KU News Service

Research reveals cosmic tug-of-war behind the Crab Pulsar's zebra stripes Click for more on presentation at APS Global Physics Summit

In 2024, a @universityofkansas.bsky.social theoretical astrophysicist largely solved the mystery of the Crab Pulsar’s zebra pattern. Now, Mikhail Medvedev has fine-tuned his analysis, finding gravity’s lensing effects to be the last piece of the zebra-stripe puzzle.

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Pandemic, election crises mark ‘critical events’ in declining democratic accountability standards, governance scholar writes KU governance scholar writes study analyzing effects of the pandemic, false election claims on democratic accountability and what scholars can do about it.

“By documenting democratic backsliding through a detailed study of critical events and clear benchmarks, I believe we can harness the tools of social science to ensure that we don’t erode democratic standards to the point of losing them,” Koliba said.

Read more:

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Crowded city street with people wearing medical masks

He has applied standards of democratic accountability to detailed timelines of the COVID-19 pandemic and the contested 2020 U.S. election for an article appearing in the @academic.oup.com journal Perspectives on Public Management and Governance.

School door with sign saying "Vote here today"

“To make meaning out of current political events, we need better empirical standards for determining when democratic norms are upheld and when they are transgressed,” said @universityofkansas.bsky.social scholar Christopher Koliba.

Witnessing service workers being treated poorly inspires bigger tips, study finds A new article finds that customers who witness incivility toward service employees experience feelings of pity, followed by increased emotional support and, ultimately, an increased tip for the target...

Diners who witness waiters being treated poorly tend to tip more, according to @universityofkansas.bsky.social research. “It’s almost a paradox where employees who are treated poorly get tipped more. But I don’t think employees necessarily want to be treated this way.”

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Pioneering book aims to uplift Nigerian Hausa Muslim women New volume first of its kind in Hausa language, with English summaries

A new book by @universityofkansas.bsky.social scholar Rahina Muazu — written in her native Hausa language — is meant to model “a practice of responsible interpretation, grounded evidence and open debate” in Nigeria.

news.ku.edu/news/article...

In the latest episode of the When Experts Attack! podcast, Roust discusses the internationally famous African American composer who reshaped the origins of American music.

Listen and subscribe:

whenexpertsattack.libsyn.com/the-early-19...

Colin Roust, holding a keyed bugle — the instrument Francis Johnson played

Colin Roust, a @universityofkansas.bsky.social music scholar, combed nearly 30 archives from coast to coast, painstakingly transcribing handwritten sheets of music. In doing so, Roust upped the total number of Johnson's known works by more than 100.

Francis Johnson

Ever heard of Francis Johnson? 19th century Americans sure had. The composer and brass band musician rubbed elbows with U.S. presidents and is known as one of the first African Americans to publish his own sheet music and tour Europe as a musician.

One size does not fit all when it comes to return-to-office policies Communication overload makes some people prefer to work from home. Others prefer the office, researchers found.

“Job tailoring — which is to say altering the conditions of each person’s employment so that that person is the most productive worker possible — is a tool that companies that truly value their workers could use, but most employers usually don’t,” Piercy said. Read more:

news.ku.edu/news/article...

woman working in living room, seen from overhead

office space

Those questions prompted a study by Piercy and colleagues to see what associations among personality traits, self-determination needs, workplace preferences and Communication Overload have with a desire to work from home or in the office.

Person working in cubicle with coworkers walking quickly by

Or are you like @universityofkansas.bsky.social scholar Cameron Piercy: “The office is my cathedral — my workspace.”

Person sitting on floor with laptop, surrounded by paperwork with graphs and a cat splayed out on the floor

Are you an employee who gets so much more done working from home?

DOT wants to prohibit free buses. That could be a problem for Mamdani in NYC. A proposal from the Trump administration would restrict federal funding for cities that don't charge fares.

“If more people are using the bus, which the evidence suggests across a broad range of demographics, we could be significantly improving their mobility and enhancing access to services and resources throughout the region, including jobs,” Mendez said.

Read more:

www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

City bus in Kansas City, Missouri

For a @politico.com article about free bus fare in New York City, reporter Chris Marquette spoke with @universityofkansas.bsky.social expert Joel Mendez, who studied free bus service in Kansas City.

University of Kansas announces fall 2025 honor roll The latest news and information for the University of Kansas.

Congratulations and a big Rock Chalk to the @universityofkansas.bsky.social students who made the fall 2025 honor roll.

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Moroccan pirate queen Sayyida al-Hurra was largely omitted from history books, but now she's in Civilization 7 thanks to a professor's curiosity and years of research How one of the Mediterranean's least-known pirates became a strategy-game star.

“We are so fortunate to have been able to work with her to bring Sayyida to life,” Finn Taylor, senior narrative designer at Firaxis Games, told writer Heather Newman.

Read more:

www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...

Civilzation 7 game showing busy seaport with ships

El Haimeur advised on “pirate queen” Sayyida al-Hurra’s narrative voice in the game, translated the script into Moroccan Arabic and more.

Illustration of Sayeda Sayyida al-Hurra

Check out this article in @pcgamer.com that explores how @universityofkansas.bsky.social scholar Amal El Haimeur’s research ended up informing the @civilization.2k.com strategy game Civilization 7.

Human-AI interactions stimulate coordination between co-workers and improve team performance, study finds A new study finds that human-AI interactions can stimulate relational coordination between co-workers and improve team performance.

A @universityofkansas.bsky.social study finds artificial intelligence on the job actually stimulates co-worker interactions. “If you have AI to help get you past some of the hurdles of figuring out details, it can allow you to shift your focus to building relationships.”

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Why companies are phasing out these super-pollutants despite Trump A rare spot of global climate agreement could prevent up to half a degree of warming this century.

It took the world about 30 years to kick ozone-depleting CFCs after the Montreal Protocol was signed. @universityofkansas.bsky.social professor Mark Shiflett tells @washingtonpost.com that it will probably take about that long to phase out HFCs globally, too.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...

Hear all about it at Rainy Day Books tomorrow - moderated by our own Provost Barb Bickelmeyer! rainydaybooks.com/event/2026-0...

"Swiftynomics" and how women drive the economy New book uses Taylor Swift as lens on how women do the work every day that drives the economy.

“Women have always presented themselves as economic agents, but that has often been ignored in history,” said economist and professor @mlheggeness.bsky.social. Read more about “Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy” from @ucpress.bsky.social.

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Taylor Swift on large screen during a 2016 performance

A new book from a @universityofkansas.bsky.social scholar shows how Taylor Swift and her unprecedented success illustrate how women — whether global icons or working moms — power the economy.

Tornado-forecast system can increase warning lead times Click for more on study in the journal Weather and Forecasting

Read more about the findings, now published in the @ametsoc.org journal Weather and Forecasting.

news.ku.edu/news/article...

directional sign for a tornado shelter against a cloudy sky

The difference could save lives and property across the Great Plains — the classic “Tornado Alley” — and other areas like the tornado-prone Southeast. “An hour of lead time versus 15 minutes is extremely useful for everybody,” said KU researcher David Rahn.

tornado siren against cloudy sky

The current lead time on issuing tornado warnings is about 15 minutes. A @universityofkansas.bsky.social study shows that the @noaa.gov Warn-on-Forecast System could help weather forecasters issue warnings before tornadoes even form.

Jumping into a better golf swing Research finds athletes with better jumping ability generate faster club head speed.

“Sport science in golf is extremely rare,” said Jayhawk researcher Quincy Johnson. “But the opportunity to help golf athletes presented itself, and we wanted to take it and see what we can do to help athletes improve club head speed.”

Read more about this KU discovery:

news.ku.edu/news/article...

Man in white cap, seen from overhead, prepares to swing golf club

Jumping and golf might not normally be associated, but @universityofkansas.bsky.social research shows that athletes capable of jumping higher, farther and with better lateral jumping ability also tend to generate faster swings.

When to use AI for parenting advice, says researcher—and when it can have 'dangerous consequences' If you use AI for parenting advice, cross-check the information with human health experts, especially in urgent situations, says a children's health researcher.

Read more advice from this Jayhawk scholar regarding parental advise in the age of AI.

www.cnbc.com/2026/01/22/w...