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Research 20 results
It wasn’t until Sean Chung volunteered for a local environmental group that he realized how destructive invasive plants were to the integrity of local ecosystems. In Monroe County, the invasion is held at bay by individuals, neighborhood associations, nonprofit organizations, local government, and even the U.S. Forest Service. The Park Ridge East neighborhood, for example, took advantage of a city grant program to install a native plant garden (pictured) to provide a habitat for butterflies and other pollinators. | Limestone Post

Keeping Invasive Plants at Bay to Prevent ‘Ecological Collapse’
Sean Chung
Before volunteering for a local environmental group, Sean Chung was unaware of the problems invasive plants were causing here in Monroe County and “every single community in the U.S.” For this article, he interviewed people working to “contain the invasion” and prevent the kind of “ecological collapse” that invasives can cause. Click here to read the article.
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For more than two decades, the opioid epidemic has raged in small rural towns and in the suburbs. But what happens when the opioid epidemic collides with the COVID pandemic? Rebecca Hill interviewed people on the front lines of these crises to report about how people in Bloomington and other southern Indiana communities are working on the problem. | Map: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 2021, cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm

What Happens When an Opioid Epidemic Collides with the COVID Pandemic?
Rebecca Hill
For more than two decades, the opioid epidemic has raged on in small rural towns and in the suburbs. But what happens when the opioid epidemic collides with the COVID pandemic? Rebecca Hill writes about these “waves” of crises in Bloomington and other southern Indiana communities, and how people are weathering it. Click here to read the story.
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Angel Mounds Historic Site, along the Ohio River just east of Evansville, was a bustling town and trading hub for Native American people during the Mississippian Culture Period, prior to European colonization. Beginning in the 1930s, the remains of 700 individuals were excavated from the site and stored at Indiana University until March 2021, when they were repatriated. | Photo by Laura Martinez

Remains of Native Americans at Rest Again at Angel Mounds
Laura Martinez
Angel Mounds, outside of Evansville, was a bustling trading hub for Native American people prior to European colonization. Historian Laura Martinez writes about the recent repatriation of the remains of 700 individuals that were excavated from the site in the 1900s — and how, even at sacred places like Angel Mounds, the spiritual practices of Native Americans are still violated. Click here to read about Angel Mounds.
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Research by Alex Jahn at Indiana University has focused on the rarely studied American robin. For Jahn, birds are sentinels because they can predict what is happening to our ecosystem. Jahn and other researchers around the world use technology such as satellite telemetry to understand how migration affects the lives of birds. With a reported 30 percent of bird species lost since the 1970s, writes Rebecca Hill, the information gathered is more important than ever. | Photo by Skyler Ewing

Keeping Track of Migrating Birds, the ‘Sentinels’ of Our Ecosystem
Rebecca Hill
In 1803, James Audubon tracked birds by tying thread around their legs. Researchers around the world now use technology such as satellite telemetry to understand how migration affects these “sentinels” of our ecosystem. With a reported 30 percent of bird species lost since the 1970s, writes Rebecca Hill, the information gathered is more important than ever. Click here to read the article.
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Truth Matters is an event to help people detect disinformation in the news and on social media platforms. After watching two films on the topic, audience members will be able to ask questions to the panel of media experts pictured above: (clockwise from top left) Filippo Menczer, professor at the Indiana University School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering and director of IU’s new Observatory on Social Media; Jen Senko, director of the film ‘The Brainwashing of My Dad,’ who will participate via Skype; Alex J. Semchuck, associate professor of communication at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington; and Jason Peifer, assistant professor at the IU Media School (Courtesy photos). The background image is a screenshot of Hoaxy, a tool that visualizes the spread of articles online, which was created by Menczer and his team at the Observatory on Social Media.

Truth Matters Event To Raise Awareness About Disinformation in the News
Limestone Post
Fake news masquerading as journalism? Truth Matters, an event at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on October 19, features two films and a panel of media experts that will help people detect disinformation in the news and on social media platforms. (Limestone Post is one of 14 sponsors of this event.) Click here to learn more about Truth Matters.
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For many, suppressing the feeling of hunger with restrictive diets only leads to more-intense levels of hunger, writes Amanda Boyer. Think “hangry.” But the practice of intuitive eating — eating in a way that honors and respects your body’s hunger and fullness as well as your cravings, such as for a scone (pictured here at Two Sticks Bakery) — could be a more healthful and pleasurable approach to food, without dieting. | Limestone Post

Suppress Dieting, Not Hunger, with Intuitive Eating
Amanda Boyer
For many, suppressing the feeling of hunger with restrictive diets only leads to more-intense levels of hunger, writes Amanda Boyer. Think “hangry.” But the practice of intuitive eating — eating in a way that honors and respects your body’s hunger, fullness, and cravings — could be a more healthful and pleasurable approach to food, without dieting. Click here to read the full story.
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Researchers of infant development at IU say we — and artificial intelligence — can learn a lot from babies, such as by studying a “baby’s-eye view” of the world (pictured here). While genes explain some of the differences in the rate at which kids develop, the environment does too — and that’s where places like WonderLab museum can help. | Image courtesy of Linda Smith

What Do Babies Know? IU Scientists Say ‘More Than You Think’
Jennifer Richler
Researchers of infant development at IU say we — and artificial intelligence — can learn a lot from babies. And some have teamed up with the staff at WonderLab to create exhibits and activities tailor-made for young patrons, writes Jennifer Richler. While genes explain some of the differences in the rate at which kids develop, the environment does too — and that’s where places like WonderLab can help. Click here to read the full story.
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Cristian Medina, a poet, cook, IU researcher, and chess leader from Arica, Chile, moved to Bloomington in the mid-2000s. Pictured here, Medina sits at his desk at the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. | Photo by Chaz Mottinger

Big Mike’s B-town: Cristian Medina, Scientist, Poet, Chess Leader
Michael G. Glab
Cristian Medina, a poet, cook, IU researcher, and chess leader from Arica, Chile, has found plenty to keep him busy since moving to Bloomington in the mid-2000s. LP columnist Michael G. Glab talks to Medina about his hometown — bordered by ocean, mountains, and desert — geology and climate change, his work founding Cardboard House Press, and more in the latest Big-Mike’s B-town. Click here to read the full story.
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True crime writer Sarah Kolodziej has been hooked on stories of crime, murder, and suicide since she was five years old. While a case anywhere might grab her eye, most of the ones she writes about on her "Crime Spotlight" blog and Instagram account have ties to Bloomington and Indiana — especially cold cases and unsolved crimes. | Courtesy photo

‘Crime Spotlight’ Writer Does Justice to True Crime Stories
Jonah Chester
True crime writer Sarah Kolodziej has been hooked on stories of crime, murder, and suicide since she was five years old. While a case anywhere might grab her eye, most of the ones she writes about on her "Crime Spotlight" blog and Instagram account have ties to Bloomington and Indiana — especially cold cases and unsolved crimes. Writer Jonah Chester investigates. Click here to read the full story.
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Samuel Frushour and his cave-diving peers have mapped miles of aquatic caves in southern Indiana. While Hoosier caverns might not have the clear blue waters of tropical caves, they offer an adventure that is increasing difficult to find in modern times — exploring uncharted territory. | Courtesy photo

Cave Diving in Southern Indiana Takes a Mature Mindset
Jonah Chester
Samuel Frushour and his cave-diving peers have mapped miles of aquatic caves in southern Indiana. While Hoosier caverns might not have the clear blue waters of tropical caves, they offer an adventure that is increasingly difficult to find in modern times — exploring uncharted territory. Writer Jonah Chester dives into the story. Read the entire story here.
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“All the love and irritability” of parenting can be hard to reconcile. But experts are finding one of the best ways to cope is through play. More importantly, says writer Jared Posey, play is crucial to childhood development. Here, Posey's wife, Katie, plays on the floor with their son. | Photo by Jared Posey

Reconcile the ‘Happy’ and ‘Pathetic’ Moments of Parenting with Play
Jared Posey
“All the love and irritability” of parenting can be hard to reconcile. But experts are finding one of the best ways to cope is through play. More importantly, says writer Jared Posey, play is crucial to childhood development — of motor coordination, emotional intelligence, creative thinking, problem-solving, and relationship building, among others. Click here to read the full story.
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WTIU Executive Producer Rob Anderson in the station's control booth. He says WTIU "has always produced documentaries or long-form programs locally, and we take that very seriously.” | Photo by Tommy DeNardo

56:46 — WTIU’s Legacy of ‘Meaningful and Relevant’ Documentaries
Michelle Gottschlich
Now in its 50th year, WTIU has an extensive history of making long-form documentaries that tell Hoosier stories — rural, small-town, and world-renowned stories. Creating highly regarded films is unusual for a local PBS affiliate — and no easy feat, says writer Michelle Gottschlich. Here, she talks with WTIU’s filmmaking team. Click here to read the full story.
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