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KU professors release revolutionary Earth extinctions theory
KU delegation tours China
Nominate an outstanding alumnus

KU professors release revolutionary Earth extinctions theory

Dinosaurs were not the first to undergo a mass extinction, nor will they be the last. Two KU professors have proposed a theory to help explain the recurring die-offs throughout Earth's history. Adrian Melott, professor of physics and astronomy, and Mikhail Medvedev, associate professor of physics and astronomy, synthesized the hypothesis after learning that a pair of researchers from the University of California-Berkeley, Robert Rohde and Richard Muller, discovered that die-offs occurred fairly consistently once every 62 million years. Rohde and Muller, however, were unable to determine the cause of such regularity.

"I spent quite a bit of time obsessing about what could possibly be going on," said Melott. "When I heard about Rohde and Muller's result on biodiversity and the 62 million-year period that they identified, I thought that it must have something to do with our galaxy."

Melott and Medvedev hypothesized that it was the motion of our galaxy through space, which occasionally would expose the Earth to an onslaught of radiation.

"The galaxy is a thin disc, like a Frisbee," said Melott. "But the galaxy's motion is not like that of a Frisbee, but like a pie in the face."

The pair asserts that as the north side of our Milky Way galaxy moves through the universe, it generates a shock wave. As the galaxy rotates, our solar system eventually reaches this shock wave, and Earth is exposed to a huge amount of high-energy radiation. This radiation could cause an increase in exposure to elementary particles called muons, create a blanket of planet-cooling clouds and could damage the ozone layer leading to increased genetic mutations and cancer. These occurrences could also potentially weaken Earth's species' adaptability and survival rate of sudden events, like volcanic eruptions or meteor impacts. "It's like having the flu and then getting shot," Melott said.

Increased radiation would not be entirely harmful because while overall species diversity may drop during this 62-million-year-cycle, it will also rebound.

"Radiation could increase the number of mutations and also help new species arise," said Melott. "During these times of lowered biodiversity a lot of new species come into existence, which ride the wave up to the new peak of biodiversity."

Melott and Medvedev presented their theory in April during the American Physical Society meeting.

KU delegation tours China

Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Joseph Steinmetz, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean, will join several KU educators to tour China in mid-June in hopes of developing more academic exchange programs and potential research collaborations for the University. Between June 10 and 17, the delegation will visit seven Chinese universities, where they hope to create new study abroad locations. The delegation also will meet with Kansas' trade representatives in Beijing, along with companies related to Kansas industries. Finally, members will meet with leaders of the Chinese Scholarship Council to discuss Chinese government-sponsored students that the council sends to U.S. universities, and attend a briefing at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Dean Steinmetz, along with Holly Goerdel, assistant professor of public administration, will visit top universities to finalize plans initiated last year for KU to train Chinese government officials in urban management, a graduate program ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report. Steinmetz also will try to strengthen KU's social science programs by pursuing potential collaborations with Chinese institutions.

Other KU faculty and administrators traveling to China include Rick Ginsberg, dean of the School of Education; Allen Rawitch, dean of graduate studies at the KU Medical Center; Stephen Mazza, professor of law; Bob Honea, director of the Transportation Research Institute; Bill Tsutsui, director of the Confucius Institute; and Sheree Willis, associate director of the institute.

Nominate an outstanding alumnus

Each year the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences honors its best and brightest alumni for their contributions to KU, their profession or community. Submit your nomination for the 2007-'08 College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Alumni Award by Aug. 15! Nominations can be submitted online at www.clas.ku.edu, click on the "Alumni and Friends" link. For more information, please contact Christie Appelhanz, Assistant to the Dean for Outreach, at cappel@ku.edu or 785-864-3661.

Visit the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Web site for more information.

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