A.I. birdwatcher lets you see through the eyes of a machine

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This A.I. birdwatcher lets you ‘see’ through the eyes of a machine. Duke Today, October 31, 2019. It can take years of birdwatching experience to tell one species from the next. But using an artificial intelligence technique called deep learning, Duke University researchers have trained a computer to identify up to 200 species of birds from just a photo. This tool goes beyond giving the right answer to explain its thinking in a way that even someone who doesn’t know a penguin from a puffin can understand. Picked up by BBC Digital Planet and MIT Technology Review.

The little things

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The little things. Duke Research blog, Sept. 23, 2019. Meet a student photographer who combines up-close views of science and nature with the magic of light.

How two become one

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How two become one. 1,100 Words on Duke Research, August 19, 2019. Its mysterious gray-green goblets poking up through tufts of moss, this Gray’s cup lichen isn’t one living thing but two — a fungus and an alga — working together.

First encounters with the inner brain

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First encounters with the inner brain. Duke School of Medicine, June 24, 2019. Neurologist Leonard White says today is a big day for the 129 first-year medical students in his Brain and Behavior class. In their first six months of medical school, the students have mostly examined the brain from the outside. They’ve run their fingers over its wrinkled walnut-like surface and traced the deep fissures that separate its lobes. But now, these future medical doctors will peer inside and get a firsthand glimpse of what lies beneath the surface.

Life is tough but so are worms — thanks to mom

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Life is tough but so are worms — thanks to mom. Duke Today, July 8, 2019. Numerous studies show that the legacy of hardship can be passed from one generation to the next. The good news is that resilience can cross generations too. A worm study found that offspring of mothers who ate fewer calories during pregnancy were better able to bounce back from starvation themselves. A mother worm transmits her coping abilities to the next generation via changes in insulin signaling that are transferred via her eggs to her offspring.

Malaria hijacks your genes to invade your liver

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Malaria hijacks your genes to invade your liver. Duke Today, June 27, 2019. Researchers have identified more than 100 ‘hijacked’ human genes that malaria parasites commandeer to take up residence inside their victim’s liver during the silent early stages of infection, before symptoms appear. Before their work only a few such genes were known. The findings could lead to new ways to stop malaria parasites before people get sick and help keep the disease from spreading, via treatments that are less likely to promote resistance. Picked up by WUNC and the Raleigh News & Observer.

Is there a limit to human endurance? Science says yes

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Is there a limit to human endurance? Science says yes. Duke Today, June 5, 2019. From the Ironman to the Tour de France, some competitions test even the toughest endurance athletes. A study of energy expenditure during some of the world’s longest, most grueling sporting events suggests that no matter what the activity, everyone hits the same metabolic limit, likely due to constraints on the digestive tract’s ability to break down food. Picked up by The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Scientist, New York Post, CNN, Jezebel, Daily Mail, Discover Magazine, Outside Magazine, Science Magazine, Cosmos, U.S. News & World Report, The Independent, Popular Science, ABC News, BBC News, Inverse, Men’s Health, Business Insider, Runner’s World, IFL Science, The Telegraph,Quartz, UPI, and New Scientist.

Birds perceive ‘warm’ colors differently from ‘cool’ ones

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Birds perceive ‘warm’ colors differently from ‘cool’ ones. Duke Today, May 29, 2019. Birds may not have a word for maroon. Or burnt sienna. But show a zebra finch a sunset-colored object, and she’ll quickly decide whether it looks more “red” or “orange.” A new study shows that birds mentally sort the range of hues on the blue-green side of the spectrum into two categories too, but the line between them is fuzzier, perhaps because “either/or” thinking is less useful in this part of the spectrum, researchers say.

Could better tests help reverse the rise of superbugs?

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Could better tests help reverse the rise of superbugs? Duke Today, May 16, 2019. Faster, more accurate tests for drug-resistant infections are hailed as a promising tool in the fight against antibiotic resistance, so much so that the U.S. and Britain are offering millions in prize money for their development. A modeling study led by Duke University game theorist David McAdams shows that better tests could, in theory, change the game and put drug-resistant bacteria at a reproductive disadvantage relative to more easily-treated strains — but with a caveat.