Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · 1d

Snow leopards have the lowest genetic diversity of all big cats–a dubious distinction once held by cheetahs. It increases their risk of extinction in a warming climate. #Stanford-led #research #snowleopards @kasolari.bsky.social @petrovadmitri.bsky.social
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Snow leopards’ low genetic diversity puts future at risk

A Stanford-led study reveals that snow leopards are the most genetically similar to each other among big cats, making them particularly vulnerable to drastic changes like the warming climate.

news.stanford.edu

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Sep 8

“For something that’s of such societal importance, we have got to do it in academia, where we can share what we learn openly with the world.” – Surya Ganguli, @suryaganguli.bsky.social, #Stanford physicist leading Simons Fdtn project to unlock the blackbox of #AI.

news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Three reasons why universities are crucial for understanding AI

There is a “fierce urgency” to understand how artificial intelligence works, says Stanford physicist Surya Ganguli, who is leading a project to bring the inner workings of AI to light through transpar...

news.stanford.edu

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Aug 29

“The real story here is not about the purported failings of a human being; it is about what happens when you have a government that is not accountable to the people that it governs.” – Lerone Martin, director of the King Institute at #Stanford. #MLK
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Three key insights from the recently released MLK records

While scholars haven’t identified any surprising revelations in the newly unsealed federal documents related to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the director of Stanford’s King Institute emphas...

news.stanford.edu

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Aug 28

New tech like genomic sequencing and AI can unlock a trove of data from millions of preserved plant specimens housed in herbaria, according to #Stanford biologist Barnabas Daru.
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Plant samples preserved in museums may hold key to advancing biodiversity

Herbaria, or “museums for plants,” house millions of samples collected over centuries. Stanford biologist Barnabas Daru shares how modern technology can unlock this treasure trove.

news.stanford.edu

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Aug 26

Catastrophes, by definition, are devastating, but can often be catalysts for positive change. And if people can adopt that #mindset, they may see some real physical and mental benefits, a #Stanford - led study suggests.
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Study shows mindset shift curbs depression after catastrophe

A mindset intervention encouraged reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic as a source of growth. Participants who adopted this perspective reported improved mental health and showed positive physiological...

news.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jul 17

Technology developed by a #Stanford-led team enables the visualization of neuron-specific #brain waves. The development holds promise for understanding diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s.
humsci.stanford.edu/feature/new-...

New tech for imaging brain waves could advance disease research, AI

The development, which enables researchers to see how neuron-specific waves travel through the brains of mice in real time, led to the discovery of three types

humsci.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jul 11

Link to the full study in @pnas.org www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Global decline of apex scavengers threatens human health | PNAS

Vertebrate scavengers play a critical role in ecosystem functioning worldwide. Through the cascading effects of their ecological role, scavengers c...

www.pnas.org

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jul 11

They may not be pretty, but large scavengers help human health. Their loss means increased disease risk. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025... 1/2

Decline in apex scavengers raises human disease risk

Stanford research shows that large, efficient scavengers are disappearing globally, allowing carrion to persist longer and creating opportunities for disease-carrying species like rodents to prolifera...

news.stanford.edu

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jul 11

Great piece in NPR featuring research by #Stanford biologists Chinmay Sonawane & Rodolfo Dirzo on the global decline of apex scavengers. Links to the PR & study in this thread 1/

NPR @npr.org · Jul 11

Large scavengers like vultures and hyenas do an important job in protecting human health. But studies show these creatures are on the decline, allowing for the emergence of disease.

Next time you see a vulture picking over a carcass, say 'thank you!'

Large scavengers like vultures and hyenas do an important job in protecting human health. But studies show these creatures are on the decline, allowing for the emergence of disease.

n.pr

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jul 11

Foundational research could help combat Alzheimer's.
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Stanford neurobiologist’s research on brain development paves the way for Alzheimer’s solutions

Carla Shatz, famous for discovering how neural connections develop early in life, is using that knowledge to work on the problem of how they can later deteriorate from Alzheimer’s disease.

news.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jul 8

"The universe doesn’t know any national boundaries. If you want to see the whole universe, you have got to move around the world." - Stanford physicist Peter Michelson, PI for the Fermi Large Area Telescope
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Stanford-led team shares honor for ‘revolutionizing’ study of high-energy cosmic phenomena

The European Physical Society has awarded a top prize to the teams behind the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which has yielded better understanding of pulsars, supermassive black holes, neutron star...

news.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Jun 18

They may not be pretty, but large scavengers play an important role in removing carrion and the health threat it represents. A #Stanford study found their numbers are dropping worldwide. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Decline in apex scavengers raises human disease risk

Stanford research shows that large, efficient scavengers are disappearing globally, allowing carrion to persist longer and creating opportunities for disease-carrying species like rodents to prolifera...

news.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · May 29

Protecting trees might also help protect people from disease in the tropics: A #Stanford- led study shows that in Costa Rica, tree cover can reduce the presence of invasive mosquito species known to transmit diseases like dengue fever. woods.stanford.edu/news/trees-v...

Trees vs. Disease: Tree cover reduces mosquito-borne health risk

Stanford-led study finds small-scale tree cover in Costa Rica boosts biodiversity while limiting dangerous mosquito species

woods.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · May 28

Learning to fly a plane? Practicing speaking before a large crowd? #VirtualReality is great. Attending mundane meetings, answering email? Not so much. Check out the findings from a review of 30 years of #VR research led by @stanfordvr.bsky.social
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Five things to do in virtual reality – and five to avoid

A review of experimental research reveals how VR is best used and why it’s struggled to become a megahit with consumers.

news.stanford.edu

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Apr 28

Louder for those in the back:
"Given the very real consequences for our competitiveness, our standard of living and, yes, also our bottom lines, we all ought to be making the case for aggressively funding basic science." - David Singer, venture capitalist in NYT Op-Ed

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Apr 28

"Breakthroughs in technology are grounded in a fundamental truth: that transformative innovation often begins with a new understanding of the natural world at its most basic level."
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...

Opinion | The White House Tech Bros Owe Their Fortunes to the Research They’re Killing

Underlying many investments are breakthroughs in medicine and technology from great universities.

www.nytimes.com

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Apr 14

Some people have right- or left- dominant arteries on the back of their #hearts -- how they get that way might help #Stanford researchers discover how to grow new #arteries and treat #heartdisease. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Researchers identify gene linked to development of a critical coronary artery

The Stanford-led findings represent a step toward developing “medical revascularization,” a long-term goal to create a treatment for blocked or limited-flow arteries by growing new ones to compensate.

news.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Mar 17

Life on #Earth may not have begun with a dramatic lightning strike into the ocean but from many smaller “microlightning” exchanges among water droplets from crashing waterfalls or breaking waves. #stanford news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

‘Microlightning’ in water droplets may have sparked life on Earth

A Stanford study shows that electrical charges in sprays of water can cause chemical reactions that form organic molecules from inorganic materials. The findings provide evidence that microlightning m...

news.stanford.edu

Reposted by Sara Zaske

Chise @sailorrooscout.bsky.social · Mar 9

THIS IS HUGE! Researchers at Stanford University have developed a dual-antibody treatment that remains effective against ALL SARS-CoV-2 variants by targeting a less-mutable part of the virus. This breakthrough could lead to longer-lasting therapies that OUTPACE viral evolution. 🧪🧵⬇️

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Mar 6

This #Stanford -led research may have found a way to pin down the constantly evolving virus that causes #COVID and develop longer-lasting treatments. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

New antibodies show potential to neutralize virus that causes COVID-19

A Stanford-led team has found two antibodies that can work together to defeat all SARS-CoV-2 variants. More research is needed, but the approach could help in the development of treatments to keep pac...

news.stanford.edu

Reposted by Sara Zaske

Christopher Barnes @cobarnes27.bsky.social · Mar 6

Excited to share the peer-reviewed version of our paper, which is out today!!

Bispecific antibodies targeting the N-terminal and receptor binding domains potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern | Science Translational Medicine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Bispecific antibodies targeting the N-terminal and receptor binding domains potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Bispecific antibodies incorporating a cross-reactive NTD-specific antibody are resilient to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

www.science.org

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Feb 12

Some #corn varieties, including many used for breeding high-yielding corn in the U.S., appear to have lost a portion of their water-seeking ability, according to a Stanford-led study.
humsci.stanford.edu/feature/new-...

New study could lead to development of more drought-resistant corn

A Stanford-led study has identified key genetic pathways in corn that help its roots branch out to find water in soil.

humsci.stanford.edu

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Dec 29

Note: I will be changing my X and BlueSky handles to reflect my new job with Stanford after 1/3. Not sure how this works on BlueSky, but it looks like I may need to start over with a new account.

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Dec 29

I’m leaving WSU at the end of this week (1/3/25). While I’m sad to go & will miss the many wonderful people I've worked with, I have a great opportunity to work as a science writer for Stanford.

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Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · Dec 18

“It’s far too early to be worried about #ChatGPT taking #finance jobs completely,” said study author DJ Fairhurst of #WSU.
news.wsu.edu/press-releas...

ChatGPT errors show it cannot replace finance professionals, yet

While large language models like ChatGPT can do well when choosing multiple-choice answers on financial licensing exams, they falter when dealing with more nuanced tasks.

news.wsu.edu

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