CSU wants Coloradans’ gunk and goo to help fight climate change

The slime, gunk, and goo in and around your home could help mitigate climate change.

Researchers at Colorado State University are asking Coloradans to join the search for micro-organisms known as extremophiles that survive in extreme environments, such as cold air conditioners, hot water heaters, and dishwashers that alternate between dry and wet.

Sarah Newman — the director of operations for CitSci.org at CSU’s Natural Resource Ecology Lab — said said microbes are nature’s alchemists.

They can take almost any chemical or compound, and turn it into something else to survive.

“For climate change, we are interested in organisms that can take CO2 out of the air,” said Newman, “and that might be able to help us with carbon capture in new and novel ways at scale.”

Scientists found one microbe with an appetite for carbon living in volcanic vents under the Aegean Sea.

The bacteria nicknamed Chonkus converts CO2 into food through photosynthesis, like plants do, but at much higher rates.

Newman encouraged anyone interested to send photos of weird things growing in and around the home through the Extremophile Campaign’s website. CitSci.org is spelled like citizen scientist.

Newman noted that efforts to find and harness new microbial carbon sinks shouldn’t be seen as a stand-in for other actions, including ending the use of fossil fuels driving climate change.

But she said she believes biology has a role to play.

“If there are ways that we can help facilitate the removal of carbon at a faster rate with some of these new ideas, then that is an additional piece that we can add to the puzzle.”

The campaign was officially launched last October, and Newman said the idea of joining a crowd-sourced science project to help address climate change has struck a chord.

“And since then, the response has been really incredible from people from all over the U.S.” said Newman. “We’ve had 136 people sign up to be a part of the project, and have sent in over 103 samples.”

A drumming program at Ohio State University-Lima is helping people dealing with Parkinson’s disease improve coordination, memory, and overall wellness. Music faculty said it is offering both students and patients a new rhythm for healing.

The “Drumming for Wellness” program connects Ohio State-Lima music students with local Parkinson’s patients, referred by Mercy Health St. Rita’s Hospital.

Austin Thomas, a member of the university’s music faculty, said each week, participants take part in live drumming sessions designed to support motor function, speech, and multitasking.

“We’re not necessarily curing any of those diseases,” Thomas acknowledged. “We’re hoping to kind of delay their symptoms for the hour that we get to see them each week-or for the six or seven weeks that the entire program goes on.”

Parkinson’s disease affects nearly 1 million Americans, with no known cure. Studies show music and rhythm therapy can ease symptoms such as tremors, speech loss and gait instability.

Thomas noted each session involves multiple exercises designed to challenge the brain and body simultaneously. Participants drum while reciting word sequences, tap feet to rhythm or mimic complex patterns to help regain focus and movement.

“Maybe half of the participants need to work on multitasking, a couple need to work on arm mobility, a couple need to work on their walking gait,” Thomas outlined. “We try to address any obstacles that are in the room every single week.”

Thomas added the experience has been rewarding for everyone involved and he hopes more Ohio communities can use creative therapies to support neurodegenerative disease patients.

Human beings are hardwired to pair-bond and most people have experienced some of the social pressures to find a life partner and start a family but a new study suggested while romantic relationships are important, friendships also play a key role in our happiness.

Natalie Pennington, assistant professor of communication studies at Colorado State University, and a team of researchers surveyed 940 American adults. She said fewer people call their romantic partner their best friend than you might expect.

“Only about 14.4% of the sample said ‘this is my romantic partner and it’s my best friend.’” Pennington reported. “It raises that question of how much pressure we’re putting on that romantic relationship.”

People surveyed who saw their partners as their best friends said they felt closer to them and interacted with them more often than those whose best friends were not their romantic partners. But Pennington noted those whose best friends were not their partners reported greater feelings of social support. The study was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Pennington pointed out as people get older, they are more likely to call their romantic partner their best friend, in part due to social networks tending to shrink over time. She added having multiple people you can lean on, and help support, can be a challenge.

“Because you’ve got to maintain several different types of relationships, different degrees of closeness,” Pennington explained. “When you have more people, that means that you have greater opportunity to get different types of support, different types of feedback, learn from each other.”

For people still looking for a romantic partner or a friend, Pennington suggested starting small. She stressed communication is a lot like exercise. Talking to people more often helps stretch and strengthen that socializing muscle.

“Talk to the barista as you order a coffee. Turn and chat to somebody on the bus or the train,” Pennington advised. “When we take those little actions to start talking to strangers, and getting a little bit more comfortable and confident socializing, it can really help us grow our relationships.”

Notre Dame is launching a major effort to shape the future of social media policy and it could affect every corner of Indiana.

This week, the university is hosting lawmakers, tech leaders and scholars to draft a national roadmap for regulating platforms like Facebook and YouTube. They will focus on how social media influences democracy, civic trust, and everyday life.

David Campbell, professor and director of the Democracy Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, said the meeting is just the beginning.

“Our hope is the policy experts will hear from the scholars what the research said about the effects of social media and hopefully, the two groups together can settle on concrete recommendations that can be made,” Campbell explained.

Campbell pointed out online activity can affect Indiana communities, not just the nation. The university plans to continue this work beyond the event, with a nonpartisan focus.

Campbell stressed the university wants to turn expert research into real policy solutions that strengthen civic trust.

“This convening demonstrates Notre Dame’s commitment to being an important voice in the national conversation about the state of American civil society; in this case social media,” Campbell emphasized. “To ensure that concrete ideas are being proposed and implemented to try to get us out of the mess that we’re in.”

Notre Dame is partnering with bipartisan group Issue One on the project.


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