Jennine Capó Crucet, English, described the second presidential debate in an Oct. 10 New York Times article. She compared GOP candidate Donald Trump to “a student who didn’t do the reading.” Max Perry Mueller, classics and religion, discussed Mike Pence’s religious beliefs in an Oct. 10 piece on Religion and Politics website and Mormons’ role in the “Dump Trump” movement in an Oct. 8 article for Slate.
Sarah Gervais, psychology, commented on Trump’s “locker room banter” in a widely distributed Oct. 8 Yahoo News! item and Susan Swearer, educational psychology, commented on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s anti-bullying proposal in an Oct. 27 Washington Post report.
Frank Gonzalez, a political science doctoral candidate, together with a Wisconsin colleague, unveiled a theory on Politico Oct. 18 that Trump’s unorthodox candidacy could benefit down-ballot GOP candidates.
Smithsonian interviewed Raymond Hames, anthropology, for his perspective on a California study that examined whether the human propensity for violence and war is inherent to the species or whether it is an outgrowth of organized society. The report appeared Oct. 19.
Eileen Hebets, biological sciences, explained why we notice more spiders in the the fall for an Oct. 14 article in the Akron Beacon-Journal.
The Economist, United Press International and the Gonzaga Bulletin were among outlets carrying reports on a new study by Hebets and Steven Schwartz, biological sciences, that found female dark fishing spiders don't actually kill males after mating -- the males die naturally. The female, however, rolls her dead mate into a ball and eats him. Schwartz, now on the faculty at Gonzaga University, found that by eating their mates, the female spiders produce stronger and more numerous offspring. The Economist described it as "the cruelest one-night stand of all."
BTN LiveBig featured Matthew Jockers, English, and his research using a Tusker, a room-sized cluster computer, to crack the code separating from a bestselling novel from one that languishes on the shelf. Jockers' book "The Bestseller Code," co-authored with Jodie Archer was published in late September.
The Washington Post interviewed Mario Scalora, psychology, for his take on a new study that found pop-culture celebrities, not governmental officials, are increasingly the targets of violent attack, possibly fueled by the pseudo intimacy of social media. The story citing Scalora, who is director of the Nebraska Public Policy Center, appeared Oct. 12.
