Cheater, cheater…

¢ C. Daniel Batson, a KU psychologist, is quoted in this Washington Post story about cheating, tied to a rash of doping scandals._But people who do the wrong thing are fully aware of what they have done, right? Not always.__”We have a whole quiver full of rationalizations,” said C. Daniel Batson, a psychologist at the University of Kansas who has closely studied cheating._¢ A scientific paper that said a group of bones found in Indonesia were not, in fact, a separate species is garnering attention around the world. The paper, which involves KU professor David Frayer, was featured in today’s Journal-World, but Frayer also was mentioned in such publications as the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Here’s an excerpt from the Times article:_In their new report, the critics emphasized the facial asymmetry of the single skull specimen, known as LB1. A team member, David W. Frayer of the University of Kansas, composed split photographs of LB1’s face, combining two left or two right sides as composite faces. The dissimilarities between the original face and the two left or right composites were striking, he said._¢ Want the scoop on those annoying bugs that make racket in the trees? Retired KU professor George Byers is quoted in this Kansas City Star story about cicadas, locusts and grasshoppers._”I suspect the problem is the noise-making,” said George Byers, professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Kansas. “Grasshoppers, or really locusts, make noise and cicadas make noise. I think people just don’t make the distinction.”_¢ Also in the creepy-crawly category…Sam James of the KU Biodversity Research Center is quoted in this Earth & Sky report on how long earthworms live._(James) told us that a worm’s lifespan can vary depending on what kind of worm it is. Common night crawlers live from three to five years. But there are about 4,000 known species of earthworms._¢ KU football player Eric Butler’s fight with the NCAA over his eligibility is getting national media play. Here’s one Associated Press story posted on the Denver ABC-TV affiliate’s Web site._”I just feel that since I took time off, the same as a woman would, to take care of my family, I should be afforded an extra year of eligibility, just like a woman would be,” Butler said. “The obvious point is (that) I did make some decisions, and because of it some opportunities have been taken away from me; whereas had it been another person, they may not have been.”_¢ Former KU basketball recruit CJ Henry, now a baseball prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies system, is featured in this story in the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press._Henry had committed to play basketball at the University of Kansas before the Yankees made him their first-round pick and paid him $1.5 million in bonus money. “Basketball is in our blood,” said Henry, a three-time Oklahoma Class 6-A all-state combo guard who averaged 22 points as a senior._¢ A KU student has been crowned Miss Augusta 2007. Erin Harveth is a 21-year-old student from Tulsa, Okla._Harveth is also the reigning Miss Kansas River Valley. She is studying Theatre & Film at KU and plans to pursue a career in the performing arts._