Watch a virus in the moments right before it attacks. Duke Today, Nov. 10, 2022. Researchers have captured the first real-time footage of viruses on the move, right before they hijack a cell. Picked up by Nature, Quirks and Quarks and IFLScience.
Tag Archives: medicine
Metabolism changes with age, just not when you might think
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Metabolism changes with age, just not when you might think. Duke Today, Aug. 12, 2021. Researchers have precisely measured life’s metabolic highs and lows, from birth to old age, and the findings might surprise you. Picked up by the New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post, NBC News, Huffington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, WRAL, UPI, Fox News, the Miami Herald, the Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Seattle Times, Science and BBC.
Researcher busts metabolism myths in new book
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Researcher busts metabolism myths in new book. Duke Research blog, March 24, 2021. Herman Pontzer explains where our calories really go, and what studying humanity’s past can teach us about staying healthy today.
Malaria threw human evolution into overdrive on this African archipelago
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Malaria threw human evolution into overdrive on this African archipelago. Duke Today, Jan. 28, 2021. In the last 500 years, the people of Cabo Verde have evolved at a breakneck pace — thanks to a genetic variant, inherited from their African ancestors, that protects against the ravages of malaria. Picked up by Futurity.
How malaria parasites withstand a fever’s heat
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How malaria parasites withstand a fever’s heat. Duke Today, October 5, 2020. The parasites that cause 200 million cases of malaria each year can withstand feverish temperatures that make their human hosts miserable. Now, a Duke University-led team is beginning to understand how they do it. The work could lead to new ways to fight tough-to-kill strains, researchers say.
Imaging a living scaffold
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Imaging a living scaffold. Duke Today, July 7, 2020. Light-up proteins in the sheet-like matrix that encases tissues offer new toolkit for studying everything from kidney disease to aging.
From the lab, the first cartilage-mimicking gel that’s strong enough for knees
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From the lab, the first cartilage-mimicking gel that’s strong enough for knees. Duke Today, June 26, 2020. Cartilage provides a combination of cushiony-yet-strong that hydrogels haven’t been able to match, until now. Picked up by Futurity and New Atlas.
These students taught a computer to detect COVID-19 in lung scans
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These students taught a computer to detect COVID-19 in lung scans. Duke Today, May 31, 2020. A lot of illnesses can look like COVID-19 in a CT scan. Duke students built an AI tool to spot telltale signs of the virus and flag cases that swab tests miss.
Malaria parasite ticks to its own internal clock
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Malaria parasite ticks to its own internal clock. Duke Today, May 14, 2020. Researchers have long known that all of the millions of malaria parasites within an infected person’s body move through their cell cycle at the same time. They multiply in sync inside red blood cells, then burst out in unison every few days. But how the parasites keep time was unclear. Now, a study finds that malaria has its own internal clock that causes thousands of genes to ramp up and down at regular intervals. Picked up by The Scientist, Cosmos Magazine, and Science News.
ID verification, now for cancer
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ID verification, now for cancer. Duke Today, Nov. 22, 2019.
Tiny devices made of DNA could detect cancer with fewer false alarms
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.
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.
Are humans still evolving? Absolutely.
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Are humans still evolving? Absolutely, says a new analysis of a long-term study of human health. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, October 19, 2009. Although advances in medical care have improved standards of living over time, humans aren’t entirely sheltered from the forces of natural selection, a new study shows. Picked up by the Boston Globe, TIME, Science Magazine, NPR’s Science Friday, New Scientist, and Telegraph.