Experts available: Tariff confusion, political violence, Easter symbols, true crime popularity, World Quantum Day, and more
The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews this week surrounding issues in the news. To schedule an interview, please contact mediarelations@vt.edu.
Virginia Tech experts available to discuss headlines in the news
Market chaos amid Trump tariffs
After a turbulent week, the markets opened up on Monday amid news that some key electronics might not be impacted by President Trump’s tariff plans. With the financial markets whipsawing back and forth amid tariff news, Virginia Tech economic expert David Bieri is available this week to discuss what’s happening now and the future of the markets, while political science expert Karen Hult is available to discuss the political implications.
Governor’s house set ablaze, more plots against President
A man broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and set fire to it over the weekend, while Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were asleep inside. News also broke about a man in Pennsylvania and a 17-year-old in Wisconsin plotting attempts against President Trump. As political violence continues to rise, expert in online hate James Hawdon says “the recent increase in political violence is very likely the result of growing political polarization in recent years.” He says this leads to a “lethal partisanship,” in which “those on opposing sides rationalize harming their opponents, feel less restrained about harming their opponents, and feel less sympathy when their opponents are harmed or killed.”
How did a bunny and colored eggs become Easter symbols?
Easter wouldn’t be Easter without a bunny, egg hunts, and festive baskets. Alongside the religious significance of Easter, the story behind the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs involves a mix of pagan rituals, Christian traditions, and 19th-century European folklore. Candace Buckner, assistant professor of religion and culture at Virginia Tech, shares more about the history behind these modern symbols of Easter. More here.
What makes true crime stories so massively popular?
Fans of the genre known as “true crime” have no shortage of books, television shows, and movies to choose from. Virginia Tech English Department instructor Ingrid Johnson offers insights into why true crime grips the popular imagination. “People have been ‘addicted’ to true crime for a very long time, mostly consuming the genre through newspaper reports and serializations,” she says. “Jack the Ripper gripped London society — and the world — in the late 19th century. In the United States, Lizzie Borden’s trial created a media frenzy in 1892.” Read more here.
World Quantum Day: What in the world is quantum?
The concept of quantum is popping up everywhere these days, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to "Everything Everywhere All at Once." But what exactly does quantum mean? And what impact will it have in our multiverse? For World Quantum Day on April 14, and in celebration of the United Nations designating 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Virginia Tech quantum experts Sophia Economou, Charles Cao, and Wayne Scales share what quantum computers can do now, what they’re poised to do in the future, and why this cutting-edge research matters. More here.
Podcast: Ultra-processed foods and dopamine
Alex DiFeliceantonio joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the impact of ultra-processed foods on health, the NOVA classification system for food, and the role of dopamine in food choices. She highlighted the prevalence of ultra-processed foods in the American diet, their association with various health issues, and the challenges of navigating food choices in a highly processed environment. She also emphasized the need for a balanced approach to diet, recognizing the difficulties in reducing ultra-processed food intake while maintaining convenience and accessibility.
About DiFeliceantonio
DiFeliceantonio is an assistant professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and interim co-director of its Center for Health Behaviors Research. She holds an appointment with Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. DiFeliceantonio is a neuroscientist who studies how the brain integrates peripheral signals to guide food selection and eating behaviors. Using multimodal brain imaging and metabolic measures, her laboratory in Roanoke, Virginia studies food motivation to ask new questions about diet, food choice, and addiction.
Research
Deadly rodent-borne hantavirus is an emerging disease with pandemic potential
Hantavirus recently made news headlines as the cause of death for Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, but little is commonly known about it other than its connection to rodents.
Virginia Tech researchers have gained a better understanding of this insidious virus by studying its rodent hosts in North America. Using National Science Foundation data, they found three hotspots of hantavirus circulation in wildlife – Virginia, Colorado, and Texas – and identified 15 rodent species as carriers, including six species that had not previously been identified as hosts of the virus. The details of their study was published in Ecosphere.
“This project is timely because hantavirus is considered an emerging disease of pandemic potential with symptoms that resemble severe COVID-19 infections,” said Paanwaris Paansri, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and co-author of the study. More here.