HEADLINERS
DINOSAUR DANCE FLOOR:
The KU journal Palaios recently published an article that has been cited in nearly 700 newspapers, Web sites and other publications. The article describes preservation of a 190-million-year-old trampled surface, described as a “dinosaur dance floor” in Jurassic sandstone along the Arizona-Utah border. Published by KU, the authors also cited research by KU faculty members in the article.
ICH BIN EIN OBAMA:
German newspaper Tegernseer Zeitung turned to William D. Keel, professor of Germanic languages and literatures, for his take on Obama’s election. Keel was asked why Kansas, birthplace of his mother, voted for John McCain. Keel noted Obama was not seen as a regional candidate and he noted that Obama won Douglas County with 69 percent. Admitting his disappointment in the results as a Republican, Keel ended with the Bavarian idiom: "schau ma moi" — "let's wait and see" how Obama does. Keel directs KU's summer institute in nearby Holzkirchen.
RESEARCH MATTERS:
HIV/AIDS obviously takes a great toll on people, but many may not realize the effects it has on the workforce of the sub-Saharan African nations hit hardest by the epidemic. Elizabeth Asiedu, associate professor of economics, has found that with life expectancies shortened, the economy also suffers from the large numbers of funerals and continuous grieving. “Of course, if you are sick, you are not as productive. But two, the other is when in Africa funerals are very elaborate. You effectively have about three working days,” she said. For more, or to hear the original broadcast, visit
www.researchmatters.ku.edu.
