The science of sleep

“Who’s to say when you should be awake and when you should be asleep?” Carol Worthman, professor of anthropology and an expert in the sleep habits of different cultures, posed this question in a recent New York Times article.

Here's an excerpt:

In traditional societies where life revolves around herding, say, rather than scheduled paid labor, people sleep when they’re tired. And when they wake and find themselves in a 2 a.m. world?

“They go outside and look at the stars, and someone else who’s awake notices and comes out, too, and they sit with you and you end up gossiping,” Worthman said.

Click here to read the full article.

A holistic look at addiction

What roles do biology, politics, society, culture and history play in addiction? A project within Emory's Science and Society program is exploring creative ways to address addiction and depression in college students, by integrating academics and public programs.

"For instance, instead of just telling students not to smoke, we decided to engage them in learning the history of smoking, the biology of it, and the history of how it affects communities," explains Arri Eisen, senior lecturer in biology and director of the Science and Society program.

The project was featured in the Jan-Feb issue of the Journal of American College Health.

Family stories tied to well-being

Research by Robyn Fivush, chair of psychology, showing the link between children's abilities to tell family stories and lower rates of depression, was cited in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, "Life Stories: Children Find Meaning in Old Family Tales."

Epigeneticist to give 'Life of Mind' talk

The "nature versus nurture" debate has taken new twists and turns in recent years, as epigeneticists have started unraveling the mysteries of how genetic material is packaged. Chair of Biology Victor Corces, whose lab is working at the leading edge of epigenetics, will give a talk on Monday, March 16, entitled "Beyond the Genome: DNA is Not Destiny."

The free, public lecture begins at 4 p.m. in the Jones Room of Woodruff Library.

For more about the work of Corces, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Biology, read his profile in Emory Report. He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor, who used a $1 million grant to create RISE, a program that brings inner-city high school students to campus to work alongside Emory students in his lab.

Students rally for action on climate change

"Global warming is the issue of this generation, because we're probably going to be the first generation to be impacted heavily by its consequences," says Ryan Jones, president of the Emory Environmental Alliance, and a senior majoring in environmental studies and physics.

Jones and other EEA members recently helped lead Atlanta students in a call to action on global warming at the Georgia State Capitol.

Watch a video of the rally.