SPEER Research @OU

In a reversal, the Trump administration restores funding for women's health study The unexpected elimination of funding for the decades-long research project focused on women's health shocked scientists. They were heartened by the quick restoration of support.

A day later, funding is reinstated. #WomensHealth 🧪

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

YouTube video by speerOU Carbon Capture Support When Earthquake Risks Are Disclosed

🚨What’s that? New content from SPEER?🚨
Yes! Today’s study looks into how support for carbon capture changes when earthquakes are imminent. Thank you for your feedback!

youtu.be/te1MhZD8cQQ?...

YouTube video by speerOU Will Rising Sea Levels Cause Mass Coastal Migration? What do Americans think?

🚨A new SPEER video is here!🚨
Today we take a look at the chances and current opinion on if rising sea levels could cause coastal migration. Please take a look, and we appreciate your feedback!

youtu.be/hdGsa2RzZsM?...

YouTube video by speerOU Is Climate Change Making Communities Better or Worse? Perception Gaps Across America

In new work from SPEER, we tackle the issue of how climate change impacts American communities. Take a look!

youtu.be/Nos6-NJRxfc?...

YouTube video by speerOU America's Conspiracy Beliefs - What Our Survey Reveals

In today’s work from SPEER, we have a look into what conspiracy theories do Americans actually believe? Look at the link below to learn more!

youtu.be/TI2jJo3XMAw?...

YouTube video by speerOU America's Biggest Fears - Survey Results Revealed

A new study is out right now, and it’s over quite the interesting topic: what keeps Americans up at night? Find the answers at more on our YouTube page!

youtu.be/k2tCMQxYxOQ?...

YouTube video by speerOU Americans' Drought Concerns - Survey Results

With so many environmental concerns in the modern era, something local like a drought may seem small time. But do most Americans feel the same? Check this study to find out!

youtu.be/4lCijvLNdnQ?...

An airial view of phytoplankton bloom in the Barents sea with the question: Is it predictable?

🌊 Peaks in phytoplankton levels coincide with a peak in nutrient levels – and they are sort of possible to predict. Dr. Filippa Fransner (photo) @scienceandtechuib.bsky.social and the Bjerknes Centre. She has added life - aka biogeochemical module - to the climate prediction model NorCPM. 🌍🧪

‘Once in a Century’ Proof Settles Math’s Kakeya Conjecture | Quanta Magazine The deceptively simple Kakeya conjecture has bedeviled mathematicians for 50 years. A new proof of the conjecture in three dimensions illuminates a whole crop of related problems.

🧪 A 50-year-old puzzle in geometry, how little space a needle needs to point in every direction, has finally been solved. Wang and Zahl’s proof of the 3D Kakeya conjecture could reshape harmonic analysis.

A great explainer article to give you all the details.

Stunning Antarctic Sea Creatures Discovered after Iceberg Breaks Away A calving iceberg exposed a region that never before had been seen by human eyes, revealing a vibrant, thriving ecosystem

In January, an iceberg broke off of Antarctica and some scientists happened to be right there and decided to go see what had been living below it. Kind of like turning over a rock to see what's wriggling underneath. (by @ashleybvigil.bsky.social) 🧪

YouTube video by speerOU Who Can Make a Difference on Climate Change?

🚨New SPEER survey!🚨
Today’s video takes a deeper look into American public opinion on “who really CAN fix climate change?”. Check it out below!

youtu.be/dOJeA6P3HYE?...

YouTube video by speerOU American Support for Carbon Capture Technologies

🚨A new study is live!🚨
Today we’re tackling American public opinion towards carbon capture technologies, a promising potential solution to climate change. Take a look here!

youtu.be/KM9TQMcdylA?...

YouTube video by speerOU Understanding Climate and Energy Attitudes | SPEER Research Group

🚨New SPEER Research!🚨
Today we take a look at how many factors can change views on climate change and their potential consequences. Please take a look!

youtu.be/SYPOSbLtTbU?...

YouTube video by speerOU Climate Migration & Weather Stability in Americans' Housing Decisions

🚨We’ve got another one!🚨
In this study, we take a look at how climate change and environmental stability make a difference in American’s housing choices.
youtu.be/_xUwtxAQtIY?...

Sooner Theatre to put on contemporary musical ‘Hadestown: Teen Edition’ inspired by Greek myth Sooner Theatre will open the musical “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” a Greek romance and tragedy, this Thursday.

Sooner Theatre will open the musical “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” a Greek romance and tragedy, this Thursday:

A paleontologist is outside holding a children’s book called “The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure” with a dinosaur poking its head in the background.

My first book, The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure, is out now! It’s illustrated by the amazing Nat Cardozo. Each page features embossed fossils you can touch.

Every fossil tells a story, and every scientist started out as a curious kid.

I can’t believe it’s finally here!

#fossilfriday #booksky

YouTube video by speerOU American Expectations About Extreme Weather Events

🚨New SPEER study!🚨
Check out this video to learn more about our study on American expectations of extreme weather! youtu.be/F4A0Ba2k0FU?...

A trifecta of fire-friendly climate conditions fueled the January 2025 fires around Los Angeles: back-to-back wet winters that boosted vegetation, a record-dry fall, and extremely strong Santa Ana winds. See the map for how drought helped set the stage.

www.climate.gov/news-feature...

🚀🌕 Making Oxygen on the Moon

A new study models the energy needed to extract oxygen from lunar soil - key for rocket fuel and future Moon bases.

Producing 1 kg of liquid oxygen requires ~24 kWh - like running a fridge for a day.

🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#SciComm 🧪 🔭

News & Updates The University of Oklahoma

Check out the full study here!
www.ou.edu/mcee/labs/sp...

When independents did pick a side, they were slightly more likely to say Democrats are the light side and Republicans are the dark side.

A plurality of those who are politically independent or from another party (42.9%) said politics and Star Wars are not comparable. Around 39% of independents said both parties are the dark side.

A breakdown by partisans reveals differences. Democrats were more likely to see their party as the light side (61.5%) compared to Republicans (47.3%). Republicans were twice as likely as Democrats to see both parties as the dark side (20% vs. 10%).

and roughly 3% said they’re both like the light side. Only one-fourth of Americans in our survey said American politics should not be compared to Star Wars.

In our SPEER 24 survey, we asked respondents if they thought Democrats or Republicans were more like the “light/dark” side from Star Wars. A majority (54.5%) of respondents picked a side while about 17% said they are both like the dark side...

Can modern politics be interpreted through the lens of popular media? Our research group wondered if people saw their own party in media that follows a storyline of good vs. evil.

Who is the Dark Side? Democrats or Republicans? Check out these survey results!

We suggest that tailoring policies and messages to align with political moral values can help foster greater acceptance of CCS as part of climate mitigation efforts.

Furthermore, liberals and moderates are more supportive of CCS with the risk of earthquakes as their in-group loyalty increases, while conservatives' support remains unchanged with increasing in-group loyalty.

While values like care and loyalty increase support, concerns about fairness, authority, and purity may lead to opposition, especially when considering the risk of small earthquakes.