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In a paper published today in Nature Communications, a worldwide team of researchers has used tree ring dating to confirm that two significant "cosmic events" occurred in 774 and 993 CE. Cross-cultural eyewitness accounts of red or "blood" aurora correspond with these years. The study measured carbon-14 content in 44 wood samples taken from five continents, including two samples from Mongolia provided by West Virginia University geographer Amy Hessl, a co-author on the paper.

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As the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin’s music was woven into the tapestry of the American experience, the “emotional depth” of a country struggling with racial divides and the emergence of women demanding respect and equal rights. West Virginia University’s Travis Stimeling says with Franklin’s range of genres—from gospel and jazz to country—she earned her place as a “masterful interpreter of songs.”

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While opposition to manufacturing a gun using a 3D printer has focused on the safety of others, a West Virginia University forensic science expert says that the initial risk falls on the person firing a 3D printed weapon.

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West Virginia University expert Simon Haeder says the massive increases in food recall over the last five years-- 92.7 percent for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and 83.4 percent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (according to a study by the Stericycle Recall Index)-- could be attributed to alterations in agency regulations. Another WVU expert, Jacek Jaczynski, said it’s simple to avoid illness by washing hands and thoroughly cooking food.

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With new and compelling evidence for water existing beneath the south pole of Mars, a West Virginia University professor says this underground lake is likely to be extremely salty and more acidic than battery acid. Life forms that can survive in extreme physical and geochemical conditions are found in abundance in acid salt lakes such as those in Chile and western Australia, she said.

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The real question about the U.S.-China trade war is how long it will last and which country will blink first, according to West Virginia University associate professor of political science Christina Fattore. President Trump’s assessment of the World Trade Organization as weak is driving his use of higher tariffs, which could drive up costs for businesses, and eventually, consumers, Fattore said.

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Steadily rising suicide rates are related to the country’s opioid epidemic, a West Virginia University epidemiologist says. According to Dr. Ian Rockett, WVU’s newest study reveals that drug suicides are a significant public health issue.

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New cracks and lava leaks on Hawai’i near two established volcano vents pose significant hazards for the area’s residents, and not only from the currents of lava flow creeping toward the Pacific Ocean. According to Graham Andrews, West Virginia University volcanologist, large earthquakes and repeated small, explosions at the volcanos, plus toxic gases and vapors released from the lava and where the it enters the ocean are likely to make breathing difficult, a combination that is making life on Hawai’i perilous.

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A lot of people are excited to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married, even though they’ve never met them. Some people might think that parasocial attachments to celebrities and royalty is bizarre, but research suggests it’s actually quite normal and can even be healthy.

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Jesse Wozniak, assistant professor of sociology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, is exploring whether a post-conflict Iraq, specifically the police force, can transition to a democracy.

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Once a point of potential cooperation in the early days of the Trump administration, Syria is now an area of possible increased military conflict as the interests of the U.S. and Russia diverge in the Middle East, a West Virginia University expert says.

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Paul Ryan’s decision to retire is likely rooted in fears that he could lose his seat in the upcoming election, that the GOP could lose the majority—or both, according to one West Virginia University expert. American politics expert Jason MacDonald says Ryan is calculating the number of House Republican retirements and weighing his own political future.

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West Virginia University’s chief economist said the opioid epidemic in West Virginia and across the U.S. has come with a hefty price tag, causing a void in this state’s economy of nearly $1 billion.

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