Campus debates culture, religion's roles in evolution
A campuswide debate about whether a person's views on evolution were determined by culture or religion was sparked after an MSU professor concluded Americans are less likely to accept the idea of evolution than people in other countries. Jon Miller, an MSU Hannah Professor of Integrative Studies, published a study in the Aug.
Innovations: Living language
Name: Deogratias Ngonyani, associate professor Department: Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages Type of research: Language documentation Date of research: Ngonyani said he plans on leaving for Tanzania sometime this month and will be there for nine months. He has done this type of research with two other African languages, but they were more vibrant in the number of speakers and locations in which they were spoken. Basics of the project: Ngonyani is focused on collecting information about Kikisi, an African language facing extinction, and what functions it performs. The language is only spoken among members of the community and is not written, he said. "Kikisi is spoken by less than 10,000 people, and the number of speakers are decreasing over time," Ngonyani said. Ngonyani will be collecting information about the language by writing down oral traditions, songs and folk tales.
MSU Webmail offers spam-blocking feature
Advertisers selling body-part enhancers and other prescription medications are clogging up some MSU Webmail inboxes, but university officials say there are ways to reduce the number of junk e-mails. MSU Webmail has a spam filter called SpamAssassin that helps cut back on the amount of spam actually making it into students' inboxes, said David Gift, vice provost for libraries computing & technology. In order to enable spam filters, users have to log into their account and click on the "preferences" link, Gift said. Webmail users have four options in blocking spam.
Family-owned photo studio opens in E.L.
Click. Click. Click. Mark Fedewa had a reputation as "the photographer" in high school, when he snapped pictures of pretty girls for his friends or athletes for the yearbook. "I had my camera around my neck most of the time," Fedewa, 42, said about his youth in Lansing.
Llamas invade campus
By Matt Valant For The State News While the Idaho Vandals were storming Spartan Stadium on Saturday, a plethora of llamas and alpacas also made an appearance on campus.
Police: Alcohol-related offenders not just MSU students
Despite an increase in overall Welcome Week arrests this year, MSU police are concerned that the number of alcohol-related offenses involving non-MSU students on campus matched those of MSU students.
Police officers honored for taking course
The East Lansing Police Department on Friday hosted a ceremony for 35 local officers, including three East Lansing police officers, who graduated from Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety's Staff and Command School.
'Represent the students'
Most students find it hard enough to balance work and school, but social relations sophomore Lauren Spencer hopes to add another responsibility. Spencer will run for one of the two available positions on the MSU Board of Trustees.
Company to offer advice about crops
A comprehensive nutrient management plans, or CNMP, training program will be available for farm consultants and engineers Nov.
Religious, scientists debate stem cells
Researchers last week announced a new method that could extract stem cells without harming the embryo — but many aren't convinced the controversy surrounding the practice will end. Advanced Cell Technology, which researches human embryonic stem cells for regenerative medicine purposes, announced the procedure that parallels an in vitro fertilization procedure that removes and tests a cell for genetic abnormalities. In the study, the embryos were intentionally deconstructed by scientists, but they are expected to survive in actual practice, reported Nature, a weekly international science journal. Pediatrics and human development professor Chia-Cheng Chang said in an e-mail Monday the effects of the procedure when used for stem cell research purposes needs to be thoroughly tested. He said using embryonic stem cells for clinical medicine could still produce adverse effects, such as tumors. "It is possible that the manipulation of the embryo may affect the embryo's normal development," Chang said.
MSU triathletes complete race
By Andrea Humanic For The State News Three MSU students put their bodies to the test when they competed in the Ludington Lighthouse Triathlon on Sunday in Ludington.
Multiple thefts reported across campus in 1-day span
Five burglaries occurred on campus Wednesday within a 10-hour span, totaling more than $800 in losses, MSU police said. Students living in Butterfield, Campbell, Hubbard, Mary Mayo and Williams halls reported stolen property such as wallets and MP3 players, and several said their rooms were left unattended during the incidents. Police and university officials are unsure if all five incidents are linked, but they stressed the importance of exercising caution and vigilance in the residence halls. At about 6:40 p.m.
Shoppers flock for football
Football is back in town and for many East Lansing businesses, it's a familiar, yet welcome return. "It does have a huge impact on everybody's business," said Student Book Store manager Brad Ballein.
Prof predicts cashless vending on campus
Need a snack or drink but have no cash on hand? No worries. An MSU professor predicts vending machines that accept credit and debit cards will become more popular in coming years. Michael Kasavana, National Automatic Merchandising Association-endowed professor in hospitality business, does research with self-service technologies, including cashless vending machines. "By 2009, half of the six million vending machines will be capable of having cashless technology," Kasavana said.
Mich. obesity ratio still among highest in U.S.
Scales are still strained across America as obesity continues on its growing trend, according to a new report issued Tuesday. Almost one of every four Michigan residents is obese.
Zoo unveils exotic rodents
After a voyage of more than 300 miles, five new Patagonian cavies are on display at the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing. The cavies, which were quarantined for the past month in the zoo, were first shown to the public last week. The long-legged rodents, a relative of the guinea pig, look similar to a cross between a miniature deer and jackrabbit.
Gov. Granholm leads slightly over DeVos
A recent poll of likely Michigan voters gave Gov. Jennifer Granholm a slight lead over the challenger Republican candidate Dick DeVos in the race for Michigan governor. In a poll of 1,200 likely voters conducted Friday to Sunday by Georgia-based Strategic Vision LLC, 48 percent said they would re-elect Granholm.