It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Changes in the tree canopy facilitated the evolution of the first-ever gliding reptile, new study suggests
There are now enough fossils to create a near-perfect skeletal reconstruction of this unusual dragon-like creature
IMAGE: COELUROSAURAVUS ELIVENSIS PIVETEAU, 1926 (MADAGASCAR, LATE? PERMIAN), LECTOTYPE MNHN.F.MAP325A. A, DORSAL SURFACE OF INDIVIDUAL PRESERVED AS A NATURAL EXTERNAL MOLD; B, SILICONE CAST OF A. SCALE BAR EQUALS 5 CM.view more
CREDIT: BUFFA ET AL., JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Researchers have run through near-perfect fossils of the World’s first gliding reptile with a fine-toothed comb and untangled hitherto unknown facets to discover it was a change in tree canopy which likely facilitated such flight in these creatures.
Since the first fossils of Coelurosauravus elivensis were discovered in 1907, there has been spirited debate over how the animal actually lived during the Late Permian Period – between 260 million to 252 million years ago – and how its unique body parts fit together.
By piecing together enough fossils to create a near-perfect skeletal reconstruction, new research provides fresh insights into the tetrapod’s morphology and its habits; and crucially establishes how it became the first-known reptile to glide.
The answer to the latter derives from the canopy of the forestry in which this unusual creature lived in – suggest experts from the French National Museum of Natural History, in Paris (or Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle) and the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, in Germany.
Explaining their findings, today, in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, lead author Valentin Buffa, from the Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris at the French Natural History Museum, states: “Pennsylvanian forests, while taxonomically and vertically heterogeneous, had rather open canopy strata with spatially separated arborescent taxa resulting in little crown overlap. In contrast, Cisularian forests show evidence of denser communities suggestive of more continuous canopy strata. Such change in forest structure could explain why no gliders have been reported prior to weigeltisaurids although several arboreal or scansorial amniotes have been described from Pennsylvanian and Cisularian deposits.
“These dragons weren’t forged in mythological fire—they simply needed to get from place to place. As it turned out, gliding was the most efficient mode of transport and here, in this new study, we see how their morphology enabled this.”
The team examined three known fossils of C. elivensis, as well as a number of related specimens—all belonging to the family Weigeltisauridae. Their research focused on the postcranial portion—the body, including the torso, limbs, and remarkable gliding apparatus, known as the patagium. The latter is the membranous flap spanning the forelimbs and hindlimbs, also found in such living animals as flying squirrels, sugar gliders, and colugos.
Previous analysis of the reptile had assumed that its patagium was supported by bones that extended from the ribs, as they do in modern Draco species of Southeast Asia – which, to this day, amazes observers with its gliding flights between the rainforest trees it inhabits.
However, this thorough new examination suggests that the patagium of C. elivensis either extended from the gastralia—an arrangement of bones in the skin that covers the belly of some reptiles, including crocodilians and dinosaurs—or from the musculature of the trunk. This would mean that the gliding apparatus sat lower on the abdomen than it does in modern gliding lizards.
Combining this finding with others derived from the bone structure observed in the fossils, the researchers came up with a more refined vision of how this agile creature moved through its arboreal habitat.
“Sharp, curved claws and compressed body form support the idea that was perfectly adapted to moving vertically up tree trunks. The similarity in length of the forelimbs and hindlimbs further indicate that it was an expert climber—their proportional length assisted it in remaining close to the tree’s surface, preventing it from pitching and losing its balance. Its long, lean body and whiplike tail, also seen in contemporary arboreal reptiles, further supports this interpretation,” adds Valentin Buffa.
And as for its similarity to Draco?
“C. elivensis does bear a striking resemblance to the contemporary genus Draco,” Valentin Buffa says. “While its habits were likely similar to those of its modern counterpart, we do see subtle differences though.
“Like Draco lizards, Coelurosauravus was able to grasp its patagium with its front claws, stabilize it during flight, and even adjust it, allowing for greater maneuverability. An additional joint in one finger, though, may have enhanced this capability. This may have been a necessary compensation for the lower positioning of the patagium, which likely made it more unstable.”
Coelurosauravus elivensis Piveteau, 1926 (Madagascar, late? Permian), paralectotypes MNHN.F.MAP317a,b. A, MNHN.F.MAP317b, dorsal surface of individual preserved as a natural mold; B, silicone cast of A; C, MNHN.F.MAP317a, ventral surface of individual preserved as a natural mold; D, silicone cast of C. Scale bar equals 5 cm
CREDIT
Credit to Buffa et al., Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Coelurosauravus elivensis Piveteau, 1926 (Madagascar, late? Permian) MNHN.F.MAP327a. A, right lateral surface of individual preserved as a natural external mold; B, silicone cast of A. Scale bar equals 10 cm
CREDIT
Credit to Buffa et al, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Coelurosauravus elivensis Piveteau, 1926 (Madagascar, late? Permian) MNHN.F.MAP327b. A, left lateral surface of individual preserved as a natural external mold; B, silicone cast of A. Abbreviations: cdv, caudal vertebra; pata, patagial spar; sk, skull elements. Scale bar equals 10 cm
CREDIT
Credit to Buffa et al., Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Coelurosauravus elivensis Piveteau, 1926 (Madagascar, late? Permian), life reconstruction. Individuals clinging to Glossopteris trunk (Glossopteris leaves are associated with C. elivensis in the fossil assemblage) (Left), and gliding while grasping its wing (Right). The colors are based on the extant agamid Draco and chamaeleonid squamates
The postcranial skeleton of the gliding reptile <i>Coelurosauravus elivensis</i> Piveteau, 1926 (Diapsida, Weigeltisauridae) from the late Permian of Madagascar
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
9-Sep-2022
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Bullies have increased hazard for violent offences, shows comprehensive study
UNIVERSITY OF TURKU
Children who bullied others at the age of 8–9 have higher hazard for committing violent offences by the age of 31. This was shown in a Finnish Nationwide Birth Cohort Study conducted at the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku, Finland.
Boys and girls who were frequent bullies had an increased hazard for violent offences as opposed to children who never bullied others. Boys who bullied frequently also had higher odds for violent offences compared to those who bullied sometimes. The relative hazard for boys who were frequent bullies to commit a severe violent offence such as homicide or aggravated assault during the follow-up period was almost three times as large as for the boys who never bullied. Being a victim of bullying was not associated with an increased risk of committing violent offences.
The study considered the background factors of socioeconomic status and possible childhood psychopathology. The association between bullying and violent offences remained even when the data were controlled for parental education level, family structure and possible child psychopathology. The results were also not impacted by the bully’s possible other bullying experiences, such as being a victim of bullying.
"Our study showed an association between bullying and violent offences both in men and women. These findings further confirm the previous notions that preventing bullying could possibly decrease violent offences," says Researcher Elina Tiiri from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku.
Research-based knowledge helps prevent issues
The study is part of a larger research project that aims to discover the connections between childhood psychosocial problems and mental health disorders, substance abuse issues, mortality, self-harming, criminality, life management, and marginalisation in adulthood.
"The research project produces knowledge that helps us develop services, early interventions, and prevention," says Professor of Child Psychiatry Andre Sourander from the University of Turku.
The research was based on extensive, nationwide epidemiological data collected in 1989 in Finland. At the time of the data collection, the participants were 8–9 years old. When the participants were 30–31 years old, the researchers extracted information about their violent offence suspicions from the Finnish National Police Register. The study was participated by 5,400 subjects.
The study is part of the research flagship and centre INVEST, which aims at providing Finland and other societies with a new model of welfare state that is more equal and economically, demographically and socially more sustainable. INVEST is a research flagship of the Academy of Finland and joint research centre of the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Newly identified genes may help protect crops against flooding, researchers say
IMAGE: (A) VENN DIAGRAM OF THE UPREGULATED GENES IN ARABIDOPSIS (UP_AT) AND RICE (UP_OS). THE OVERLAPPED GENES (40 GENES) ARE COMMONLY UPREGULATED GENES IN ARABIDOPSIS AND RICE. (B) VENN DIAGRAM OF THE DOWNREGULATED GENES IN ARABIDOPSIS (DN_AT) AND RICE (DN_OS). THE OVERLAPPED GENES (19 GENES) ARE COMMONLY DOWNREGULATED GENES IN ARABIDOPSIS AND RICE.view more
CREDIT: KEITA TAMURA, HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
Flooding is a global risk, according to the World Bank, with the lives and property of billions of people threatened. Even more people are at risk of starvation as a knock-on effect of floods: the waters can drown crops. Now, researchers are getting closer to identifying the molecular processes underlying how floods deprive plants of oxygen — and how to engineer hardier crops.
Through a meta-analysis, which involves re-analyzing data from other studies en masse, the team from Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life uncovered several common genes and their related mechanisms in rice (Oryza sativa) and thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana).
“Hypoxia is an abiotic stress for plants often caused by flooding,” said first author Keita Tamura, referring to the oxygen deprivation caused by oversaturation. “Although many studies have been performed previously, we thought hidden biological mechanisms might be found by analyzing multiple studies through a meta-analysis of publicly available data.”
The team focused on rice and thale cress since the genetics of both have been extensively studied, providing ample amounts of data. Rice is also considered one of the world’s most important crops, serving as a staple food for more than four billion people, according to the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, so understanding how to prevent a hypoxia response in the plant is critical, Tamura said.
The researchers identified 29 pairs of RNA-sequencing data for thale cress and 26 pairs for rice for the plants in both normal oxygen and oxygen-deprived states from the available datasets. RNA-sequencing involves transcribing the genetic blueprints of the subject in a specific moment, meaning the data can be used to investigate which genes triggered which changes, according to corresponding author Professor Hidemasa Bono.
“By analyzing RNA-sequencing data of hypoxia treatments in thale cress and rice, we identified 40 and 19 commonly upregulated and downregulated genes in both species,” Bono said. “Among them, some WRKY transcription factors and cinnamate-4-hydroxylase, whose role in hypoxia response remain unknown, were commonly upregulated in both thale cress and rice.”
According to Bono, this common upregulation means that these molecular machineries became more active under oxygen deprivation, indicating they have specific mechanistic responsibilities for how the plants respond.
Bono and Tamura compared their results to a similar meta-analysis of hypoxia in human cells and tissue samples. They found two of the commonly upregulated genes in rice and thale cress were downregulated in their human counterparts.
“Our meta-analysis suggests distinct molecular mechanisms under hypoxia in plants and animals,” Bono said. “The candidate genes identified in this study are expected to elucidate novel molecular mechanisms of hypoxia responses in plants. Ultimately, we plan to manipulate one of the candidate genes through genome editing technology to create flood-tolerant plants.”
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The Center of Innovation for Bio-Digital Transformation, the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s open platform to facilitate collaboration between industry and academia, funded this research.
About Hiroshima University
Since its foundation in 1949, Hiroshima University has striven to become one of the most prominent and comprehensive universities in Japan for the promotion and development of scholarship and education. Consisting of 12 schools for undergraduate level and 4 graduate schools, ranging from natural sciences to humanities and social sciences, the university has grown into one of the most distinguished comprehensive research universities in Japan. English website: https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en
IMAGE: A) THE NUMBER OF INSULAR WOODY SPECIES ACROSS ALL ISLANDS. B,C) PROPORTION OF INSULAR WOODY SPECIES OF THE TOTAL FLORA ON THE CANARY ISLANDS AND HAWAII. THE INLET PICTURES SHOW THREE ICONIC EXAMPLES OF INSULAR WOODINESS: ECHIUM VIRESCENS ON THE CANARIES (PICTURE F. LENS), ARGYROXIPHIUM SANDWICENSE, AND DUBAUTIA WAIALEALAE ON HAWAII (SILVERSWORDS, PICTURES BY SEANA WALSH AND KEN WOOD, COURTESY OF NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, HAWAII).view more
CREDIT: F. LENS AND SEANA WALSH AND KEN WOOD, COURTESY OF NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, HAWAII.
Why do some plants grow into large woody shrubs or colossal trees, while others remain small and never produce wood in their stems? It’s an evolutionary puzzle that already baffled Charles Darwin more than 160 year ago. Now, scientists from the Netherlands and Germany present the first global overview of woodiness evolution on islands, which will finally help solve the puzzle.
“The first woody trees evolved on Earth some 400 million years ago, but still we know so little about why they developed wood in the first place”, Frederic Lens tells, researcher at Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Leiden University. All these early woody trees are now extinct and originated in unknown climatic conditions, so it is impossible to understand the evolution of woodiness based on their fossils, but Islands may offer the solution.
The evolution of woodiness is still happening today, particularly in these areas that are known as natural laboratories of evolution: islands. One of the striking aspects of insular floras is that they are proportionally more woody than those of adjacent continents. Charles Darwin described this phenomenon as insular woodiness. It occurs when a non-woody continental coloniser reaches an island, and subsequently evolves into a woody shrub or even tree on the same island after tens or hundreds of thousands of years.
Insular woodiness is only known from a few iconic lineages, like the Hawaiian silverswords (Fig. 2). To better understand why plants became woody during evolutionary history, the Dutch-German research team compiled a new database comprising over a thousand insular woody species and their distribution (Fig. 2), which allowed them for the first time to rigorously test a number of existing hypotheses. And with promising results; “We identified a link between increased drought and increased wood formation in plant stems on islands. I am convinced that the link between drought and woodiness will be even much stronger on continents”, Lens tells. This is something the team wants to test soon when analysing their complete database, including also about 6000 additional woody species that evolved their woodiness on continents.
Hotspots
The researchers identified not only all insular woody species in the world, they also globally mapped their distribution and number of transitions (Fig. 3), and tested which of the evolutionary hypotheses are most likely. “It was really crazy to compile such a dataset in the first place”, Frederic Lens says. “It took me more than 10 years to finalise the database, but fortunately, it all paid off in the end”.
The new woodiness database found more than three times as many insular woody species known so far. These 1000+ species are the result of at least 175 independent transitions. “This clearly emphasises that islands are remarkable biodiversity hotspots in the world, with a unique flora that urgently needs protection”, first author Alexander Zizka, of University of Marburg in Germany, states. The extensive research also offers an interesting glimpse into the future. “With the dry European summer of 2022 in mind, the fact that drought pops up as one of most likely drivers of wood formation, offers promising research avenues in agriculture to help safeguard our food production,” Frederic Lens clarifies. “Suppose we would be able to turn every non-woody crop into a woody crop, we will not only have larger crops with a higher yield per plant, but more importantly, we will also be able to increase the drought tolerance of these woodier crops. In a world facing climate change and a growing global human population, this is simply essential.”
CAPTION
Minimum number of evolutionary shifts to insular woodiness and number of insular woody species on archipelagos worldwide. Only archipelagos with at least one evolutionary shift are shown for clarity. The * summarises multiple Southern Indian Ocean islands (Kerguelen, Crozet, Prince Edward Islands and Heard & MacDonald).
CREDIT
Kerguelen, Crozet, Prince Edward Islands and Heard & MacDonald
The leading researcher, Dr. Frederic Lens, can be reached at frederic.lens@naturalis.nl. General questions can go to the Naturalis press office: communicatie@naturalis.nl
Additional images can be found in this press kit. Credits are indicated in the file names.
Pregnancy is often thought of as a time of excitement and anticipation.
But for some pregnant and postpartum individuals, the normal physical changes that occur with pregnancy can increase the risk of body dissatisfaction.
Defined as a negative subjective view of one’s body size or shape, body dissatisfaction can increase the risk of postpartum depression and eating disorders, both of which can have long term health consequences for mother and child.
A research team led by Rachel Vanderkruik, PhD, MSc, recently conducted a survey to learn more about the prevalence of body dissatisfaction in pregnancy and postpartum; identify the factors that contribute to these feelings; and what type of intervention could help.
What the Survey Found
In a survey of 161 pregnant and postpartum individuals between the ages of 18 and 45, 50% of respondents reported feelings of body dissatisfaction.
Over 40% of respondents said being pregnant or having a baby had made them self-conscious about their appearance. “It’s been really hard. I like to be thin. I have no control over my body gaining weight. It has caused anxiety and depression,” one respondent wrote.
More than 60% of respondents believed they should be thin or thinner than their current size, and over half said comments from others about their body or size had an impact on their body image.
Respondents said the downsides of pursuing an ideal body image included poor mental health, disordered eating and exercise habits, lost time and money, and negative self-talk.
Not all respondents reported negative feelings about their bodies, however. Some said pregnancy and childbirth led to a greater appreciation for what their bodies were capable of and helped them focus more on their own health and nutrition.
“During pregnancy I started to accept my appearance more and learn to appreciate my body for what it could do, not just how it could look,” said one respondent.
When it comes to possible solutions, 82% of respondents said they’d be interested in a program that focused on body acceptance during pregnancy and postpartum. Most would prefer the interventions to be virtual, facilitated by professionals and conducted in a group setting.
“I would like to speak with other women about how to be healthy postpartum but also [how to be] accepting of the body changes and how we will not look like we used to pre-pregnancy.”
Next Steps and Future Research
There is currently a lack of intervention programs specifically targeted to pregnant and postpartum individuals, Vanderkruik says.
However there are existing evidence-based programs for body acceptance, such as The Body Project, that could be adapted to address the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum individuals.
Another existing intervention, Project Health, could be adapted to address the issue of excessive gestational weight in a way that is also sensitive to feelings of body dissatisfaction.
Notably, nearly half of survey respondents reported pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obese categories.
While weight gain is normal during pregnancy, being overweight or obese pre-pregnancy or gaining excess weight while pregnant can also increase health risks for mother and baby.
“There’s a tension—we want to prevent any body-shaming or unrealistic expectations about returning to a certain body shape or size shortly after delivering,” Vanderkruik explains. “At the same time, we want to support healthy behaviors and a healthy lifestyle, too.”
More research will be needed to address the limitations of the survey and further detangle the complex relationship between weight, body image and healthy behaviors in pregnancy and postpartum.
“We would need to do more research on these issues; there were limitations to our survey study, including that assessments participants’ BMI and mental health were self-reported, and that it was cross-sectional (it only captured data from one point in time),” Vanderkruik says.
“But judging by the response to the survey study, the issues of body image and eating seem to be something that many pregnant and postpartum individuals care about and are interested enough to take the time to complete the survey without compensation and provide thoughtful information.”
Vanderkruik, a Staff Psychologist and the Associate Director of Research and Cognitive Behavioral Sciences at the Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, has heard individual reports of body dissatisfaction from clients in her clinical practice.
With the survey, she wanted to gain a better sense of the scope of the problem and raise awareness of the challenges it creates.
“I think there can be some shame and discomfort talking about issues of body image in pregnancy and postpartum,” Vanderkruik says. “There is still a culture that emphasizes being so happy to be pregnant and such.”
“But women’s experience with their bodies changing is significant, and I think there is not always a lot of honest conversations about the impact of that.”
About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. The Mass General Research Institute was established to guide, support and promote this research enterprise. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
Some youth go all in to excel at a sport. But having a backup plan is a smart move. One day your athletic career will probably end, no matter how good you are. You’ll have done yourself a favour by acquiring an education as well.
“We looked at how ambitious young Norwegian footballers experience the pros and cons of combining school and sports,” says Stig Arve Sæther, an associate professor of sports science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Sociology and Political Science.
Regardless of the option, you pay a price. The school you choose if you want to do school and sports makes a difference, and finding one that is positively inclined toward combining them is key.
“Elite sports schools and other schools that enable students to combine education with sports offer a balance. The programmes are intended to provide success both in the sport of choice and in academic work, although some prioritize the former over the latter,” says Sæther.
Easier to integrate elite sports at special schools
The researchers from NTNU and the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) spoke with eight football players and five coaches from two schools with elite sports programmes and two regular secondary schools with a sports focus.
They then analysed the student-athletes’ responses to find out how the programmes at the elite sports schools and at public sport schools compared.
They found some differences.
“The elite sports programmes closely integrate school and sports clubs, and enable the coaches and athletes to plan and manage the total workload more easily. This arrangement can lead to better development in both areas,” says Sæther.
Students who attend the elite sports schools seem to have an easier schedule than those who go to public sport schools. But attending a sports-friendly regular school does not only have disadvantages.
More independence outside the special schools
“Athletes who attend the less structured, but still sports-friendly regular secondary programmes are more concerned about the total workload of this option. But they also have more responsibility for their own decision making,” says Sæther.
The different environments offer different advantages, risks and development opportunities for students who want to combine studies and sports at a high level.
The increased responsibility offers more self-determination for those who want it. At the same time, the risk of injury due to overtraining increases.
“Our results show how the different environments offer different advantages, risks and development opportunities for those who want to combine studies with sports at a high level,” says Sæther.
Admission linked to early achievements
The basis for admission to elite sport programmes is often linked to sporting achievements and club affiliation. The athletes' achievements at a relatively young age can thus affect the degree of support they receive in upper secondary school.
However, research shows that strong performance at a young age is not necessarily a good indicator of achievement at the senior level.
“This situation can quickly become an additional challenge. Certain athletes may receive less support compared to others, even though their difference in skill level, and the basis for programme admission, is not necessarily that great,” says Sæther.
Balancing sport and academic development: Perceptions of football players and coaches in two types of Norwegian school-based dual career development environments
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Gender-balanced teams produce more innovative, impactful scientific work, according to new research from MSU, Northwestern, Notre Dame and NYU
IMAGE: RESEARCH TEAMS WITH A BALANCE OF MEN AND WOMEN, LIKE THAT OF MSU PROFESSOR EVANGELYN ALOCILJA (SHOWN HERE — ALOCILJA IS IN THE FRONT LEFT OF THIS IMAGE), PERFORM MORE INNOVATIVE AND IMPACTFUL WORK, ACCORDING TO NEW WORK FROM MSU, NORTHWESTERN, NOTRE DAME AND NYUview more
CREDIT: CREDIT: DERRICK L. TURNER
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Scientists often need to ask hard questions to make the biggest difference, but that doesn’t mean simple ideas can’t also push the envelope.
Case in point: Research teams with a balanced number of men and women have had a significantly higher likelihood of producing more innovative and impactful work compared with their unbalanced counterparts.
That’s according to a study from researchers at Michigan State University, Northwestern University, New York University and the University of Notre Dame, published Aug. 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“This work quantifies the impact that diversity has on academic achievement,” said MSU Provost Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D., who is an author of the new report.
“The more diverse the environment, the better the outcome for those who fund the research and those in whose interest the work is done," Woodruff said.
“These are interesting and important findings, not only for recognizing the contributions of women in science — and women and men working together — but also for improving science,” said Brian Uzzi, the senior author of the study and the Richard L. Thomas Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
“Chances are, if we had more mixed-gender teams working on pressing issues, we'd have faster breakthroughs,” he said.
In addition to Woodruff and Uzzi, authors of the study include Tanya Y. Tian of New York University; Benjamin F. Jones of Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management; and Yang Yang, who was with the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems before joining the University of Notre Dame.
‘Diversity drives innovation’
In its study, the team evaluated millions of scientific papers published since the year 2000 in 45 different medical research subfields with an eye toward two key metrics: one was novelty, or the degree to which a paper combined existing ideas in innovative ways; the other was impact, measured by a paper’s total number of citations.
Using an algorithm to infer the gender of the authors from their names, the researchers also found the gender ratio of each paper’s authorship team. With their approach, the researchers said that an important limitation was that they could not account for nonbinary authors.
Taking that limitation and other variables into account, the researchers were still able to conclusively show that mixed-gender teams produced work that significantly surpassed the average in terms of novelty and impact.
Furthermore, teams that had an equal number of men and women — or close to it — had the highest likelihood of novel and impactful results. Gender-balanced teams with six or more members were nearly 10% more likely to publish novel work than the base rate, and almost 15% more likely to be among the most highly cited papers.
The conclusions held in all 45 medical subfields the team studied, and the strengths of mixed-gender teams were apparent whether teams were led by a man or a woman. Preliminary work published with the report also indicates that the team’s findings are generalizable across scientific disciplines beyond medicine.
Although these results are striking, Woodruff was not surprised by what she and her colleagues found. She has previously collaborated with Uzzi and other researchers on several projects involving gender and visibility in the sciences. They’ve shown, for instance, that certain grants are disproportionately smaller for women than men and that scientific prizes provide less money and prestige for women than men, she said.
“The ability to do these kinds of big data studies provides a prismatic view on the ways we understand success in the sciences and ways to work toward bigger impact,” Woodruff said. “We all believe that diversity increases impact, and this new paper proves that statement, here through the lens of gender and scientific productivity.”
MSU Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D., who earned his doctorate in biomedical sciences, echoed this sentiment.
“These findings support and expand what we know anecdotally about the value of diverse teams in search of answers to challenging questions both within and beyond the laboratory,” said Bennett, who is also a professor in the College of Human Medicine. “Diversity drives innovation and excellence in scientific research, and accelerates the pathway toward discovery.”
The team is the first to quantify the benefits of mixed-gender research teams in this way. Although the report does not delve into the reasons underlying the benefits, previous research offers insights.
Diverse teams “utilize innovative and nuanced approaches to problem-solving, often informed by personal experience and through an equity lens,” Bennett said. “Intentionality makes all the difference.”
Northwestern’s Uzzi said teams with an equal gender balance may achieve a “‘Goldilocks level’ of divergent thinking balanced by communication processes that promote listening to and building off of each other’s ideas.”
The team’s analysis does show that research teams have trended toward a more equal gender balance over the past two decades. Yet teams still usually have more men and fewer women than would be expected by putting together a team at random. That means there’s a fairly straightforward step that most research teams can take as they try to push their work to new levels of impact and innovation.
“Collaborating with more diversity in your team can lead to higher impact,” Woodruff said. “I encourage everyone, in all disciplines, to see how diversity is a key to academic success and excellence.”
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 165 years. One of the world's leading research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
Researchers from St. Edward’s University, University of Mississippi, and University of Texas at Austin published a new Journal of Marketing study that examines the relationship between female leadership and customer orientation and the resulting effect on firm financial performance.
When Mary Barra was appointed the first female CEO of General Motors in 2014, the company had recently declared bankruptcy, was under fire for an ignition-switch product recall that had led to customer deaths, and had seen a slowdown in U.S. sales due to changing consumer preferences. Investors, employees, and analysts debated if (and how) Barra could change GM’s strategic approach. One of Barra’s early moves was to hire a set of female leaders and get her team to focus on “incorporating the voice of the customer in everything we do.” GM codified customer orientation into its vision statement and made customer-centric decisions such as creating a foundation to compensate customers who suffered ignition switch problems and initiating a massive U.S. shift from sedans to more popular sport utility vehicles.
Barra’s strategic vision, and the subsequent change in the strategic and financial trajectory of the company, raises an important question: How do female executives influence the strategic orientation of the firm? Barra admitted she benefitted from the support and expertise of women such as Alicia Boler-Davis (EVP) and Dhivya Suryadevara (CFO) and it is vital to explore the collective influence of these women on the firm’s decisions. This topic is especially relevant in the current social context where there is a greater push for gender equality and laws requiring firms to have women on the board of directors.
In this new study, the researchers examine 389 Fortune 500 firms over six years and find that female executives are likely to focus on customer relationships to a greater degree than their male counterparts and thus encourage more customer-oriented discussions in the C-suite. Consequently, the entire team is more likely to make strategic choices that reflect a growing focus on customers, which in turn accounts for more than half of the positive link between female influence in the C-suite and long-term financial performance.
However, the findings are not uniform across all firms. The relationship between female leadership and customer orientation is reduced by 17% in industries characterized by unpredictable customer preferences, fast-paced technological changes, and strong competitive forces and is reduced by 25% in firms with a high degree of ownership by the founding family. The effect of female leadership on customer orientation is increased by 137% in industries where the C-suite has a high degree of control over firm strategy, is increased by 80% for firms with high female representation on the board, and is increased by 89% for firms with marketing-experienced directors on the board.
As Srivastava explains, “In effect, companies that operate in relatively stable environments, are not family-owned, have female and marketing-experienced board members, and whose executives have more latitude to decide firm strategy are best suited to unlock the benefits of female leadership. The relatively unregulated nature of their industries offers strategic and tactical freedom. Thus, the inclusion of female executives may provide a ‘turnaround’ strategy for these firms, helping them instill and benefit from a greater customer orientation.”
Earlier studies posit that female executives engage in reduced risk-taking across a variety of business contexts, creating the impression that female executives are conservative and risk-averse in all areas. Kashmiri says that “Managers should reject this stereotype and consider that customer orientation may actually result in female executives pursuing riskier strategies in some situations in order to satisfy customers.”
“CEOs and boards should consider if their organizations could benefit from a greater gender balance in the C-suite to facilitate customer orientation, thus leading to greater shareholder value. Even if there are only a few female executives on the top management team, companies can strengthen the relationship between these female executives and customer orientation by adding female directors and marketing-experienced board members to support customer-centric strategies,” says Mahajan. If members of the top management team are predominantly male, they can make conscious efforts to counteract the tendency to under-value customers.
A note of caution: Hiring more female executives will not always lead to superior financial returns. An entirely female top management team suffers from the same issues of gender imbalance – more homogenous perspectives and groupthink– as an entirely male top management team. CEOs must find the gender balance in their top management teams that facilitates an appropriate strategic orientation for their firms.
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