UB in the News

Mark Kristal, professor of psychology, is quoted in a story on KKRM-TV in Colorado about the reasons women choose to eat their afterbirth, including to replace lost nutrients. Forty years into his studies on ingesting placenta, he said, the only way of renourishing the body with the placenta is to be very malnourished during pregnancy.

Arun Jain, Samuel P. Capen Professor of Marketing Research, is quoted in an article distributed by the Associated Press about the impact the Social Security tax cut has had on the economy. "I think the next big event we need to watch for is Easter sales," he said. "That will reflect what they want to buy for spring. That to me will tell us how confident they are." The article appeared in outlets that include Bloomberg Businessweek, Boston Globe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Huffington Post.

An article distributed by UPI reports baby boomers should avoid self-prejudice and ignore ageist comments from others, according to Robert Stall, assistant professor of medicine and a specialist in geriatrics; aging boomers have a lot to expect in terms of health and well-being, he said. And as baby boomers age, they are demanding changes in how society, government and the courts deal with aging-related chronic care, according to Anthony Szczygiel, professor of law; "too often the nursing home staff gives up on the patients and stops providingÂ…therapy," he said.

Richard Salvi, director of the Center for Hearing and Deafness, is quoted in an article distributed by UPI that reports many baby boomers have reached the age where hearing loss has become a major health problem. "Hearing aids will by necessity become a necessary part of the boomers dress code as the prevalence of age-related hearing loss begins to accelerate beyond the age of 65," he said. The health and lifestyle website Third Age also reported on the findings.

An article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about unrest in the Middle East and North Africa sending oil -- and gasoline -- prices skyrocketing quotes Lawrence Southwick, professor emeritus of finance and managerial economics. Costlier oil "hits gas and diesel prices right away," he said.

Elayne Rapping, professor emeritus of American studies, is quoted in an article in the Detroit News about teen dramas and their focus on sex, and the pressure parents groups are putting advertisers to drop their support of the shows. "Kids are bombarded with ideas and images that promote early and excessive sexual behavior. But what's more disturbing is TV has ceded its ground to this kind of teen programming for kids and increasingly offers little else for them to think about or imagine," she said.

An article in Discovery News looks at research conducted by J. David Smith, professor of psychology and cognitive science, on the self awareness of Macaque monkeys and the functional parallels to metacognition in humans.

An article in the Christian Science Monitor about the economic toll from the earthquake in New Zealand quotes JiYoung Park, assistant professor of urban and regional planning. Transportation and lost productivity are among the economic problems that country faces, Park said. "Laborers will lose their money directly …. And the economy will be impacted again by the losses of their purchases," he said. The article also appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A story on ABC News reports a new UB study has found that boys are more stimulated by caffeine than girls and both genders have a preference for junk food after being primed with caffeine, leading researchers to wonder whether early exposure to caffeine predisposes a person toward drug abuse, and whether caffeine is a contributor to the current obesity epidemic. The story interviews Jennifer Temple, a behavioral neurobiologist and assistant professor in the departments of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Psychology.

Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education, is quoted in an article in the Chronicle for Higher Education about India's fast-growing higher education market and the failure of American colleges to become more engaged in that growth. American study-abroad numbers to India have remained fairly low, he said, in part because of a lack of interest among public institutions in India in developing exchange programs. Dunnett made his remarks at the annual conference of the Association of International Education Administrators in San Francisco.