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Same votes, different districts would alter election results in N.C.

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Same votes, different districts would alter election results in N.C. Duke Today, October 29, 2014. Researchers have developed a mathematical model that shows how changes in congressional voting districts affect election outcomes. Focusing on the last election, they show the outcome of the 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in North Carolina would have been very different had the state’s congressional districts been drawn with only the legal requirements of redistricting in mind. The researchers hope the study will bolster calls for redistricting reform in 2016. Picked up by The Herald-Sun, the News and Observer, and National Public Radio affiliates WFAE, WUNC and WFDD.

No single explanation for biodiversity in Madagascar

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No single explanation for biodiversity in Madagascar. Duke Today, October 10, 2014. No single “one-size-fits-all” model can explain how biodiversity hotspots come to be, finds a study of more than 700 species of reptiles and amphibians in Madagascar.By analyzing the distribution of Madagascar’s lizards, snakes, frogs and tortoises, researchers find that each group responded differently to environmental fluctuations on the island over time. The results are important because they suggest that climate change and deforestation in Madagascar will have varying effects on different species.

Anatomy of an avalanche

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Anatomy of an avalanche. 1,100 Words, September 30, 2014. By studying the forces inside granular materials like rice, coal, sand or snow as they’re squeezed, pulled or cracked, researchers hope to better understand phenomena like the jamming of grain hoppers or the early warning signs of earthquakes and avalanches.

Could suburban sprawl be good for segregation?

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Could suburban sprawl be good for segregation? Duke Today, September 23, 2014. Racially and economically mixed cities are more likely to stay integrated if the density of households stays low, finds a new analysis of a now-famous model of segregation. By simulating the movement of families between neighborhoods in a virtual “city,” Duke University mathematicians show that cities are more likely to become segregated along racial, ethnic or other lines when the proportion of occupied sites rises above a certain critical threshold — as low as 25 percent, regardless of the identity of the people moving in.

Lady baboons with guy pals live longer

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Lady baboons with guy pals live longer. Duke Today, September 10, 2014. Numerous studies have linked social interaction to improved health and survival in humans, and new research confirms that the same is true for baboons. A long-term study of more than 200 wild female baboons finds that the most sociable females live two to three years longer than their socially isolated counterparts. Socializing with males gave females an even bigger longevity boost than socializing with other females, the researchers found. Picked up by the Daily Mail.

Ancient swamp creature had lips like Mike Jagger

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Ancient swamp creature had lips like Mike Jagger. Duke Today, September 10, 2014. A swamp-dwelling, plant-munching creature that lived 19 million years ago in Africa has been named after Rolling Stones lead singer Sir Mick Jagger, because of its big, sensitive lips and snout. The name of the animal, Jaggermeryx naida, translates to ‘Jagger’s water nymph.’ Picked up by Science Magazine, NPR, NBC news, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, the Guardian, the News & Observer, the Independent, the Daily Mail, NBC news, the Duke Chronicle, Fox News, Huffington Post, the Telegraph, the Washington Post and The New York Times.

Tie-dye fly

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Tie-dye fly. 1,100 Words, August 29, 2014. It may look like a poster for the Grateful Dead, but these Day-Glo rainbow stripes belong to a fruit fly. Duke biologist Amy Bejsovec is studying the patterns that emerge during a fruit fly’s development from egg to adult — information that may help treat diseases that arise when normal development goes awry.

Water ‘thermostat’ could help engineer drought-resistant crops

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Water ‘thermostat’ could help engineer drought-resistant crops. Duke Today, August 27, 2014. Researchers have identified a gene that could help engineer drought-resistant crops. The gene, called OSCA1, encodes a protein in the cell membrane of plants that senses changes in water availability and adjusts the plant’s water conservation machinery accordingly. The findings, which appear in the journal Nature, could make it easier to feed the world’s growing population in the face of climate change. Picked up by MIT Technology Review.

Cancer-fighting drugs might also stop malaria early

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Cancer-fighting drugs might also stop malaria early. Duke Today, August 25, 2014. Scientists searching for new drugs for malaria have identified a number of compounds — some of which are in clinical trials to treat cancer — that could lead to new ways to fight the disease. Researchers identified 31 enzyme-blocking molecules, called protein kinase inhibitors, that curb malaria before symptoms start. By focusing on treatments that act early, the researchers hope to give drug-resistant strains less time to spread. Picked up by the Duke Chronicle and the Durham Herald-Sun.

Scientists uncover navigation system used by cancer, nerve cells

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Scientists uncover navigation system used by cancer, nerve cells. Duke Today, August 25, 2014. Researchers have identified a ‘roving detection system’ on the surface of cells that may point to new ways of treating diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms that enable both normal and cancerous cells to break through normal tissue boundaries and burrow into other tissues and organs.

Nearly 50 years of lemur data now available online

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Nearly 50 years of lemur data now available online. Duke Lemur Center, July 24, 2014. A 48-year archive of life history data for the world’s largest and most diverse collection of endangered primates is now digital and available online. The Duke Lemur Center database allows visitors to view and download data for more than 3600 animals representing 27 species of lemurs, lorises and galagos — distant primate cousins who predate monkeys and apes — with more data to be uploaded in the future. Picked up by io9 and BBC News.

Scientist identifies world’s biggest-ever flying bird

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Scientist identifies world’s biggest-ever flying bird. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, July 7, 2014. Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of an extinct giant bird that could be the biggest flying bird ever found. With an estimated 20-24-foot wingspan, the creature surpassed the previous record holder — an extinct bird named Argentavis magnificens — and was twice as big as the Royal Albatross, the largest flying bird today. Computer simulations show that the creature’s long slender wings helped it stay aloft despite its enormous size. Picked up by Fox News, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Science Magazine, Discovery News, CBC, U.S. News & World Report, the Independent, the Guardian, NBC news, Science News, Discover Magazine, the Huffington Post, Slate Magazine, the Daily Mail, Scientific American, the Boston Herald, National Geographic, New Scientist, the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek.

Matching gifts mean new set of wheels for SAVA Conservation in Madagascar

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Matching gifts mean new set of wheels for SAVA Conservation in Madagascar. Duke Lemur Center, June 23, 2014. Lemur researcher Erik Patel will be the first to tell you that driving in Madagascar is not for the faint of heart. Paved roads are rare. Street lights are nonexistent. Torrential rains turn dirt roads to solid mud for many months of the year. Bridges wash out, and just as quickly as they are repaired, seasonal cyclones wipe them out again. A generous matching gift won’t make the road conditions in Madagascar any less rugged, but it will allow members of Duke’s SAVA Conversation initiative to get around and manage a growing number of projects more safely, cost-effectively, and with fewer headaches than before.

Genome sequences show how lemurs fight infection

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Genome sequences show how lemurs fight infection. Duke Today, May 30, 2014. Coquerel’s sifakas are the only lemur species out of 17 at the Duke Lemur Center to fall prey to Cryptosporidium, a waterborne illness that causes weakness and diarrhea. Young sifakas are more likely to get sick, but if researchers can harness next-generation sequencing technology to figure out how older animals manage to fight the infection, they might be able to develop vaccines that provide infants the same protection. Picked up by National Geographic.

In the age of open science, repurposing and reproducing research pose their own challenges

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In the age of open science, repurposing and reproducing research pose their own challenges. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, May 12, 2014. Growing numbers of researchers are making the data underlying their publications freely available online, largely in response to data sharing policies at journals and funding agencies. But in the age of open science, improving access is one thing, repurposing and reproducing research is another. A team of researchers experienced this firsthand when they tried to answer a seemingly simple question: what percentage of plants in the world are woody?

Animals with bigger brains, broader diets have better self control

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Animals with bigger brains, broader diets have better self control. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, April 24, 2014. The largest study of animal intelligence to-date finds that animals with bigger brains and broader diets have better self-control. The results are part of a long history of research aimed at understanding why some species are able to do things like make and use tools, read social cues, or even understand basic math, and others aren’t. By convincing animal experts across the globe to conduct the same set of experiments, researchers were able to test ideas about how cognitive differences in the animal kingdom came to be in a much more rigorous way than has been possible before. Picked up by The New York Times and the National Science Foundation.

Plants with dormant seeds give rise to more species

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Plants with dormant seeds give rise to more species. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, April 18, 2014. Seeds that sprout as soon as they’re planted may be good news for a garden. But wild plants need to be more careful. In the wild, a plant whose seeds sprouted at the first warm spell or rainy day would risk disaster. More than just an insurance policy against late frosts or unexpected dry spells, it turns out that seed dormancy has long-term advantages too:  Plants whose seeds put off sprouting until conditions are more certain give rise to more species, finds a new study.

Ancient DNA offers clues to how barnyard chickens came to be

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Ancient DNA offers clues to how barnyard chickens came to be. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, April 21, 2014. Ancient DNA adds a twist to the story of how barnyard chickens came to be, finds a study in the journal PNAS. Analyzing DNA from the bones of chickens that lived 200-2300 years ago in Europe, researchers report that some of the traits we associate with modern domestic chickens — such as their yellowish skin — only became widespread in the last 500 years, much more recently than previously thought. Picked up by Ars Technica, Nature and Public Radio International.

Lemurs match scent of a friend to sound of her voice

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Lemurs match scent of a friend to sound of her voice. Duke Today, April 15, 2014. Humans aren’t alone in their ability to match a voice to a face — animals such as dogs, horses, crows and monkeys are able to recognize familiar individuals this way too, a growing body of research shows. A new study finds that some animals can even match a voice to a scent. Researchers report that ring-tailed lemurs respond more strongly to the scents and sounds of female lemurs when the scent they smell and the voice they hear belong to the same female — even when she’s nowhere in sight. Picked up by the National Science Foundation and Natural History magazine (June 2014 issue).