In The News

In different people, the gene for the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) may carry a smaller or larger number of epigenetic modifications known as DNA methylation tags. People who are low in DNA methylation may be better able to utilize oxytocin, the so-called love hormone. People who are high in DNA methylation may have an exaggerated fear response.This finding, which emerged from a study conducted by scientists at the University of Virginia, suggests that epigenetic markers may be used more generally to predict social behaviors. Perhaps multiple types of markers could even res...

Five years ago, someone at the University of Virginia noticed a little dusting of sand, or something, by the entrance to the school’s iconic Rotunda. A week later, there it was again. Those were the first clues that the capitals atop the columns that line the front of the building, designed by Thomas Jefferson as a symbol of enlightenment and learning, were crumbling. Now, those crumbling, “sugaring” capitals — the result of repairs made with less-expensive marble after a catastrophic fire in the late 1800s and leaks the university couldn’t afford to repair in mor...

The University of Virginia has begun replacing the capitals on its historic Rotunda.The university unveiled one of the new capitals — load-bearing structures at the top of each column — at a news conference Monday morning. The current capitals, which are more than 100 years old, have been shrouded in black construction cloth since 2009 because they are crumbling.

The University of Virginia is installing new capitals on its historic Rotunda. The column-toppers are part of the $50-million restoration of the centerpiece of Mr. Jefferson's university.

Dr. Kimberly Bassett is associate dean of the Office of African-American Affairs at UVa. She joins CBS19's Madeline Curott to discuss the various events going on at The University of Virginia to honor Black History Month. Bassett explains what the most important message is to come from Black History Month and how people can make sure to get that message through various events planned on Grounds throughout the month of February.

Metals company Alcoa Inc. has become a member of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, a manufacturing research consortium based in Prince George County. CCAM is a public-private partnership that conducts research in areas such as surface engineering, manufacturing systems and additive manufacturing. Academic partners are Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.

As part of a new spring series called “What Now? Dialogues on Race and Turmoil in America,” the University of Virginia’s Miller Center’s American Forum program is hosting a discussion with civil rights figure Julian Bond and historian Phyllis Leffler.

The Milstein Commission, convened by the University of Virginia to identify pathways for Americans to achieve middle class success, recently released its findings. The commission's report, "Can Startups Save the American Dream?" identified ways to jumpstart America's entrepreneurial engine by providing new businesses with access to capital, information, and support.

That’s the title of a recent book by Larry Sabato, the premier political pundit from Mr. Jefferson’s Academical Village. A More Perfect Constitution is a very informative read. Now that Larry Sabato is cutting back on his teaching responsibilities at the University of Virginia, maybe he could devote the next ten years of his remarkable career to promoting the modernization of this venerable document.

Chef and author Eddie Huang's best-selling book "Fresh Off the Boat" entered homes across the country as a new sitcom on ABC Wednesday night. The series follows a Vietnamese-American family that moves from Washington D.C. to Florida, and navigate cultural clashes. The title of the comedy has drawn criticism since it was announced. University of Virginia Media and American Studies professor Shilpa Davé explained the term's history. "Initially, it was related to immigration and people literally coming off a boat," Davé said. "More recently, it's bee...

He’s met with a transgender man, told Catholics not to breed like rabbits and washed the feet of a Muslim woman. While all this may sound like he’s ready to overturn dogma, Pope Francis’s real interest is geopolitics. In less than two years in office, he’s nudged the conversation away from abusive priests and used the image makeover to wade into conflicts from helping to restore Cuban- US ties to lobbying for a global climate accord. In September, he will become the first religious leader who serves as a head of state to address a joint session of Congress. “A num...

Seeking to provide universal full-day kindergarten but facing a strained budget, school board members in one of the nation’s most affluent counties have proposed an unusual solution: Make parents pay for it. Chloe Gibbs, an assistant education professor at the University of Virginia, said that most research shows that the benefits of full-day kindergarten fade out by the third grade. But she cautioned that some studies might not adequately account for the many students who attend full-day kindergarten but start at a disadvantage.

Attorney General Eric Holder’s Justice Department on Tuesday announced a $1.38 billion settlement with ratings giant Standard & Poor’s — the last of the big federal financial crisis-era probes. The settlement ends probes by Justice and 17 state attorneys general into whether S&P knowingly inflated ratings of risky mortgages bonds from 2004-07.  “The penalty terms aren’t transparent,” Brandon Garrett, professor at University of Virginia School of Law and author of the book “Too Big to Jail: How Prosecutors Compromise with Corporations,&rdqu...

Ayn Rand, author, thinker and political lightning rod, would have turned 110 years old this week. More than three decades after her death, she remains one of the most influential defenders of the free market. In her 2009 Rand biography, "Goddess of the Market," University of Virginia historian Jennifer Burns described how Rand's breakout book, "The Fountainhead," was "freighted with Rand's symbolic connotations." The story and characters made the book's basic elements "exciting and lively."

Paul G. Mahoney, dean of the University of Virginia School of Law, has been elected to the Council of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Mahoney started working at UVa in 1990, served as academic associate dean from 1999 through 2004 and in 2008 took over as dean.

(By R.K. Ramazani, the Edward R. Stettinius Professor Emeritus of Government and Foreign affairs at the University of Virginia) President George W. Bush declared his determination to seek and support democratic institutions “in every nation and culture with the ultimate goal of eliminating tyranny in the world.” President Obama, by contrast, has decided to develop a method calibrated to each society in its own terms. He would seek to find effective methods of achieving democracy everywhere, to begin with the Islamic State Forces (often known as ISIS) in Iraq and Syria and...

University of Virginia Health System gave $259 million in uncompensated services to patients unable to pay for some or all of their medical bills in fiscal year 2014 – and the public hospital says its financial aid policy is fine the way it is.

Scientists at the University of Virginia have made what could be an important breakthrough in treating cancer.  They’ve discovered a substance released by lung cancer cells that enables them to spread – beginning their deadly march to other parts of the body.  Biochemist Marty Mayo says finding that substance, called Activin A, could lead to a simple blood test for certain cancers.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed its 'F1+' rating on the following debt issued by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (UVA):--$78.6 million of outstanding series 2003A multi-modal general revenue pledge bonds;--$300 million taxable and tax-exempt commercial paper (CP) program.The university maintains a strong financial profile fueled by a diverse revenue base; substantial balance sheet resources; robust fundraising; and manageable debt burden. Fitch maintains a long-term 'AAA' rating on UVA's general revenue pledge bonds.

When two University of Virginia history professors explored the qualities of black leadership, their sources ranged from civil rights movement nonagenarians Oliver W. Hill and Dorothy Height to a millennial elected to the South Carolina legislature at age 22. Julian Bond, an icon of the civil rights movement, and then-colleague Phyllis Leffler sought out trailblazers, public servants and up-and-comers as part of their 15-year odyssey to create a high-tech oral history.