Robin Ann Smith

‘Smart’ tech is coming to a city near you. Duke Today, April 25, 2023. Proponents say real-time sensors, data will improve the everyday lives of citizens. But some worry smart city tech could exacerbate existing inequalities. Picked up by National Public Radio affiliate WFDD.

If it pays to be a jerk, why isn’t everyone that way? Duke Today, April 24, 2023. Long-term research on chimpanzees offers new clues to the puzzle of personality. Picked up by Earth.com, The Times and Popular Science.

The secret to more resilient tomatoes? No seeds. Duke Research 1100 Words. April 10, 2023. High temperatures can interfere with the fertilization of crops, but researchers say there may be another way to ensure a bountiful harvest: seedless fruits. 

How fire helps a forest stand the test of time. Duke Today, March 23, 2023. In some southern forests, the problem facing trees isn’t fire. It’s the absence of it.

Dying plant cells alert healthy cells to save themselves from disease. Duke Today, Feb. 20, 2023. Can the deathbed rally of a few dying cells save the rest of the body? New evidence from plants.

Think you’re not a math person? Duke Today, Jan. 30, 2023. These Durham kids are learning otherwise.

Even preschoolers can spot a cop-out. Duke Today, Jan. 16, 2023. When it comes to broken promises, children as young as 3 to 5 recognize that some excuses are better than others. Picked up by Big Think, CNBC, Cosmos Magazine and Futurity.

Modeling the COVID-19 roller coaster. Duke Research blog, Jan. 3, 2023. A student team looks at the math behind COVID’s waves as new coronavirus variants continue to emerge.

For weary scholars, a moment to regroup, reconnect…and write. Duke Research blog, Jan. 3, 2023. Most scholars know all too well the burnout faculty and students face at the end of the semester. But for a few precious hours, they hit pause on the onslaught of meetings and other duties to work alongside fellow writers.

Designing With DNA. Duke Today, Dec. 23, 2022. New software lets researchers create tiny balls, other rounded shapes from folded molecules of DNA. Here’s why that’s cool. Picked up by ZME Science and New Atlas.

Traveling with friends helps even mixed-up migrators find their way. Duke Research blog, Dec. 6, 2022. How do migrating animals travel so far, and reach their destination so precisely? For many animals, the answer is magnetoreception. New computer modeling research shows how sticking together helps migrating animals get to where they need to go, even when their magnetic compass leads them astray. Picked up by Futurity.

Watch lemurs fatten up for winter’s slumber. Duke Today, Nov. 22, 2022. You know that food coma feeling? Some lemurs do too. And that’s a good thing, scientists say. Picked up by ABC11.

Lemur gut isn’t one ecosystem, it’s many. Duke Research Blog, Aug. 22, 2022. Different spots along this long, twisting pathway have their own communities of bacteria doing different kinds of jobs. The complex ecosystem lurking in a lemur’s small intestine, for example, isn’t the same as the microbial menagerie setting up camp in their colon.

These baboons borrowed a third of their genes from their cousins. Duke Today, August 4, 2022. Fifty years of monitoring suggested that baboon hybrids manage just fine, but new DNA evidence reveals that some of their borrowed genes came at a cost. Picked up by Earth.com and Discover Magazine.

Climate change is making plants more vulnerable to disease. New research could help them fight back. Duke Today, June 29, 2022. To keep food on the table in a warming world, researchers are bolstering plant immunity against the heat. Picked up by NPR’s Science Friday, Wired, The Independent, Grist, MIT Technology Review, CBS 17 and Cosmos Magazine.

Makeup of the Matrix. Duke Research 1100 Words, May 20, 2022. A study identifies the most complete “parts list” yet for the microscopic scaffolds that envelop & support tissues in the body – which could help diagnose/treat diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer.

Quantum magnets. ‘1100 Words’ in Duke Research. April 28, 2022. In her search for new quantum materials, physicist Sara Haravifard spends a lot of time tinkering with crystals. Now her team has uncovered new types of quantum magnets, which could be used in data storage & spintronics.