Latest news with #UniversityOfUtah
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Psychic correctly predicted a missing student's body lay in hills just six miles from his dorm for 50 YEARS before a chance discovery
The mystery of a student who disappeared from his university dorm without a trace has been solved more than 51 years later. Douglas Brick, 23, walked out of his dorm at the University of Utah on October 12, 1973, and was mysteriously never seen again. Police searched the vast expanse near the university, but with little information about where he went, he was never found and the case went cold. In the absence of evidence, speculation spawned wild theories over the next five decades, the most basic being he disappeared in the foothills behind the campus. Others claimed Brick dropped out of school and hitched a ride to Ogden to start a new life, or that he had fled the country. He was depressed, and possibly suicidal at the time. The whole time, his body was lying in the hills just six miles from the dorm building, overlooking the campus. Brick graduated from Pocatello High School as a top student in 1968 and was studying physics when he went missing. He was a National Merit Letter commendation winner and a member of the Boys Council, Key Club and German Club. With the case cold, life moved on for Brick's family and friends. His father, a pharmacist and naval World War II veteran, died in 1964 from congenital kidney disease, and his mother, Donna, never remarried. The last time his Donna saw her son was in September 1971, when he packed up his car and headed off to start his fourth year at Utah University. She described him as sweet and kind in her journal, but her writings also revealed one of the several bizarre coincidences in the case. In 1990, when his family held a memorial for him, she wrote of a chance encounter with a store clear at a department store in Salt Lake City. The clerk claimed to be a psychic, and Donna asked her, 'Maybe you can tell me what happened to my son.' They described details eerily similar to where Brick's body was eventually found, near the summit of Black Mountain above the university. Brick, the clerk claimed, went into the foothills to take his own life, but instead slipped in the dark and fell to his death. 'He really wants you to find him, they said. University of Utah Police detective Jon Dial said the details 'stuck out' to him. 'The terrain I was traversing as part of the search, it is extremely steep and loose on both sides, and I was having a hard time in the daylight keeping my footing under me and figuring out where I was going,' he said. Donna died in May 2010, and her son wasn't mention in her obituary - they didn't know whether to say he was alive or dead. Another coincidence occurred when the case was reopened in 2022, after the university's crime data analyst, Nikol Mitchell, uncovered the forgotten case. Major Heather Sturzenegger agreed to reopen it, but discovered the files had been lost over the years and they had very little to go on. All they knew was he lived in Austin Hall, which by then had been demolished, but not who he knew, who his roommate was, who reported him missing, or where police searched at the time. Sturzenegger and Dial located Brick's sister and took DNA, which produced no database matches, and an old girlfriend, but were still nowhere. Then in December 2022, Sturzenegger was making small talk with her daughter's new doctor, Steven Warren, about what she was working on. 'That's strange, when I was a student at Utah University in 1973, my roommate went missing,' Warren said. Warren, it turned out, was the one who reported Brick missing, called his family, found his abandoned car - and knew where police searched for him. 'I can still picture him in his glasses, going to class with his hard-cased briefcase,' Warren said after his long-lost roommate's body was found. 'I can still see all of his belongings in the back seat of his car - I never forgot one thing about it.' Then, last October, hunters stumbled upon two weathered and worn fragments of a human skull in the hills, which made the local news. Sturzenegger wondered, could this be Brick? Five months after the bones were sent for testing, their DNA matched Brick' sister. 'When I got the report, I lost my breath. My heart was pounding. I was shaking. I was thinking, am I reading this right? Is this him?' she said. She and Dial flew to California, where Brick's remaining family lived, to break the news. 'We never stopped hoping for answers about Doug's disappearance,' the family said in a statement. 'Many years ago, we pushed for the cold case to be reopened with the addition of DNA evidence. We are relieved to finally have some answers. After 52 years, this result, while sad, is nothing short of a miracle. 'We thank the hunter who found him six months ago and reported it immediately, Detective Jon Dial and Major Heather Sturzenegger, search and rescue volunteers, and all the individuals and agencies that were involved in this case.' Though his body has finally been found, many of the details of his last moments may never be known, but the university plans to keep searching the hills for clues. 'I felt a very personal connection to Douglas throughout this investigation,' Dial said. 'In a way, it's hard to explain. There was a push and a connection that I felt was from Douglas to this case specifically, in moving it along and being persistent. 'I have felt very strongly that I will always have Douglas in the back of my mind, and his family.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Wayfinding Week activities aim to connect Pacific Islanders with their seafaring roots
Pacific Islanders of yore developed elaborate navigational techniques centered on nature, and a week of activities aims to tap into that tradition to connect Pacific Islanders now in Utah with their seafaring roots. Wayfinding Week, the first event of its type in Utah, launched Friday with a presentation on an oral history project focused on Utah's Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. It continues with several events through May 30 that tap into the navigational traditions of Pacific Islander communities and apply the knowledge to modern-day life. Living 'so far inland, we often feel separated from the ocean where our ancestors, language, culture and identities came from,' said Jake Fitisemanu, now living in West Valley City but born in New Zealand and raised in Hawaii. 'A lot of this knowledge is ancient but also so relevant and practical in our modern, urban lives today.' The Samoana Integrated Learning Initiative, founded by Fitisemanu — also a member of the Utah House of Representatives — is the main organizer of Wayfinding Week. It's also sponsored by the University of Utah's Center for Pasifika Indigenous Knowledges, the Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition and other organizations. Next week, varied speakers will offer historical, metaphorical and personal presentations centered on the seafaring traditions of Pacific Islanders, though speakers will also touch on ecological matters. 'Wayfinding is a central core of Pacific Islander cultures reflected today in our languages, proverbs, customs and practices, and even how our families and community organizations are structured,' said Laneta Fitisemanu, Jacob Fitisemanu's sister and another event organizer. The ocean 'connects all of us across the Pacific, and even for those of us born and living in the diaspora, that connection still holds us together and ties us to where we come from.' Pacific Island navigational techniques 'are rooted in stars, winds, ocean currents and ancestral knowledge,' according to a press release for the event, and presenters from Hawaii, Samoa and New Zealand will offer lessons about the traditions. The keynote speaker at a presentation on Tuesday, May 27, 'Voyaging by Land and Sea: Utah Roots and Oceanic Roots,' will be Fani Bruun, captain of Gaualofa, a traditional Samoan ocean voyaging canoe. 'Drawing from her experiences voyaging across Pasifika and beyond, she explores how wayfinding teaches us to live in balance with the ocean and land, reminding us that caring for the earth is inseparable from honoring who we are,' reads a synopsis of the event. Celeste Manuia Haʻo, an educator from Hilo, Hawaii, will offer a talk on Wednesday, May 28, blending 'wayfinding, cultural revitalization and the sacred responsibilities of a taupou living in diaspora into a powerful story of return, resilience and renewal.' A taupou is a type of ceremonial hostess in Samoan culture. An event Thursday, May 29, at Clark Planetarium will feature the Samoan 'star compass' while a storytelling event is set for Friday, May 30. Traditional wayfinding went through a period of decline with the advent of western navigational technology, said Laneta Fitisemanu. But it's now going through a period of revival, in part as a means of asserting the Pacific Islander identity and reconnecting Pacific Islanders living outside the region with traditional culture. Events like Wayfinding Week 'remind them that our people were scientists, mathematicians and engineers and that they, too, can pursue these fields where we still need more representation,' she said. Organizers 'want more islander families in Utah to have similar experiences of reconnecting with the oceanic core of who we are.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist flown to hospital with critical injuries after Kaysville crash
KAYSVILLE, Utah () — A motorcyclist was flown to the hospital with critical injuries after a Saturday evening crash, according to officials. Officers responded to the motorcycle crash near 1050 E and Ward Road in Kaysville, Utah, around 6:20 p.m. on May 10. 'A citizen had reported a motorcyclist lying in a grassy area off the shoulder of the road with apparent head injuries,' the Kaysville Police Department said Sunday. The motorcyclist was flown to the University of Utah Medical Center because of the severity of his injuries. As of Sunday, officials said he was still in critical condition in the hospital. Kaysville PD said the crash is under investigation and additional details will be released when they're available. There is no further information at this time. Motorcyclist flown to hospital with critical injuries after Kaysville crash Birthright citizenship debate erupts as Supreme Court arguments near If you see this line on your fingernail, see your doctor immediately: experts Video shows Pope Leo at White Sox World Series game 10-year-old found hours away with man she met on Roblox: court docs Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
07-05-2025
- Science
- CNN
How South Korea's legendary female free divers evolved for a life underwater
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more . CNN — An island 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula is home to a unique and celebrated community of women: the Haenyeo. These women dive year-round off Jeju Island, collecting sea urchin, abalone and other seafood from the ocean floor, descending as much as 60 feet (18 meters) beneath the surface multiple times over the course of four to five hours each day. They dive throughout pregnancy and well into old age, without the help of any breathing equipment — just a wet suit. 'For thousands of years, we think, they've been doing this incredible, matrilineal thing, where they learn from the mother how to dive at a very young age. They go out in these collectives, and that's what they do. They dive,' said Melissa Ann Ilardo, a geneticist and assistant professor in biomedical informatics at the University of Utah. 'They're spending really an extraordinary percentage of their time underwater.' Ilardo, along with colleagues in South Korea, Denmark and the United States, wanted to understand how the women manage this incredible physical feat. Specifically, the researchers wondered whether the divers have unique DNA that allows them to go without oxygen for so long or if that ability is the result of a lifetime of training — or a combination of the two. The findings of their investigation, published in the scientific journal Cell Reports on May 2, uncovered unique genetic differences the Haenyeo have evolved to cope with the physiological stress of free diving. It's a discovery that could one day lead to better treatments for blood pressure disorders, researchers say. 'It's a beautiful island, like sometimes they call it the Hawaii of Korea. There's this coastline everywhere that's rich with great resources, so you can imagine any population living in a place like that of course you would want to take advantage of it,' Ilardo said. Diving has been part of Jeju culture for many years. It's unclear at what point it became a women-only activity, but theories include a tax on male divers or a shortage of men, Ilardo said. Still, diving is so integral to Jeju's population that the shortening of words characteristic of the Jeju language is attributed to the need for divers to communicate quickly, according to the new study. However, the practice is dying out. Young women are no longer continuing this matrilineal tradition; the current group of Haenyeo divers, with an average age of around 70 years, may represent the last generation, the researchers noted in the study. For their research, Ilardo and her colleagues recruited 30 Haenyeo divers, 30 non-diving women from Jeju and 31 women from the South Korean mainland. The average age of the participants was 65. The researchers compared participants' heart rates, blood pressure and spleen sizes and sequenced their genomes — a detailed genetic blueprint — from blood samples. The study's biggest challenge was safely replicating the physical stress of being underwater for relatively long periods for participants with no diving experience, Ilardo noted. The researchers solved this problem by conducting simulated dives, during which participants held their breath while submerging their faces in cold water. 'We would have loved to collect these measurements from everyone in the open ocean, but obviously you can't ask 65-(year-old), 67-year-old women who have never dived before in their lives to hop in the water and hold their breath and dive,' Ilardo said. 'Fortunately, if you hold your breath and put your face in a bowl full of cold water, your body responds as if you're diving. And that's because the nerve that stimulates the mammalian dive reflex goes through your face,' she said. When you feel the cold water combined with the breath hold, 'your body says, 'oh I'm diving': So your heart rate slows down, your blood pressure increases and your spleen contracts,' she added. The team's analysis revealed that the participants from Jeju — both divers and non-divers — were more than four times more likely than mainland Koreans to have a genetic variant associated with lower blood pressure. 'Your blood pressure increases as you dive. Their (Jeju residents') blood pressure increases less,' Ilardo explained. The researchers believe the trait may possibly have evolved to keep unborn children safe because the Haenyeo dive throughout pregnancy, when high blood pressure can be dangerous. The team also found that the Jeju participants were more likely to have a genetic variation previous research has linked to cold and pain tolerance. However, the researchers did not measure the participants' ability to withstand low temperatures, so they can't say for sure whether the variant may be important for the Haenyeo's ability to dive year-round. 'Throughout winter they're diving when it's snowing, and up until the 1980s, they were doing that in cotton with no protection at all. There's a lot more that we need to explore and find the answers to,' Ilardo said. The Haenyeo's diving prowess didn't come down to genetics alone. The study also found that the female divers had a slower heart rate than non-divers during the tests — a factor that would help them to conserve oxygen during a dive. 'It was quite dramatic. Actually, their heart rate dropped about 50% more over the course of the dive than the control (participants). We know that it's because of training, because it's something that we only saw in the Haenyeo,' Ilardo said. Ilardo's previous work involving free diving communities known as the Bajau in Sulawesi, Indonesia, had revealed genetic adaptations that allowed the Bajau to go for longer periods without oxygen, resulting in unusually large spleens. However, while Jeju residents did, on average, have a larger spleen than the study participants from mainland South Korea, the effect wasn't significant when other factors like age, height and weight were accounted for, she said. The genetic variant that the study identified in the Jeju residents associated with lower blood pressure should be explored further, according to Ben Trumble, an associate professor at Arizona State University's School of Human Evolution and Social Change. 'Those with this gene had more than a 10% reduction in blood pressure compared to those who don't have this gene, that's a pretty impressive effect,' said Trumble, who wasn't involved in the study. 'Genes code for proteins, and if we can figure out which changes in proteins impact blood pressure, we could potentially create new drugs,' Nearly all medical and genetic studies are conducted in industrialized populations, usually in urban city centers, making Ilardo's approach particularly valuable, Trumble added. 'Almost everything we know about what is 'normal' when it comes to health is from these sedentary urban populations. However, for 99.9% of human history, we were hunter-gatherers,' he said. 'Natural selection optimized our bodies under very different selective pressures than those we face today.' Ilardo said she hopes to continue to study Jeju's female divers and get a deeper understanding of the medical implications. 'This study raises more questions than it answers, but first and foremost, it shows these women are extraordinary,' she said. 'There's something biologically different about them that makes them extremely special, no matter how you characterize it, and what they do is unique and worth celebrating.'
