Gut worms protect babies’ brains from inflammation. Duke Today, July 20, 2015. A study in rats finds that gut worms can protect babies’ brains from inflammation and long-term learning and memory problems caused by bacterial infections in newborns. Expectant mother rats with tapeworms even passed the protective benefits on to their worm-free pups, the researchers found. The findings could point to new ways to prevent or treat the chronic brain inflammation linked to cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, autism and depression. Picked up by Science Magazine and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Old World monkey had tiny, complex brain
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Old World monkey had tiny, complex brain. Duke Today, July 3, 2015. The brain hidden inside the oldest known Old World monkey skull has been visualized for the first time. The ancient monkey, known as Victoriapithecus, first made headlines in 1997 when its 15 million-year-old skull was discovered on an island in Kenya’s Lake Victoria. Now, X-ray imaging reveals that the creature’s brain was tiny but surprisingly wrinkled and complex. The findings suggest that brain complexity can evolve before brain size in the primate family tree. Picked up by NBC, Science News, the History Channel and the Huffington Post.
Outsmarting HIV with vaccine antigens made to order
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Outsmarting HIV with vaccine antigens made to order. Duke Research blog, June 29, 2015. AIDS vaccine researchers may be one step closer to outwitting HIV, thanks to designer antibodies and antigens made to order at Duke. HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS in 1983. Despite decades of progress in understanding the virus, an effective vaccine remains elusive. Now, a team of researchers have published a 3-D close-up of a designer protein that, if injected into patients, could help the immune system make better antibodies against the virus — a step forward in the 30-year HIV vaccine race.
Model could help counteract poisoning from popular painkiller
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Model could help counteract poisoning from popular painkiller. Duke Today, June 22, 2015. New research could help reverse deadly side effects caused by excessive doses of the drug acetaminophen, the major ingredient in Tylenol and many other medicines. Duke University researchers have developed a mathematical model of acetaminophen metabolism based on data from rats. The findings suggest that giving patients glutamine — a common amino acid in the body — alongside the standard antidote for acetaminophen overdose could prevent liver damage and boost the body’s ability to recover. Picked up by the Durham Herald-Sun.
Dual internal clocks keep plant defenses on schedule
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Dual internal clocks keep plant defenses on schedule. Duke Today, June 22, 2015. Time management isn’t just important for busy people — it’s critical for plants, too. A new study in the journal Nature shows how two biological clocks work together to help plants deal with intermittent demands such as fungal infections, while maintaining an already-packed daily schedule of activities like growth. The researchers also identified a gene that senses disturbances in the “tick-tock” of one clock, and causes the other clock to tighten its timetable.
Island rodents take on nightmarish proportions
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Island rodents take on nightmarish proportions. Duke Today, June 22, 2015. Duke University researchers have analyzed size data for rodents worldwide to distinguish the truly massive mice and giant gerbils from the regular-sized rodents. They found that the furry animals with chisel-like teeth are 17 times more likely to evolve to nightmarish proportions on islands than elsewhere. The results are in keeping with an idea called the “island rule,” which previous studies claimed didn’t apply to rodents. Picked up by the Daily Mail, the Charlotte Observer, BBC, and National Public Radio’s WUNC.
What affordable art can tell us about taste
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What affordable art can tell us about taste. Duke Research blog, May 29, 2015. Of the billions of dollars of art bought and sold at auctions in New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong this spring, most of the buzz has centered on the highest-priced works. But these are a tiny fraction of what’s up for sale. An analysis of thousands of painting sales in 18th century Paris looks beyond the top sellers to find out why people were willing to pay more for some works of art than others. Picked up by Private Art Investor.
Lowly ‘new girl’ chimps form stronger female bonds
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Lowly ‘new girl’ chimps form stronger female bonds. Duke Today, May 21, 2015. Low-ranking “new girl” chimpanzees seek out other gal pals with similar status, finds a new study. The results are based on 38 years’ worth of daily records for 53 adult females in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, where Jane Goodall first started studying chimpanzees in the 1960s.
Researchers help video gamers play in the cloud without guzzling gigabytes
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Researchers help video gamers play in the cloud without guzzling gigabytes. Duke Today, May 20, 2015. Gamers might one day be able to enjoy the same graphics-intensive fast-action video games they play on their gaming consoles or personal computers from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets without guzzling gigabytes, thanks to a new tool developed by researchers at Duke University and Microsoft Research. Named “Kahawai” after the Hawaiian word for stream, the tool delivers graphics and gameplay on par with conventional cloud-gaming, while using one sixth of the bandwidth.
How eastern U.S. forests came to be
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How eastern U.S. forests came to be. Duke Today, May 20, 2015. Spring visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains or the Blue Ridge Parkway will see ridges and valleys covered in flowering mountain laurels, rhododendrons, tulip poplars, dogwoods, black locusts and silverbell trees. A new study of nearly all the trees and shrubs in the southern Appalachians suggests that roughly half of the species can trace their relatives to thousands of miles away in Asia. Most of the rest likely arose within North America, the researchers say. Picked up by Yale Environment 360 and the Courier-Tribune.
Male hormones help lemur females rule
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Male hormones help lemur females rule. Duke Today, May 12, 2015. Lemur girls behave more like the guys, thanks to a little testosterone, finds a new study. When it comes to conventional gender roles, lemurs — distant primate cousins of ours — buck the trend. Duke University researchers say females have significantly lower testosterone levels than the males across the board. But when they compared six lemur species, they found that females of species where females dominate have higher testosterone than females of more egalitarian species. Picked up by the Charlotte Observer.
Geeky goggles let you take a field trip without leaving class
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Geeky goggles let you take a field trip without leaving class. Duke Research blog, April 27, 2015. Critics of virtual reality technology say it’s just another form of escapism, after TV, the Internet and smartphones. But educational technology advocates see it as a way to help students see and hear and interact with things that would be impossible otherwise, or only available to a lucky few.
World’s largest atom smasher gets a reboot
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World’s largest atom smasher gets a reboot. Duke Research Blog, April 22, 2015. Buried 300 feet beneath the Franco-Swiss border in a 17-mile circular tunnel, the world’s biggest scientific instrument is revving back to life, and Duke researchers are ready.
Big butts aren’t everything to male baboons
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Big butts aren’t everything to male baboons. Duke Today, April 20, 2015. While the female baboon’s big red bottom may be an eyesore to some, it has an aphrodisiac effect on her mates. Biologists have long thought that baboon males prefer females with bigger backsides as the mark of a good mother, but a Duke study reveals that the size of a female’s swollen rump doesn’t matter as much as previously thought. Picked up by the Washington Post and Fox News.
What happens underground when a missile or meteor hits
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What happens underground when a missile or meteor hits. Duke Today, April 10, 2015. Duke University researchers have developed techniques that enable them to simulate high-speed missile and meteor impacts into soil and sand in the lab, and then watch what happens underground close-up, in super slow motion. They report that materials like soil and sand actually get stronger when they are struck harder. The research may ultimately lead to better control of earth-penetrating missiles designed to destroy deeply buried targets such as enemy bunkers or weapons stockpiles. Picked up by io9, the Daily Mail, Scientific American, EarthSky, Popular Science and Discovery Channel Canada.
Being born in lean times is bad news for baboons
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Being born in lean times is bad news for baboons. Duke Today, April 2, 2015. The saying ”what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” may not hold up to scientific scrutiny. Baboons born in times of famine are more vulnerable to food shortages later in life, finds a new study. The findings are important because they help explain why people who are malnourished in early childhood often experience poor health as adults.
Clues to aging from long-lived lemurs
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Clues to aging from long-lived lemurs. Duke Today, March 30, 2015. Researchers combed through more than 50 years of medical records on hundreds of lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center for clues to their longevity. They found that how long these primates live and how fast they age correlates with the amount of time they spend in a state of suspended animation known as torpor. The research may eventually help scientists identify “anti-aging” genes in humans. Picked up by Discovery News, BBC Radio, NPR affiliate WUNC and the News & Observer.
Why some HPV infections go away & others become cancer
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Chance helps explain why some HPV infections go away & others become cancer. Duke Today, March 24, 2015. A Duke study finds that the body’s ability to clear an infection by the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV) may be largely due to unpredictable division patterns in HPV-infected stem cells, rather than the strength of the person’s immune response as previously thought. Picked up by the Herald-Sun.
How an insect pest switches from sluggish super breeder to flying invasion machine
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How an insect pest switches from sluggish super breeder to flying invasion machine. Duke Today, March 18, 2015. Each year, the rice crop in Asia faces a big threat from a sesame seed-sized insect called the brown planthopper. Now, a study in the journal Nature reveals the molecular switch that enables some planthoppers to develop short wings and others long based on environmental conditions such as day length and temperature — a major factor in their ability to invade new rice fields.
Baboon friends swap gut germs
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Baboon friends swap gut germs. Duke Today, March 16, 2015. The warm soft folds of the intestines are teeming with thousands of species of bacteria that help break down food, synthesize vitamins, regulate weight and resist infection. If they’re so key to health, what factors shape an individual’s gut microbial makeup? Previous studies have pointed to the food we eat, the drugs we take, genetics, even house dust. Now, a new study in baboons suggests that relationships may play a role, too. Picked up by The Scientist.
Urging HPV vaccine for boys could protect more people for same price
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Urging HPV vaccine for boys could protect more people for same price. Duke Today, March 11, 2015. Whether vaccinating U.S. boys against HPV in addition to girls is worth the cost has been hotly debated. But with HPV-related cancers in men on the rise, and coverage in girls stagnating below the levels needed to ensure that most people are protected, research suggests that devoting a portion of HPV funding to boys — rather than merely attempting to improve female coverage — may protect more people for the same price. Picked up by National Public Radio affiliate WUNC.
What happens inside an avalanche
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What happens inside an avalanche. Duke Today, March 5, 2015. When you walk on the beach, the sand supports your weight like a solid. What happens to the forces between the sand grains when you step on them to keep you from sinking? Researchers have developed a new way to measure the forces inside materials such as sand, soil or snow under pressure. The technique uses lasers coupled with force sensors, cameras and advanced computer algorithms to measure the forces between neighboring particles in 3-D. Picked up by the News & Observer and the National Science Foundation.
Computer science looks beyond nerds
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Computer science looks beyond nerds. Duke Today, March 4, 2015. Long viewed as the entry point for a field dominated by male coders and computer whizzes, introductory computer science is undergoing a transformation at Duke to attract a wider range of students.
How mantis shrimp evolved many shapes with same powerful punch
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How mantis shrimp evolved many shapes with same powerful punch. Duke Today, Feb. 27, 2015. The miniweight boxing title of the animal world belongs to the mantis shrimp, a cigar-sized crustacean whose front claws can deliver an explosive 60-mile-per-hour blow akin to a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. A Duke University study of 80 million years of mantis shrimp evolution reveals a key feature of how these fast weapons evolved their dizzying array of shapes — from spiny and barbed spears to hatchets and hammers — while still managing to pack their characteristic punch. Picked up by the daily news feed of the National Science Foundation.
Boy or girl? Lemur scents have the answer
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Boy or girl? Lemur scents have the answer. Duke Today, February 24, 2015. Dozens of pregnancy myths claim to predict whether a mom-to-be is carrying a boy or a girl. Some say you can tell by the shape of a woman’s bump, or whether she craves salty or sweet. Even ultrasound doesn’t always get it right. But for lemurs, the answer is in the mother’s scent. Picked up by the Daily Mail and Discover Magazine.