own and related fields, and to confer importance and relevance to their own work, which helps with funding. More broadly, dissemination helps scientists market their products and services to other professionals, and to educate the general public, including consumers and politicians, on scientific findings. In this first installment, we will take a deeper look into one way that scientists talk to other scientists: the peer-reviewed journal. (more…)