Sharing Your Science
Sharing Your Science Table of Contents
Can coal ash be a source of rare earth metals?
Is wind energy feasible in Kentucky?
Tracking long term barn owl populations in KY
Bad News for Cockroach Haters
By: Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Intern, Summer 2025
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is one of the most successful pests around. Due to their high reproduction rate and tendency to remain well hidden, they can infest almost any house or building within a few months.
Cockroaches are considered particularly important structural pests because they are a risk to human health, introducing allergens that can trigger asthma attacks. They can also contaminate food, counters, dishes, and cookware with harmful germs.
Unfortunately, cockroaches have an ally: evolution. Individual cockroaches have minute genetic differences, some of which may make them less sensitive to insecticides. These differences can provide an extra edge when exposed to insecticide, improving survival and the likelihood they will pass these traits on.
Johnalyn Gordon, Sudip Gaire, and Zachary DeVries, from the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky, collaborated with scientists from Auburn University to investigate the resistance of German cockroaches to household spray insecticides. Their results were published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.
The scientists included four populations of German cockroaches, including ones collected in Lexington in 2021 whose ancestors were previously exposed to household insecticides, evidenced by their high levels of resistance to the insecticide used in most household sprays - pyrethroids. They also compared these home-collected populations to a laboratory population, which has been in colony for 80+ years, which means it uniquely has not been exposed to modern insecticides. Four common household spray insecticides were studied under direct spray and contact with dried insecticide residues (30-minute of limited exposure and 24-hour of continuous exposure).
Gordon and her colleagues reported that, while direct spraying caused the greatest mortality for most of the cockroach populations tested (as would be expected), even direct spray caused low mortality in the resistant Lexington cockroaches for several of the household spray products. While effective, it would be nearly impossible to find and directly spray every cockroach in a home.
To eliminate an infestation, limited exposure residual efficacy is critical because this is the only route most cockroaches will ever be exposed to insecticides. For Lexington cockroaches who walked on dried insecticide for 30 minutes before being transferred to a clean container, the mortality after a day did not exceed about 20%, regardless of the product. For both the lab and home-collected cockroach populations, survival rates increased when insecticide was applied to porous surfaces, like painted drywall. Even under a best-case scenario for product residues to be effective where the Lexington cockroaches were forced into contact with dried insecticides, the scientists reported a statistical analysis that suggested that at least 8 to 24 hours of continuous exposure was needed to achieve 100% mortality.
Based on the results, Gordon and her colleagues concluded that cockroach mortality “substantially decreases for all products when applied as residual contact insecticides,” particularly on porous surfaces. This is a problem because it’s very unlikely people will be able to successfully control cockroaches in their homes using these products alone. As a result, they may resort to using even more insecticide, increasing their risk of pesticide exposure. Exposure to pyrethroid pesticides has been shown to cause skin irritation, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, prenatal and infant neurodevelopmental issues, and hearing loss in minors.
As alternatives, the researchers recommend consumer bait products or professional pest control services. The scientists acknowledge that “the high price of professional pest control is just one of many barriers to effective pest control in low-income housing.”
Are You Cancer Literate?
By: Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Intern, Summer 2025
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer occurs when abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply uncontrollably. These rogue cells do not respond to the body's signals to stop growing or to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis.
Instead, they trick the immune system into thinking they are A-OK and the blood vessels into providing fresh blood to keep malignant cells alive. Through these vessels, some cells may metastasize, that is, reach other parts of the body, settle, and continue their unruly reproduction.
Early detection is essential to identify the type of cancer a person may have and evaluate possible treatment options. However, one major limitation for those who live in economically distressed regions of Kentucky is the shortage of healthcare options. In fact, in the U.S. eight of the ten counties with the lowest life expectancy are in Kentucky’s Appalachia, which creates cancer disparities.
One way in which people can challenge healthcare disparities, particularly for cancer, is to develop health awareness and literacy. Examples of this include recognizing early signs of cancer, following good healthcare behaviors, seeking preventative care and screenings, moderating the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, and challenging the social pressure females experience to fulfill mothering roles at the expense of their health.
To improve cancer literacy and health behaviors, healthcare professionals propose that young adolescents and college-age individuals should be targeted to receive information and resources to enhance their healthcare literacy. However, it is not known to what extent this group is aware of basic facts regarding cancer and what treatment options are available in their communities.
A team of scientists from Eastern Kentucky University (Jerry Derringer, Lisa Middleton) and the University of Kentucky (Nathan Vanderford and Lindsay Cormier) used a survey to measure the cancer literacy level of 139 college students and compare it by certain demographic and geographical factors. The survey included demographic questions, a female-focused cancer literacy test, and questions pertaining to cancer care access. Their findings were published in the Journal of American College Health.
The researchers concluded that the participants' cancer literacy was low. The total average score on the cancer literacy survey was about 67%, or 13.5 out of 20 points. Although Appalachian and non-Appalachian residents obtained similar scores, female participants and those majoring in nursing, biomedical sciences, biology, and veterinary science scored significantly better.
The survey also revealed that about 67% of respondents were not aware of free mobile mammography units in Kentucky. Regardless of gender, inadequate access to health services was reported significantly higher by Appalachian students compared to non-Appalachian ones.
Based on the findings, the researchers propose school districts consider adding cancer literacy lessons into school curricula. For instance, a successful pilot intervention to enhance cancer literacy among Kentucky middle and high school students has already been evaluated and reported in the literature. They would also like to expand their research to related health literacy topics, like human papillomavirus.
Preventing Muscle Atrophy
By: Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Intern, Summer 2025
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 25 years. You have probably noticed that news coverage shows the astronauts walking toward the launch pad but, upon their return, they are transported sitting on a stretcher. The reason is weightlessness; when the body does not have to deal with gravity, even after following a daily exercise routine, astronauts’ bones weaken, and muscles lose mass and strength.
You do not have to live in space for months to experience muscle atrophy. An extended hospitalization or an illness that makes someone bedridden will have similar effects on bones and muscles. A recent study reported that, for hospital patients physically inactive for just a week, muscle atrophy and weakness are measurable. After three weeks of muscle unloading (when muscles do not have to support the body), muscle atrophy and strength decrease by about 8% and 16%, respectively, requiring extensive and long-term physical rehabilitation.
Interestingly, certain types of rodents, frogs, bears, bats, and snakes spend months of physical inactivity during hibernation. According to the U.S. National Park Service, during the winter, food is scarce and it is very cold, so animals evolved a way of surviving these harsh conditions by reducing their metabolism, slowing down their heart rate, and lowering their body temperature. How do animals survive hibernation without significant muscle atrophy? Can we apply their survival trick to treat or prevent muscle atrophy in people confined to bed?
A group of scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Dr. Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden from the Department of Physical Therapy and the Center for Muscle Biology at the University of Kentucky examined changes in muscle physical and protein catabolic changes in juvenile arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii) through several time points of hibernation as compared to pre-hibernating animals. Their findings were published in the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
To perform the study, the squirrels were trapped in July and housed under temperature and light/dark conditions that simulated the summer. In late September, the temperature and light/dark conditions simulated winter, triggering the hibernation instinct. Muscle tissue was obtained at approximately 2, 6, 11, and 20 weeks after hibernation started, flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and analyzed.
The researchers found that muscle mass, fiber type and cross-sectional area, femur length, RNA concentration, and ribosomal RNA were statistically similar through hibernation time. They did find some differences in the expression of certain genes that kept protein biosynthesis just as if the squirrels were not hibernating. Preserving the biochemical 'status quo' attenuated atrophy, allowing the squirrels to move normally during and after hibernation.
Dupont-Versteegden and her colleagues remarked that “Interventions to preserve muscle mass and strength during atrophy-inducing periods are needed, but currently unavailable.” This means that there is not much that can be done to prevent muscle atrophy and weakness if a person is bedridden. By identifying the biochemical pathways that stop muscle atrophy in squirrels, the research team hopes to develop potential medications or treatments that will reduce post-hospitalization physical rehabilitation.
Can coal ash be a source of rare earth metals?
By: Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Intern, Summer 2025
Although renewable energy sources are becoming more common, the U.S. still substantially relies on fossil fuels for electricity production. After natural gas, coal is the second most common fuel type, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report.
One of the byproducts of coal burning is ash; burning ten tons of coal results in about one ton of ash. The EPA classifies this material by size as boiler slag (pellet size), bottom ash (coarse and too large to rise in a smokestack), and fly ash (very fine and powdery). Coal ash can be ‘recycled’ into soil additives and in the manufacturing of construction materials like wallboard, concrete, and bricks. Some of it, however, ends up in surface landfill-like dumps or in waterways.
Since coal originated from organic material and vegetation in peat swamps, whatever the plants absorbed from the soil or was deposited in the swamp via sedimentation remains in the coal. When burned, the carbon is converted into carbon dioxide and water vapor, leaving other chemical compounds and elements behind. Toxic metals (arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, selenium); rare earth elements (REE); and other elements like zirconium, yttrium, niobium, and hafnium are common in coal ash.
A report on the effects of coal ash listed its health effects. They include "several types of cancer, heart damage, lung and kidney disease, respiratory distress, reproductive problems, gastrointestinal illness, birth defects, impaired bone growth in children, nervous system impacts, cognitive deficits, developmental delays, and behavioral problems." Similarly, Jared Sullivan's 2024 book Valley So Low poignantly described the comprehensive human health and ecological risks of a dike failure and subsequent coal ash spillage into the Emory River channel, Roane County, Tennessee.
Interestingly, as smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices become ubiquitous, REE have become essential in the manufacturing and production of high-tech components. Exactly what rare metals are present in coal ash and in what quantity? Can coal ash be ‘mined’ for these highly sought resources?
To answer these questions, a group of scientists led by Drs. James C. Hower and John G. Groppo, in collaboration with scientists and engineers from Physical Sciences Inc., Winner Water Services, and Baylor University, have been using scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the components of coal ash extracted from eastern Kentucky. Their decade-spanning scholarly work has been reported in the scientific literature. Their most recent study was published in the journal Minerals.
Their analysis found several minerals that can be processed to extract REE. Samples of coal ash contained zircon (ZrSiO4) and baddeleyite (ZrO2). Hafnium, another important element, chemically resembles zirconium and can also be found in the latter silicates. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, zirconium is used in nuclear fuel cladding, chemical piping in corrosive environments, heat exchangers, and various specialty alloys. Hafnium, on the other hand, is used in nuclear control rods, nickel-based superalloys, nozzles for plasma arc metal cutting, electronics, and high-temperature ceramics.
Hower, Groppo, and their team also found fergusonite (YNbO4), yttriaite (Y2O3), and xenotime (YPO4), minerals that are sources of ytterbium. The Los Alamos National Laboratory reported that this REE has applications in refining and strengthening stainless steel, fiber optics, electronics, ceramics, and portable X-ray machines. Previous studies of the same fly had also identified monazite, a mineral that contained a broad range of REE.
As noted by Hower, “Our recent papers highlight the scale of the extraction of metals from fly ash, while the fly ash particles average about 10 microns in diameter, the acids used in processing can only penetrate about 3 microns. Further, many of the minerals of interest and considerably smaller and are embedded within the alumino-silicate fly ash glass.”
At current REE prices, Hower noted that these metals, by themselves, may not provide enough of a return to justify the processing. Nevertheless, perfecting the extraction process is important and may lead to cost-effective future applications and, eventually, removing metals from eastern Kentucky coal-blend landfilled ash.
Is wind energy feasible in Kentucky?
By: Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Intern, Summer 2025
As the world moves away from fossil fuels for energy generation, with their atmosphere-warming emissions and health-threatening pollutants, renewable energy sources are being researched and implemented. One of them is wind energy, described by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory as "one of the largest sources of clean, renewable energy in the United States, making it essential to a future carbon-free energy sector."
To convert the mechanical energy of the wind into electrical energy, wind turbines have blades or other moving parts. This means that there is a minimum wind speed needed for them to start rotating and a somewhat continuous wind to keep the turbine spinning at peak capacity. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates these wind speeds at about 8 mph (3.6 m/s) and 30 mph (13.4 m/s), the minimum and average sustained wind speeds, respectively.
Another limitation of current technologies is that the amount of wind power generated depends on whether the wind is blowing and how much. However, innovative ways to store wind energy when excess generation is available and then release it on demand are being studied nationwide. Two storage alternatives are batteries and hydroelectric systems that pump water up a reservoir so that it can flow downward to spin power turbines when power is needed.
In 2022, Kentucky had 68% of its electricity generated from fossil fuels, mainly coal and natural gas. Historically, the perception has been that the state is not windy enough for it to tap into wind energy for power generation. Other factors, like low electricity prices and the absence of state policies encouraging the local development of wind energy generators, have contributed to the fact that all states bordering Kentucky have wind power, but we do not.
In a recent study, Larry Holloway and Dan Ionel (University of Kentucky) and Aron Patrick (PPL Corporation in Louisville, KY) argue that new advancements in wind turbines and wind energy storage will allow Kentucky to tap this renewable source, particularly as a complement to solar power. Their findings were published in the Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science.
After a detailed analysis, the authors reported that, at an elevation of about 380 ft (115 m), the estimated average wind speed in Kentucky is almost always higher than 12 mph (5.5 m/s), enough for current-generation wind turbines to start spinning. However, the estimated average wind speed in Kentucky rarely exceeds 16 mph (7.2 m/s), suggesting that the wind turbines may not be able to consistently reach peak power.
However, Holloway, Patrick, and Ionel noted that current advances in wind turbine designs allow better capture of wind energy, particularly in counties like Bourbon, Meade, Carlisle, Scott, Graves, and Harlan counties. With modern wind energy advances, a state that was not previously considered suitable for wind power could see wind become an important contributor to its mix of power sources.
In the article, the researchers emphasized the importance of resiliency in power generation systems. Even if solar and wind energy cannot completely replace fossil fuels in the short term, if their contribution is 50%, that is half of the greenhouse gases and pollution emitted by coal, natural gas, and diesel.
They also showed year-long wind speed and sunlight intensity data from Harrodsburg. Solar and wind energy were found to be complementary. For example, in winter there are fewer hours of sunlight but higher daily average wind speed. In July, in contrast, there are more hours of sunlight but lower daily average winds. When working in tandem, they can provide energy reliably in combination with energy storage during off-peak power use hours.
“It is exciting to see this source of energy being explored for the state,” said Larry Holloway, one of the authors of the paper. “The first wind turbine in the state was installed by the Louisville Gas & Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities in 2024. We have been analyzing data over the first year of operation. Although recent analyses have shown that wind production at the initial site was less than expected, it did demonstrate that wind generation in the state is possible and can complement other sources. With larger and taller turbines currently on the market, wind could be a viable part of our state energy mix.”
Holloway, Patrick, and Ionel are hopeful that, as more evidence in favor of complementary solar and wind energy emerges, renewable energy production in the state will soar. They mentioned, for instance, wind energy projects recently installed by Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities, and a proposed wind development in Henderson County. Although solar is currently estimated at a lower cost than wind, wind energy can have an important role in Kentucky’s future energy mix.
Tracking long term barn owl populations in KY
By: Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Intern, Summer 2025
The American barn owl (Tyto furcata) is one of more than 200 species of birds of prey from the order Strigiformes. They have excellent vision and hearing, and feed mainly at night. Their specially adapted wings are perfect for flying almost silently. By the time small mammals realize that the owl is approaching, it will likely be too late to escape.
According to the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, barn owls live throughout the state, but their preferred habitats are the open grasslands, pastures, hayfields, and crop field areas in central and western Kentucky. They nest in hollow trees, silos, grain bins, and barns, and will use nest boxes made available to them by farmers and conservation professionals.
Farmers are often fond of barn owls. For the cost of a wooden nest box or space in a barn's upper rafters, owls provide an excellent pest control service. A pair of adult barn owls can hunt a myriad of rodents annually for them and their young.
Despite this essential service to agriculture, barn owl populations have been on the decline in many states for decades due to a combination of nest site competition, predation, nest destruction and disturbance, habitat loss, and vehicle collisions. Consuming mice and rats that have eaten poison has also been associated with owl mortality.
Until recently, there were lots of unknowns about barn owl populations in Kentucky. In 2005, the barn owl was included as a species of greatest conservation need in the Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ wildlife action plan, and nest boxes were installed in wildlife management areas. Surprisingly, most of these nesting sites remained vacant for the next few years. This caused biologists to wonder: What is the population status of barn owls in the state? By 2010, a long-term study had begun to answer this and other questions.
In 2024, Kate Slankard and James Barnard, from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and Dr. Andrea Darracq from Murray State University analyzed more than a decade of statewide barn owl nest and roosts surveys, in combination with habitat-related variables, to quantify nest site occupancy and overall population trends over time. Their findings were published in the Journal of Raptor Research.
During 2010–2022, more than 500 nests were identified. More nests were found in nest boxes (on various structure types; 44%) and tall feed silos (10%), but nests were also found in barns, house attics and chimneys, grain bins, trees, rock shelters, and bridges. About 4 in 5 of these locations were on private property.
Fortunately, nest box occupancy rates increased during each consecutive survey from less than 10% in 2010 to about 43% in 2022. Nest boxes installed at sites where barn owls were observed prior to installation were more likely to become occupied than nest boxes installed in seemingly good habitat with no knowledge of barn owl occurrence. Nearly all nest boxes installed on tall feed silos and grain bins became occupied, with those placed on retired wood utility poles having the second greatest probability of being occupied. In contrast, nest boxes located on live trees were, by far, the least preferred by barn owls.
Statistical modeling revealed that Central and Western Kentucky, the zones the scientists surveyed, could potentially support up to 2,200 barn owl pairs. However, the actual population in 2022 was estimated at about 170 pairs. Slankard, Darracq, and Barnard think that, with additional best practices in barn owl population management, including a more targeted approach for nest box installations in the birds' preferred locations, their population could feasibly increase to about 200-340 pairs. For example, nest boxes placed on retired utility poles at high densities near reclaimed mine land and minimal human disturbance resulted in a high barn owl density.
Something the scientists benefited from during this study was the public’s assistance. As the community learned about the barn owl survey, they reported new nest sites outside of known nesting areas. The implementation of the strategic goals outlined in the research paper by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and partners will continue to support the barn owl population and protect these birds of prey.
The German cockroach Blattella germanica, pictured here in a laboratory colony, is the most common indoor cockroach pest in the world.
Laboratory assays evaluating the residual efficacy of consumer cockroach control sprays.