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new media characters and scenes for more than point fingers at the bad guys with - fake—written, perhaps, by an in - little added snark.” two dozen articles; Jayson Blair, the out looking too carefully at sys - vestor seeking to profit by artificial - New media can also present eth - New York Times reporter who wrote temic problems.” ly inflating the price of ICOA’s ical quandaries for which a clear set

S dispatches from far-flung states One of those problems is that stock. “We all make mistakes,” says of guidelines has yet to emerge. So - without leaving his Brooklyn apart - writers and editors are expected to Adam Penenberg, also an NYU cial media platforms, for example, ment; and Jack Kelley, who fudged do more with less. Venerable pub - journalism professor. “But the idea have collapsed the distinction be - details in a USA Today story that lications have been cutting corners of not checking out a press release, tween public and private life for TRUTH OR led to a Pulitzer Prize nomination journalists like everyone else. After in beat reporting. And Lehrer’s drawing criticism for her comments wasn’t the only fall from grace in a “It’s easy to point fingers at the on and about Q season Silverman dubbed “journal - bad guys without looking too hostilities in Gaza last fall, New York ism’s summer of sin”: Time maga - Times Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi zine editor-at-large Fareed Zakaria carefully at systemic problems,” Rudoren was assigned an editor to CONSEQUENCES was suspended for plagiarizing a journalist Charles Seife says. help manage her social media pres - New Yorker article by Jill Lepore, ence. But it seems unrealistic to ex - NAVIGATING COUNTERFEIT JOURNALISM and Connecticut’s New Canaan for more than a decade as readers not checking with the company, pect all reporters to consult with IN THE DIGITAL AGE News fired staff writer Paresh Jha af - have gone online and subscriptions not trying to get a comment? That’s their editors before posting each ter discovering that he’d fabricated have declined. At the same time, egregious.” tweet. by Eileen Reynolds / GSAS ’11 sources and quotes in at least 25 journalists must write quickly and Penenberg knows better than As part of NYU’s business and

UTHE stories. often, frequently sidestepping time- anyone that a writer determined to economic reporting curriculum, he premise of the if overworked, young journalist. C. Moynihan revealed in Tablet Had ethically challenged jour - consuming editorial processes to twist the truth can do so in any Penenberg has added training in “Google Game,” as Lehrer, 31, had penned three best- magazine that Lehrer had fabricated nalists become more common or keep up with the fast pace of the medium: As a young Forbes.com multimedia journalism, social me - the Poynter Institute’s selling books on neuroscience and quotes attributed to Bob Dylan in simply easier to expose, thanks to Web. “It breeds sloppiness, shoddi - business technology reporter, he dia, and even HTML and CSS T Craig Silverman well-received articles for top-notch his book Imagine: How Creativity the Internet? With readers’ trust at ness, and almost plagiarism,” Seife was the first to uncover the decep - coding—all in the interest of called it, was simple: publications such as The Washington Works . Lehrer’s publisher pulled it stake, editors, publishers, journal - says. Lehrer’s blog posts, for exam - tions of , who thwart - equipping graduates with the skills Paste text from science writer Jon - Post and Nature . But his defenders from bookstore shelves. The New ism professors, and students now ple, escaped the multiple rounds of ed ’s fact-checkers demanded of the digital age. But

A ah Lehrer’s Frontal Cortex blog fell silent on July 30, when Michael Yorker fired him. An investigation of face thorny questions about how to editing and fact-checking for which by creating notes, diagrams, and this also means diverting time away into the search engine, and in sec - 18 of Lehrer’s Wired.com blog posts repair a system that has allowed The New Yorker is renowned, even even a phony website to corrobo - from the basics of what he calls onds find a nearly identical by NYU journalism professor and wayward writers to rise through its though they too ran under the mag - rate wholly invented stories for the “hard-nosed reporting.” When passage from one of Lehrer’s fellow science reporter Charles Seife ranks. At the center of this dilem - azine’s prestigious banner. print magazine. These days, Penen - evaluating student work, Penen - previous pieces—published uncovered 17 instances of “recy - ma is the industry’s own convulsive In a more universally embarrass - berg calls himself a “platform ag - berg routinely investigates phrases in, say, The Wall Street Jour - cled” material, outright plagiarism, transition to online journalism, and ing stumble last November, the As - nostic”—meaning he believes or passages that seem “too good to nal . Legions of amateur language lifted directly from press the fall of rigorous editing and fact- sociated Press, Forbes , Business articles should be held to the same be true”—and calls in students to sleuths joined in the hunt releases, or distortions of fact. Wired checking. Professor Seife wrote for Insider , and TechCrunch were all high standards whether they appear talk about what he finds. (Students R after media blogger Jim terminated his contract. forced to retract statements after online or in print. But he ac - sign an ethics pledge at the start of Romenesko first busted knowledges that it’s study at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter The New Yorker ’s newest difficult for even the Journalism Institute, and those most vigilant editorial who violate it risk expulsion.) gatekeepers given the Sometimes a conversation about sheer volume of con - journalistic responsibility can be tent online. enough to break a bad habit. E One solution would Perhaps the best way for jour - be to simply publish nalists to keep themselves honest is less. Seife suggests that to seek out editors who, whether smaller publications, they work in print, online, or both, especially, should fo - do what good journalism profes - cus their energies on sors do. “To have a devil’s advo - careful, old-fashioned cate, a good editor who tried to reporting—the pain- destroy your story, who tried to staff writer for repur - staking work of “doing poke holes in your argument—I posing old material on research, speaking to don’t like operating without that,” the magazine’s website people, and getting Seife says. In an age of instant pub - in June 2012. In weeks, Lehrer be - announcing that Google would documents” in order to bring read - lishing and feedback, the greatest Some readers at first came one of the most notorious Slate that he believes Lehrer’s “jour - purchase ICOA, a wireless Internet ers something of unique value— discipline might just be avoiding dismissed Lehrer’s “self- names in modern journalism, along - nalistic moral compass is badly bro - provider, for $400 million. The rather than simply digesting news situations in which what you write plagiarism” as a minor side Stephen Glass, the New Repub - ken”—but he also told NYU source of the information was a from larger outlets and “repackag - goes, as Seife puts it, “straight from misstep by an impressive, lic writer who dreamed up whole Alumni Magazine that “it’s easy to press release later revealed to be a ing it with a little flavor and a your brain to the world.”

NYU / SPRING 2013 / 9 conversation S Q

THE University at a Crossroads U A

JOHN SEXTON KNOWS THAT NYU NEEDS TO ENGAGE R

ITS FACULTY BETTER. HE TELLS US HOW HE INTENDS E TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

n March 15, NYU’s Faculty of Arts and Where does this current I want to to work with them to posed that our Board form a spe - port—some personal, some by fac - felt by all of us. In these times of debate belong in the find ways to better ensure their in - cial committee of trustees led by ulties or other NYU constituen - strain and anxiety, it’s perhaps un - Science registered a vote on President NYU story? volvement in university decision- Chair Marty Lipton that will use cies. I am grateful for them; they derstandable that university leaders making. the next two months to listen to a make me feel that what we have are under increasing scrutiny and John Sexton’s leadership. Of the 682 full- In the late 1960s and early ’70s, Most of my professional life has range of faculty groups, students, been trying to accomplish has been even criticism for innovating to Otime tenured and tenure-track professors NYU was understood to be in se - been devoted to NYU. Like many and alumni and to hear their ideas heard and understood. I worry that forge sustainable futures for their rious trouble, yet the NYU com - of our faculty, I was part of the on how we can develop new the vote of no confidence will institutions. munity pulled together to ensure generation that helped transform mechanisms and channels to re - have some negative effects on the in the school, 569 participated. Fifty-two percent that the university survived, and this institution from a good re - ceive input from all stakeholders in university in the short term, but I of those voting expressed “no confidence,” while then blossomed. The difficulties of gional school to an outstanding, our community and, in particular, do think that the criticism inher - This is an especially those times were much more ob - revered international research uni - the faculty. ent in it compels me—and all of complicated time 39 percent disagreed and 8 percent abstained. vious—especially the terrible state versity. It is our faculty’s commit - us—to think even more deeply on to be a university of our finances, and the challen ment to teaching and learning that what we can do to make NYU president. After 12 That same day, the Board of Trustees passed ges posed by CUNY’s new open- is the core of what has driven Some say that benefit from its many voices, now years of leadership, admissions policy. But I believe our successes in recent decades, adversity makes an and in the long run. what propels you a resolution of support for Sexton, with Chair that today’s challenges are just as and will be the key to our future institution stronger. each morning to great—the political pressure on successes. What kind of productive navigate through all Martin Lipton writing: “It is clear to us that NYU is universities relating to costs, the soul-searching—both In the past decade, these tangled issues? expense of technology, and the for yourself and NYU— there have been a great success story. It is also the case that higher competition posed by foreign uni - Many on campus have has this experience more than 50 votes I was put on Earth to be a teacher, versities. The responsibility for me expressed a desire inspired? of no confidence at and my time in the classroom education faces pressures that call for leadership as president, and for the Board, is for their voices to be U.S. colleges and grounds me. Beyond that, I love to recognize those challenges now, heard right now. How It’s clear that we still have work to universities for widely NYU and its mission. I love that can enact change where needed.” Other state - before they overwhelm us, and to will the administration do, and I include myself in this varied reasons. Does NYU’s connection to the city and innovate in ways that sustain the accommodate that? equation, in getting the balance this signify a trend how we overcame near-bankrupt - ments of support have come in from deans across extraordinary academic momen - right on a crucial challenge facing in higher education? cy to achieve soaring success. I the university, as well as the NYU Alumni Association tum that has brought us here. We have already taken a number places like NYU: How do we ably love its ambition, and grit, and en - of steps to broaden and deepen and efficiently run a large, diverse, Universities are among the most trepreneurship, and how unpre - and departments or councils within the School of channels of faculty input, from an complex institution that can move enduring institutions in human tentious it is. I believe strongly in All else aside, a number agreement between the Faculty nimbly through a very difficult history, and they tend to be very the unparalleled opportunities we Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Nursing, of faculty members Senators Council and the univer - time in American higher educa - tradition-bound. Those traditions, offer to our scholars and students, feel hurt or alienated sity administration on principles of tion and, at the same time, allow by the way, have carried U.S. uni - both here in New York and and School of Law. by NYU right now. What shared governance to the creation our community to be involved versities a very long way—they are through the Global Network Uni - would you say to them of faculty-led committees on space, and invested? The events of the seen as the gold standard for high - versity. I love that I was able to on a personal level? on global initiatives, on technolo - past several months have con - er education throughout the raise my family here, where I have The circumstances that led to reconfiguration of two superblocks by faculty that they have not been gy, and on how the university vinced me that we have to do a world. But this is a time of pro - spent more than 30 years—as pro - this moment, and may lead to fur - just south of campus—has struck adequately engaged with the The pace of change at NYU has should respond to a possible better job in this regard, and I am found and rapid change in higher fessor, as dean, as president—with ther votes at several NYU schools, some as pioneering and essential to changes that have taken place. been rapid and, at times, there was NLRB ruling on unionization of committed to finding ways for education, without a clear path - a single aim: to lend my talents to can be interpreted 10 different staying competitive on a postmod - NYU Alumni Magazine recent - not adequate consultation. But I graduate assistants. But beyond NYU to be an exemplar of getting way forward. Reduced support NYU as best I could and to leave ways by 10 different people. In ern educational playing field. Oth - ly spoke to Sexton about what would say to my fellow faculty that, it’s clear that it’s a good time this right for the future. from governments, concern over my successors a stronger, more re - one example, bold shape-shifting ers see them as a radical departure this experience has meant for him colleagues that it has not been in - to reflect on whether the mecha - I won’t say that the vote of no rising tuition, the impact of tech - silient university, able to withstand over the past decade—from the from the NYU they knew. A con - and can ultimately mean for the tentional. I feel badly if it seemed nisms to give voice to all NYU confidence didn’t hurt. Both be - nology on learning, the pressures the challenges of the 21st century. rise of new campuses in Abu Dhabi sistent thread throughout this re - university. that way because I greatly value constituencies are serving us as fore the vote and since, there have from a globally competitive land - That makes it easy to come in to and Shanghai to plans for a major cent debate has been a complaint their judgment and thinking. well as they could. So I have pro - been many expressions of sup - scape…the challenges are being work every day.

10 / SPRING 2013 / NYU NYU / SPRING 2013 / 11 history music QUARE SQ

THE MATTERS OF THE APEACEFUL,TEACHYFEELING

When the man who co-wrote “Hotel mine, [songwriter-in-residence] MANOR California” talks about songwriting, peo- Phil Galdston, and another guy ple listen. So this year, lucky students in over at NYU, [professor] by Naomi Howell / GAL ’14 Lawrence Ferrara? They’re talking the Steinhardt School of Culture, him pen 18 top-40 hits, and find about starting an elite songwriter Education, and Human Develop- magic in the recording studio, program, and they want to pick ment were following every word translates rather well to the class- your brain about curriculum.” So OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: THEGEOR- GIAN-STYLE MANOR WAS BUILT that came out of their professor’s room. the timing couldn’t have been bet- CA. 1735 TO REPLACE THE mouth. Glenn Frey—who has ter. It was supposed to be a 15- SYLVESTER FAMILY’S ORIGINAL won six Grammys and sold more HOW’D YOU DECIDE TO COME minute conversation, and we 17TH-CENTURY HOME OF “SIX TEACH AT STEINHARDT? ORSEVENCONVENIENTROOMS.” than 120 million albums as a solo wound up talking for an hour and BOTTOM: THE ESTATE WAS USED artist and founding member of the I was at the Country Music Asso- 15 minutes, and only got started. AS A SUMMER RETREAT WITH Eagles—helped team-teach a mas- ciation Awards with the Eagles And then this year, Phil asked if I SOME SMALL-SCALE FARMING WHEN THIS PHOTO OF PLANTATION ter class in the school’s new song- three years ago, and we went on would be interested in team-teach- WORKERS AND A HAY WAGON WAS writing program. last. So for the better part of three ing a class with him. TAKEN CA. 1900. ABOVE: A PAINT- NYU Alumni Magazine spoke hours, I sat watching the show. ING BY SYLVESTER DESCENDANT HAS THE GIG BEEN CORNELIAHORSFORD,WHOOVER- with singer, actor, and guitarist And with no offense to any partic- SAW THE RESIDENCE’S SUBSTAN- Frey (below) at the Beacon The- ular artist or songwriter, I sat CHALLENGING? TIAL RENOVATION BY ARCHITECT atre last November as he and the through some of the most cliché, It’s different teaching songwriting HENRY BACON IN 1908. rest of the Eagles prepared to half-baked, boring songs. It than it is teaching how to write take the stage for the Stein- was troubling to say the music. That you can teach a little trees for wooden barrels to be hardt Vision Award Gala. least. more pragmatically. This is an elu- shipped to the islands and filled Before the Eagles went As luck would sive subject, but there are rules. with rum. The estate ran on on, three of Frey’s stu- have it, the very next Like, keep it interesting. Don’t the labor of African slaves, Na- dents performed original morning [producer have there be a place in your song tive Americans impressed into songs as the opening act. and engineer] Elliot where people are going to change service, and indentured Euro- The crowd’s roar proved Scheiner calls me up the channel or tune out. So it’s pean servants. Some of the that the creativity and says, “Would you been really exciting to share our archive’s earliest documents that helped talk to a buddy of insights. Phil and I are already are bills of sale from the Boston thinking about what we’ll do next slave market. and how we’d tweak the program By 1859, when the proper- a little bit. HTSCUTS YVSE AO ARCHIVE MANOR SYLVESTER COURTESY PHOTOS In this still-young country, it’s hard to ty passed to Eben Norton imagine grand estates riding out the ages Horsford, a wealthy Boston Downton Abbey–style in the care of a chemist and the inventor of baking powder, the manor was single family. And yet the Sylvester ized and protected within NYU’s used as a vacation home, wel- Manor on Shelter Island, nestled Fales Library & Special Collec- coming the likes of Henry in between Long Island’s two tions, the new Sylvester Manor Wadsworth Longfellow and WHAT’S BEEN THE BEST PART forks, has been passed down Archive has inaugurated its open- Sarah Orne Jewett, whose OF THIS EXPERIENCE? through 15 generations of ing with an exhibition at Bobst handwritten poetry resides in Coming to New York and seeing Sylvesters. Among the house’s his- Library. the archive. Today, the most my daughter, who’s a senior at toric treasures are 60 linear feet of The manor was initially a point recent Sylvester relation has Tisch [laughs]. She’s made it a good

letters, journals, maps, photo- on the infamous triangle of trade, opened the estate to the pub- IMAGES KING/GETTY BOB © PHOTO excuse to come do this. But the graphs, and artifacts, offering a whose coordinates were in West lic as an organic farm and food best part of it is how contagious range of insight into early Ameri- Africa, the American colonies, and education center. the enthusiasm and the commit- can culture—from the little- the Caribbean. In 1652, Nathaniel ment of the students has been. acknowledged practice of slavery Sylvester bought Shelter Island to The “Sylvester Manor: Food and That really gets me feeling like a in New York to the industrializa- use for raising livestock to sell in Power on a Northern Plantation” songwriter again. tion of agriculture. Now organ- the West Indies and harvesting exhibition closes August 31. —Jason Hollander

NYU / SPRING 2013 / 13 IN BRIEF

CONSTITUTIONAL CREW His response was to found the ic credit, will provide a sort of re - As residents, they’ll easily clock 80 NYU law professor Sujit new Center for Constitutional search department for clients hours in a week at the hospital. Choudhry flew to Sri Lanka in Transitions at the NYU School of abroad. They are currently prepar - The result generally is a tested 2003 to advise on the fledgling Law, which aims to act as a “back ing a series of reports for legal ad - physician with a wide-ranging democracy’s constitution. But it office” for legal advisers working visers in Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, knowledge of sickness and health. wasn’t until after he’d landed, in countries undergoing a regime and Morocco on issues that arose But some are finding that is no driven across the island, and start - change. For comparative consti - during the Arab Spring, such as longer enough. ed talking with local stakeholders tutional specialists such as how to build a liberal democracy As the health-care system grows that the key question facing the Choudhry, who is the faculty di - in which the partisan interests of ever more complex, doctors have nation’s constitutional designers rector of the project, fieldwork civilians don’t lead to an abuse of realized that they must also devel - emerged: What role would law usually involves traveling to a re - power by the security sector. “This op expertise in areas such as man - enforcement have in the federal mote locale with little advance is the first time in the world any - agement, business strategy, and state? Though scholars had devel - notice, minimal academic re - one has tried to do this,” Choudhry public policy—or risk abdicating oped models for this exact prob - sources, and bare-bones commu - says. “There is a lot of excitement their role in shaping the future of lem, Choudhry was unable to nication infrastructure. about this work—people are wait - medicine. To that end, NYU has access much of this information The center, which relies on 20 ing for our answers.” joined the cadre of medical schools Prague,Prague, CzechCzech RepublicRepublic Paris,Paris, FranceFrance half a world away. law students working for academ - that now offer dual degrees in DWORKIN HONORED WITH 2012 medicine and business administra - BALZAN PRIZE tion. Darien Sutton-Ramsey Before his recent death, Ronald (MED ’14), a third-year medical Dworkin, the Frank Henry Som - student and class president, sees mer Professor of Law, received the the degree as a way to “fill a void Balzan Prize for his “fundamental between the people who make contributions to jurisprudence, health care and the people who do characterized by outstanding gifts health care.” of sharpness, originality, and clari - The program is part of the ty of thought in a constant and School of Medicine’s Curriculum fruitful interaction with ethical for the 21st Century, or C21, AccessAccess thethe WWorldorrldld and political theories and with le - which also offers medical students gal practices.” The prize was ac - a chance to earn a dual degree in ThrThroughouggh NYUNY companied by an award of 750,000 four other disciplines: bioethics, Swiss francs, about $800,000, half clinical investigation, global public NYU Alumni araree an important part Florence,Florence, ItalyItaly of which must be invested in health, or health policy and man - research—preferably involving agement. “Our goal [with C21] is of the GlobalGlobal NetwNetworkork UniversityUnivUn ersity young scholars. to take on very smart students and communitycommunity and yyouou ararea e iininvitedvitedd Far-Flung Study Dworkin authored numerous offer them pathways to go deeper books, including most recently, into the areas of their particular in - ttoo reconnectreconnectt with ffellowelelloelle low alumnalumnini From the White House to Sydney’s Opera House, NYU is Justice for Hedgehogs (Belknap terest,” explains Steven Abram - atat lecturlectures,es, rreceptions,eeceptions, and adding new icons to its study-away options. The Aussie ac - Press/Harvard), which he noted son, senior vice president and vice WashingtonWashingtgton D.C.D.C. ademic site opened this fall with a humanities-based cur - was not a treatise on animal rights dean for education, faculty, and educationaleducational pprogrammingprogramming riculum centered around English literature, environmental nor a take-down of hedge fund academic affairs. acrossacross the glglobe.obe. studies, and journalism. NYU Sydney will also introduce barons, but a nod to an ancient Abramson says that the response students to the country’s Aboriginal culture through class - Greek axiom and the notion that a from would-be students has been es on art history and anthropology, plus faculty-led field single value underlines truth, “remarkably strong”—particularly morality, justice, and life. to the MD/MBA, whose first class trips. Or if the outback seems too far from home, there’s the starts this fall. The investment, ConnectConnect withh fellowfellow alumni Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE med student Sutton-Ramsey and visit ourr websitewebsite ttoday!oday! located in the heart of Washington, D.C. The newly con - Along the grueling path of med - notes, will give NYU grads far structed 75,000-square-foot facility will house 120 stu - ical education, students will mem - more tools to use in the field. With alumni.nyu.edu/global-passportalumni.nyu.eedu//global-pasglobal-passport dents per semester with courses focusing on government, orize every bone, muscle, and such a degree, he says, “I will be [email protected]@nyu.edu politics, economics, and public administration. ligament in the body, plus a litany able to treat not just one patient, of diseases and their telltale signs. but populations of patients.”

14 / SPRING 2013 / NYU S CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH Q THE U A

occupational therapy anthropology physiicss R Keep Calm and SIZING UP WHAT’S THEE FREQUENCY,, VIIRUS? E I

Carry Om EARLY HUMANS L L

U few years ago, Stephen lionths of a gram, one at a time, S T R

A Arnold was at an Itzhak but not smaller viruses, such as po - T I O nder the watchful eye ideal for children on the autism n 1972, along the crumbling mans, Homo habilis and our direct N Perlman concert when lio and hepatitis. Now even the © C

of their teacher, a spectrum because they thrive on R A Homo erectus I

ravines of the Lake Turkana ancestor, . “Since S his mind wandered. “I smallest known RNA virus parti - T I A

group of 6-year-olds predictability, says Kristie Koenig, Basin in Kenya, paleoanthro - we’re the only species of Homo N was wondering what a piece of cle, MS2, at only six attograms, A C Uwalk into their class - an assistant professor of occupa - O I U pologist Richard Leakey un - [today], we tend to think that’s the dust would do if it hit the violin can be detected when it perches C E I room, unroll pint-size yoga mats, tional therapy at the Steinhardt R

covered the skull of an way it was universally in the past,” O string,” the professor of physics on the gold nanoreceptor. and inhale deeply before assuming School of Culture, Education, and odd-looking hominid. KNM-ER says NYU anthropologist Susan and chemistry at NYU-Poly says. “You know that if you can im - downward-facing dog position. Human Development. Together 1470, or simply “1470,” as it came Antón, who analyzed the bones as Surely the dust would change the prove the sensitivity of a sensor by It may look unconventional, but with Steinhardt doctoral student to be known, appeared to date a member of the Koobi Fora team. string’s frequency ever so slightly. 70 times on your first effort,” that’s how more than 500 class - Satvika Garg, Koenig ran a 16- from the dawn of the Homo genus “And that’s not the case.” He then wondered whether the you’re onto something, Arnold rooms across New York City now week study of GRTL in which nearly two million years ago, but The advent of early humans same principle could be used to says. And his lab is just getting start the school day, thanks to “Get teachers and parents completed was unlike any early human fos - was likely a dynamic time, Antón detect something even smaller, started. Now they’re working to Ready to Learn” (GRTL). The pro - a checklist recording the daily sils found before. It had a large observes, where various species such as a virus, and he took the detect single proteins, which are gram, designed by occupational behavior of students with autism. skull and notably flat face. The may have experimented with idea to the lab. smaller. In blood, antibody pro - therapist and yoga instructor Anne The resulting paper, recently question that divided anthropol - foods or environments in their What emerged was a new type teins can signal infection before Buckley-Reen, comprises a 17- published in The American Journal ogists was whether it was simply evolutionary quest to survive. But of biosensor, one that could revo - viruses take over, giving doctors a

P an outlier—an scientists refrain from supposing lutionize the diagnosis of disease. head start on treatment if found in H O T

O abnormal-size or too much from these latest finds. Here’s how it works: A laser sends inch across, the sphere will res - Physics Letters , Arnold and collab - time. In recent months, Arnold C O U

R deformed indi - What Antón and her colleagues light through a glass fiber to a de - onate at a different frequency and orators reported that they’ve now has even found a way to insert his T E S

Y vidual—or evi - can say—after comparing them tector. When a tiny glass sphere is take in different wavelengths of taken WGM biosensors to a new biosensors into “smart” syringe G E T

R dence of a whole to fossils housed in the national placed against the fiber, certain light. Arnold named the system level. By attaching a smaller gold needles. E A D

Y other species. museums of Kenya and Tanzania, wavelengths of light will take a de - a “whispering gallery-mode” nanoparticle to the microsphere, “Ultimately sensors will make T O

L The answer to as well as to living apes and mod - tour into the sphere and bounce biosensor, or WGM, in a nod to they’ve managed to amplify its diagnostics in-house, in minutes E A R N that question was ern human skeletons—is that their around inside, creating a dip in the the way voices bounce around the sensitivity. Before this innovation, rather than days,” he says. recently un - jaw was constructed differently. light the detector receives. If a whispering gallery under the dome they could detect viruses such as Let that idea rattle around in earthed with And the new finds presented virus clings to the microsphere, of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. influenza, which weighs a few your head for a while. three new fos - another twist. While some an - which is only two-thousands of an In a recent issue of Applied hundred attograms, or quintil - —Matthew Hutson sils—a juvenile’s thropologists had long suspected face, a nearly that “1470” represented a new complete lower Homo , many had assumed that it psychology case, an actor tried to stack rings not provoke their interest as onto a funnel and showed frustra - extensively. AUTISTIC CHILDREN WHO STARTED THE DAY WITH YOGA SHOWED LESS AGGRESSION AND HYPERACTIVITY. jaw, and a por - was a larger species—much like a tion of another gorilla is to a chimpanzee. But the tion at it being out of reach. In an - Vouloumanos believes this con - minute series of simple yoga posi - of Occupational Therapy, notes lower jaw—that closely match the new juvenile’s face and jaws sug - OBSERVANT INFANTS other, a communicator barked firms that infants are more per - tions, such as spinal twists and that the children who participated unusual structure of “1470.” Sci - gest “1470” was simply an outsize words or noises to a recipient: In ceptive than previously thought. child’s pose, as well as breathing in yoga showed less of the aggres - entists with the Koobi Fora Re - adult within a species whose size new study suggests Academy of Sciences , NYU psy - one instance, a made-up word, “[They] understand not only that exercises, for autistic students sive behavior and hyperactivity search Project, led by Meave and variation may have been as vast as that infants see the chology professor Athena “koba”; in another, a common other people have invisible ages 5 to 21. typically associated with autism. Louise Leakey (Richard’s wife and our own is today (think Shaquille correlation not just Vouloumanos, her former re - cough. The young subjects held thoughts, but that people can use While yoga is now common in In fact, the students reported feel - Abetween speech and search assistant Amanda Pogue, their gaze longer when a recipient speech to inform others about daughter, respectively), made the O’Neal compared to the average schools, Buckley-Reen’s program, ings of calm and happiness after discoveries, which were an - man on the street). “That’s the observed action, but also the very and Kristine Onishi of McGill Uni - failed in the action after hearing these unobservable thoughts,” which is led by teachers and uses the exercises. “You could see the nounced in the journal Nature . thing about the fossil record,” unobservable relationship be - versity had adult “communica - koba, indicating that they viewed she says. The implication is that instructional DVDs, follows the stress and anxiety levels drain They suggest this was indeed a Antón muses. “It always kind of tween speech and intention. tors” and “recipients” act out this result as incongruent with infants “could learn, in theory, same specific pattern each day. from the classroom,” Koenig says. separate species that lived along - throws you a curveball.” In an experiment published in predictable and unpredictable the instruction and the intention. about things beyond their immedi - This repetition and precision is —Sally Lauckner side two other early types of hu - —Nicole Pezold the Proceedings of the National scenes in front of infants. In one Results from the cough did ate experience.” —Naomi Howell

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