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Michael J. O'Brien

Michael J. O'Brien

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Texas A&M-San Antonio
Michael J. O’Brien was born in Houston in 1950 and graduated from St. Thomas High School in Houston in 1968.

His undergraduate degree is from Rice University (1972) and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (1977). After graduation he served as a research associate at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln until 1980, when he joined the University of Missouri as an assistant professor of anthropology and director of the American Archaeology Division, the research arm of the anthropology department. He became director of the Museum of Anthropology several years later and joined the College of Arts and Science dean’s office as associate dean for research. He was promoted to the rank of professor in 1989 and became dean of arts and science in 2006 following a national search.

O’Brien is best known for his work in evolutionary archaeology and biology and has authored or edited 26 books and written over 150 articles, which have appeared in journals such as Science, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Journal of Human Evolution, and Journal of Theoretical Biology. O’Brien and his wife, Gloria, have five grown children and a rather lazy cat, Marley.

Innovative products lead to a boom in imitation and often a bust - just look at Atari and Bitcoin

Dec 19, 2022 16:39 pm UTC| Technology

Buried in a dusty landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico, are more than 700,000 discarded Atari game cartridges, including E.T., the 1982 Atari game based on the blockbuster film. This bleak trove of artifacts symbolizes the...

Misinformation, disinformation and hoaxes: What’s the difference?

Apr 22, 2021 05:47 am UTC| Insights & Views

Sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared online is challenging, even for the experts. Just talking about this ever-shifting landscape is confusing, with terms like misinformation, disinformation...

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Economy

Why China’s economy has hit a wall

Chinas annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing came to a close on March 11. They were conducted under great pressure: a weak economy and high expectations from both the domestic public and international observers as to...

Vladimir Putin’s gold strategy explains why sanctions against Russia have failed

There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 in 2024. Nearly six per cent of Russias gross...

Mentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth

Black youth in Canada experience poorer educational achievement than other children and youth, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. A series of problems and barriers contribute to poor educational outcomes....

There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well

The federal and Northern Territory governments have just made a historic funding announcement of about A$1 billion for schools in the territory. This includes an extra $737.7 million from the federal government and an...

Undersea cables for Africa’s internet retrace history and leave digital gaps as they connect continents

Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the...

Politics

SpaceX Builds Spy Satellites for US; Russia Warns of Military Response

Russia has issued a stark warning to the United States, stating that the use of SpaceXs satellites for espionage could render them targets for military action. This follows revelations that SpaceX is constructing a spy...

Deepfakes are still new, but 2024 could be the year they have an impact on elections

Disinformation caught many people off guard during the 2016 Brexit referendum and US presidential election. Since then, a mini-industry has developed to analyse and counter it. Yet despite that, we have entered 2024 a...

Political donations rules are finally in the spotlight – here’s what the government should do

Australias political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its plan. Greater...

With nominations decided, Trump leads Biden in US polls

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a majority of all delegates to their parties conventions, including delegates not yet...

Science

How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight

Airplane flight is one of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century. The invention of the airplane allows people to travel from one side of the planet to the other in less than a day, compared...

The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve

The progress of science in the last 400 years is mind-blowing. Who would have thought wed be able to trace the history of our universe to its origins 14 billion years ago? Science has increased the length and the quality...

What is minoxidil, the anti-balding hair growth treatment? Here’s what the science says

Hair loss (also known as alopecia) often affects the scalp but can occur anywhere on the body. Its very common and usually nothing to worry about; about half of Australian men show signs of visible baldness at age 50 and...

Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born

When we look out to the stars, it is typically not a yearning for the distant depths of outer space that drives us. When we are looking out there, we are truly looking back at ourselves. We try to understand our place in...

Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Total solar eclipses have fascinated and terrified people for centuries. Today, we know that total solar eclipses like the upcoming eclipse on April 8 are caused by a cosmic coincidence when the moon comes between the...

Technology

Shiba Inu's Burn Rate Soars by 1,200%, BTC Eyes $80K Pre-Halving Rally

The Shiba Inu community witnesses a staggering 1,200% spike in its burn rate, fueling optimism for a bullish rally, while experts predict Bitcoin (BTC) will approach $80,000 ahead of its next halving. Shiba Inus Burn...

Take-Two Interactive Buys Gearbox Entertainment Company From Embracer

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. announced it is acquiring Gearbox Entertainment, which the Embracer Group is slashing from its portfolio. The New York-based video game holding firm said the deal is valued at $460...

Xiaomi Revs Up: SU7 Unveiled, Set to Outpace Tesla, BYD with Sub-500K Yuan Price Tag

As Xiaomi ventures into electric vehicles, it positions itself in Chinas competitive EV sector, focusing on pricing and market disruption. The debut of its first electric vehicle, the SU7, marks a significant move after...

Ferrari, SK On Join Forces to Develop Next-Generation Supercar Batteries

Ferrari NV, an Italian luxury sports car maker, has teamed up with SK On, a South Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturer, to produce next-generation batteries. The partners will work on producing eco-friendly...
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