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HEADLINERS

SPECIAL READING ASSIGNMENT

Donald Deshler, professor of special education and director of the Center for Research on Learning, was quoted recently in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about addressing reading problems early.

"We have some kids who are reading reasonably well in the younger grades — kindergarten, 1, 2, 3 and 4," he said. ""I know through well-designed, high-quality instruction, the vast majority of kids can be very good learners and good readers."

NATURAL FAITH The work of Daniel Batson, professor of psychology, was cited in a New Science article about the origins of faith in humans. He studied two categories of religiosity: intrinsic and extrinsic. "He found some correlation between intrinsic religious beliefs and compassion or reduced prejudice. By contrast, extrinsic religiosity is linked to increased prejudice - people in this group tend to be less helpful to others, and when they do assist it is only for people they see as the "right sort," the article states.

HOMECOMING INSPIRATION KU is indirectly credited with inspiring the tradition of homecoming in a recent Fort Worth Star-Telegram article. The story states four schools are generally credited with starting the tradition. One of them is the University of Missouri. In 1911, Mizzou's athletic director challenged alumni to return for the big game against KU.

RESEARCH MATTERS

Plants from Antarctica have revealed the icy continent was once a warm place to be. Edith Taylor, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior curator of paleobotany, has studied fossilized plants that thrived there from 240 million to 260 million years ago. As the global climate warms, Taylor said, plants from South America could migrate further south, once again inhabiting Antarctica. For more information and to listen, visit www.researchmatters.ku.edu.