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Friday, February 14, 2014
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CITY
SYSTEM
CapMetro bus injures pedestrian By Julia Brouillette @juliakbrou
A Capitol Metro bus struck a pedestrian near campus Wednesday. The bus was preparing to make a protected left turn onto Martin Luther King Boulevard when one of the
bus’ side mirrors hit a man crossing the intersection, according to CapMetro spokesman John Julitz. Julitz said the man was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge with non-life threatening head injuries, and is now in stable condition.
None of the 21 passengers aboard the bus reported any injuries and there were no other pedestrians involved, according to Julitz. Because the bus driver had a green arrow, she was not cited for the incident. Julitz said whenever there is an accident involving a CapMetro
bus, the bus driver is tested for drug and alcohol use. “We don’t anticipate there being any situation where that is a factor, but we do run tests every time,” Julitz said. According to Julitz, CapMetro will also review the incident to make sure the
Lawyer to receive large payment for Hall inquiry
driver could not have prevented the collision. “We’ll take a look at this incident and see if there was anything that our driver could have done differently to make this preventable or if there is anything that we need to do from a training perspective,” Julitz said.
By Madlin Mekelburg @madlinbmek
On Feb. 6, the State of Texas authorized the payment of $157,803 to Rusty Hardin — general counsel for the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations — for his work in the committee’s investigation into the actions of UT System Regent Wallace Hall, according to invoices provided from the Texas Legislative Council. Hardin originally billed the state $163,302 for his work from August to October of last year, but the state contested certain charges, including several for “air flight insurance,” marked at just more than $20. Hardin originally billed $508 for dinner at an Italian restaurant, but later requested to cancel the charge. The House Committee is trying to determine whether Hall overstepped his duties as a regent after he filed open record requests with the University for more than 800,000 pages of information. Some state legislators have accused him of conducting a “witchhunt” against President William Powers Jr. At one committee hearing in November, UT System lawyers testified
CITY
Report: Gentrification is a good thing By Alyssa Mahoney @TheAlyssaM
As affordable housing continues to be an issue for University students and the city considers banning “stealth dorms,” which would further limit available housing options, a recent study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland suggests Austin may actually benefit from gentrification. Gentrification is the process in which neighborhoods rise in property value, reducing housing affordability for current neighborhood residents. “Stealth dorms,” singlefamily residences that house multiple unrelated adults, are currently being examined by the Austin City Council. In the study, research economist Daniel Hartley
EAST page 2
bit.ly/dtvid
Jonathan Garza / Daily Texan Staff
Gentrification is occurring throughout the East Austin area, leaving neighborhoods with a mixture of modern homes alongside smaller, older homes.
HARDIN page 2
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
CAMPUS
Evolutionary clues exist in dinosaur coloration
Study shows genetics influence diet
By Justin Atkinson @jusatk
Research involving the pigmentation of dinosaurs has led researchers at UT to link prehistoric evolution to color. Julia Clarke, an associate professor in the Jackson School of Geosciences, collaborated with a research team spanning across seven universities to study similarities between living organisms and extinct animals, and found that evolutionary shifts followed changes in the species’ color. “I’m excited,” Clarke said. “When we started this work we never imagined that trying to figure out aspects of color would lead us to potentially learn something new about dinosaur physiology.” The research compares the hair, skin and feathers of living terrestrial vertebrates and fossil specimens to find relations in levels of melanin, the pigmented tissue within organisms that determines color, and melanosomes, the
organelles that hold melanin. “Living mammals and birds uniquely show a relationship between the shape of melanosomes and their color — it’s what colors our hair,” Clarke said. “Genes that are involved in melaninbased color are also involved in many other aspects of physiology, like food intake and aspects of reproduction.” Anthropology professor John Kappelman said the study, which was published in scientific journal “Nature” on Thursday, is expanding the scientific community’s ability to classify the physical characteristics of dinosaurs. “These results are really exciting because it gives paleontologists one more tool that can be used to study the physiology of extinct species and reconstruct their color,” Kappelman said. “So, unfortunately, Tyrannosaurus rex — while a very colorful character — probably did not have vibrant colors.” Additionally, the
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By Leila Ruiz @leilakristi
Amid boxes of free pizza, nutritional science professor Molly Bray said some genes increase people’s inclination to be overweight by either giving greater satisfaction after eating or by suppressing the hormones that subdue appetite. Bray — an expert on the genetics of obesity — presented her research on the biology behind resisting food temptations and maintaining fitness goals. “Do people lose weights on [fad] diets?” Bray said. “They absolutely do … But there is a limit to wanting to eat like that.” While Bray said trendy diets — such as the Atkins or fruitarian diets — provide the quick results people generally look for, she said the diets are largely unmaintainable and unhealthy because of the body’s decreased craving for repeated food items over time. Bray said people often overlook the biology behind their pizza and bacon crav-
Daulton Venglar / Daily Texan Staff
At the Perry Castaneda Library on Thursday afternoon, nutritional science professor Molly Bray lectures about dieting. .
ings and assume everything is willpower-based. Food can affect a person’s size, but Bray said genetics drive how your body responds to what you eat. According to Bray, genetics affect the body’s production of leptin — a hormone that regulates appetite by telling the brain you’re satiated. Lindsay Wilson, a
registered dietitian within the Division of Housing and Food Service said, while she can’t control what students choose to eat, DHFS does its best to ensure that healthy options are readily available. Greek-yogurt-ser ving bars are available in J2 and Kinsolving Dining, hummus is available at all dining halls and DHFS made a
whole-wheat option for breakfast tacos available at the beginning of the spring semester. While eating well may encourage good health, Bray said exercise is also a necessary component for a fit lifestyle. Bray is also the head of Training Interventions and
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