Predicting superbugs’ countermoves to new drugs. Duke Today, Jan. 5, 2015. With drug-resistant bacteria on the rise, even common infections that were easily controlled for decades are proving trickier to treat with standard antibiotics. New drugs are desperately needed, but so are ways to maximize the effective lifespan of these drugs. To accomplish that, Duke University researchers used software they developed to predict a constantly-evolving infectious bacterium’s countermoves to one of these new drugs ahead of time, before the drug is even tested on patients. Picked up by the Duke Chronicle, The Scientist and Time Magazine.
Author Archives: admin
DNA sheds light on why largest lemurs disappeared
Link
DNA sheds light on why largest lemurs disappeared. Duke Today, December 16, 2014. DNA from giant lemurs that lived thousands of years ago in Madagascar may help explain why the animals went extinct, and what makes some lemurs more at risk today. Scientists have little doubt that humans played a role in the giant lemurs’ demise. By comparing the species that died out to those that survived, scientists hope to better predict which lemurs are most in need of protection in the future. Picked up by The Herald-Sun.
Laser sniffs out toxic gases from afar
Link
Laser sniffs out toxic gases from afar. Duke Today, December 3, 2014. Scientists have developed a way to sniff out tiny amounts of toxic gases — a whiff of nerve gas, for example, or a hint of a chemical spill — from up to one kilometer away. The new technology can discriminate one type of gas from another with greater specificity than most remote sensors — even in complex mixtures of similar chemicals — and under normal atmospheric pressure, something that wasn’t thought possible before. Picked up by NPR affiliate WUNC.
500+ code around the clock for social causes
Link
500+ code around the clock for social causes. Duke Research Blog, November 17, 2014. More than 500 students converged on Duke’s Fitzpatrick Center for an unusual all-nighter this weekend. No term papers, no problem sets. Their mission: to collaborate on software or hardware projects related to social good.
Fruit flies get their close-up shot, Nobel style
Link
Fruit flies get their close-up shot, Nobel style. Duke Research Blog, November 10, 2014. Any movie that begins with an extreme close-up of the back side of a fruit fly — the same kind found feeding on over-ripe tomatoes and bananas in your kitchen — may seem like an unlikely candidate for action blockbuster of the year. But this is no typical movie.
A scientist’s unlikely path, with Duke Provost Sally Kornbluth
Link
A scientist’s unlikely path, with Duke Provost Sally Kornbluth. Duke Research Blog, October 31, 2014. Many scientists have an inkling of their path at an early age, having spent their childhoods breeding hamsters for fun, or conducting backyard experiments on earthworms. Not so for Duke Provost and cell biologist Sally Kornbluth.
Same votes, different districts would alter election results in N.C.
Link
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
Link
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.
Emily Derbyshire: prospecting for new malaria drugs
Link
Emily Derbyshire: prospecting for new malaria drugs. Duke Today, October 1, 2014. New faculty member works at the intersection of chemistry and biology to address malaria and other global health problems.
Anatomy of an avalanche
Link
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.
Lillian Pierce: a head for pure mathematics
Link
Lillian Pierce: a head for pure mathematics. Duke Today, September 26, 2014. For Duke mathematician Lillian Pierce, trying to solve a problem in her field is like piecing together an exquisite machine, one carefully placed gear, cog or spring at a time.
Could suburban sprawl be good for segregation?
Link
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.
In the woods, stalking destroying angels
Link
In the woods, stalking destroying angels. Duke Research blog, September 19, 2014. Students head into the forest for Mushroom Hunting 101.
Lady baboons with guy pals live longer
Link
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
Link
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
Link
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
Link
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
Link
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
Link
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.
Supportive moms and sisters boost female baboon’s rank
Link
Supportive moms and sisters boost female baboon’s rank. Duke Today, July 30, 2014. A study of dominance in female baboons suggests that the route to a higher rank is to maintain close ties with mom, and to have lots of supportive sisters. Picked up by TIME Magazine.
Nearly 50 years of lemur data now available online
Link
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
Link
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
Link
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.
Lemur supermodels strike a pose for Photo Ark project
Link
Lemur supermodels strike a pose for Photo Ark project. Duke Lemur Center, June 20, 2014. Lemurs don’t sit still for portraits. They sniff the lights. They scent mark the camera lens. They relieve themselves in the middle of the photo shoot. But that doesn’t faze National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, whose latest lemur photos — taken at the Duke Lemur Center — are now available for viewing.
Genome sequences show how lemurs fight infection
Link
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.