Laser imaging could offer early detection for at-risk artwork. Duke Today, April 29, 2024. A bright yellow pigment favored a century ago by Impressionists such as Matisse and Van Gogh is losing its luster. Researchers at Duke University have developed a laser imaging technique that can detect the first tiny signs of the pigment’s breakdown before they’re visible to the eye. The work could help art conservators take earlier steps to make the color last.
Nanoscale Movies Shed Light on One Barrier to a Clean Energy Future
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Nanoscale Movies Shed Light on One Barrier to a Clean Energy Future. Duke Today, April 10, 2024. Advocates of hydrogen power say it could help wean us off fossil fuels, but a key ingredient tends to break down. New research could help explain why, & extend the lifetime of devices that turn hydrogen green.
To get a fuller picture of a forest, sometimes research requires a team effort
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To get a fuller picture of a forest, sometimes research requires a team effort. Duke Research Blog, April 1, 2024.
Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands
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Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands. Duke Today, March 18, 2024. To better understand a carbon sink in danger, scientists are turning to tiny organisms that have long been overlooked.
Tiny tunable nanotubes
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Tiny tunable nanotubes. Duke Today, March 11, 2024. Too small to see with the naked eye, tiny cylinders of carbon atoms called nanotubes could one day be tuned for use in devices ranging from night vision goggles to more efficient solar cells, thanks to methods developed by researchers at Duke University.
A grueling math test is so hard, almost no one gets a perfect score
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A grueling math test is so hard, almost no one gets a perfect score. Duke Research blog, March 1, 2024. The Blue Devils placed third out of 471 schools in North America’s most prestigious math competition
From growing roots, clues to how stem cells decide their fate
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From growing roots, clues to how stem cells decide their fate. Duke Today, Feb. 9, 2024. Researchers have captured time-lapse videos of stem cells dividing in growing plant roots. By watching how the cells divide in response to certain chemical signals over time, the team is uncovering new clues to how stem cells choose one developmental path over another. Picked up by Cosmos Magazine.
The AI explosion, explained
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The AI explosion, explained. Duke Today, Feb. 8, 2024. The field of AI has been around for decades. So why is it suddenly everywhere, and what lies ahead?
Brittle stars can learn just fine — even without a brain
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Brittle stars can learn just fine — even without a brain. Duke Today, Nov. 29, 2023. In a series of experiments, brainless brittle stars learned that “lights out” was a dinner bell call to come for dinner. Picked up by Newsweek, The Transmitter, ZME Science and IFLScience.
Putting stronger guardrails around AI
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Putting stronger guardrails around AI. Duke Research blog, Nov. 21, 2023. AI regulation is ramping up worldwide. Here’s where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Betting on made-in-America computer chips
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Betting on made-in-America computer chips. Duke Today, Nov. 7, 2023. In 2022, Congress set out to bolster the domestic chip industry. One year later, how is it going? Experts from academia, government, industry weigh in.
One of the world’s leading lemur doctors is hanging up her stethoscope
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One of the world’s leading lemur doctors is hanging up her stethoscope. Duke Today, Nov. 4, 2023. Duke Lemur Center veterinarian Dr. Cathy Williams retires after 28 years.
Taking a larger view of the universe
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Taking a larger view of the universe. Duke Today, Oct. 18, 2023. NASA’s next space telescope will offer an expanded view of the cosmos and generate colossal amounts of data. Duke scientists are part of $31M in grants to help prepare for the mission, which will help demystify the universe’s “dark side.”
The virus hunters
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The virus hunters. Duke Today, Oct. 16, 2023. Climate change isn’t just making the planet hotter. It’s also increasing the risk of viruses jumping species. Researchers working in a biodiversity hotspot in Madagascar are trying to figure out how to stop them.
Philip Benfey, plant biologist who studied roots as a window to development, dies
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Philip Benfey, plant biologist who studied roots as a window to development, dies. Duke Today, Oct. 2, 2023. Biology professor Philip Benfey, a plant geneticist and entrepreneur who advanced our understanding of the way cells develop and differentiate, died Tuesday, September 26, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 70.
Unzipping mRNA rallies plant cells to fight infection
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Unzipping mRNA rallies plant cells to fight infection. Duke Today, Sept. 20, 2023. Scientists have discovered hairpin-like mRNA structures that, by zipping and unzipping, help cells change the mix of proteins they produce when under stress.
Mysterious family of microbial proteins hijack crops’ cellular plumbing
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Mysterious family of microbial proteins hijack crops’ cellular plumbing. Duke Today, Sept. 13, 2023. Researchers have identified the molecular weapons bacteria use to waterlog plant tissues and spread infection, costing $220 billion in crop losses each year. What’s more, they may have come up with a way to disarm them
Creating new quantum materials, atom by atom
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Creating new quantum materials, atom by atom. Sept. 5, 2023. Physicist Divine Kumah is designing the next generation of electronic materials.
Blink and you’ll miss these plants shooting their seeds
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Blink and you’ll miss these plants shooting their seeds. Duke Today, Aug. 23, 2023. Members of the witch hazel family can fling heavier seeds just as fast as lighter ones, thanks to their spring-loaded fruits. Picked up by Popular Science, Ars Technica, Earth.com, New Atlas and Futurity.
Summer camp meets AI
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Summer camp meets AI. Duke Today, Aug. 22, 2023. As the first days of school approached, many teens spent their last precious days of summer sleeping in, or hanging out at the pool. But one group of Durham middle schoolers spent it playing around with artificial intelligence chatbots.
This fish doesn’t just see with its eyes. It also sees with its skin.
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This fish doesn’t just see with its eyes. It also sees with its skin. Duke Today, Aug. 22, 2023. Without a mirror, it can be hard to tell if you’re blushing, or have spinach in your teeth. But one color-changing fish has evolved a clever way to keep watch on the parts of itself that lie outside its field of view — by sensing light with its skin. Picked up by The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, UPI, Inverse, Popular Science, ZME Science, The Guardian and Salon.
Smart devices: putting a premium on peace of mind
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Smart Devices: Putting a Premium on Peace of Mind. Duke Today, Aug. 7, 2023. Cybersecurity labels for smart gadgets are coming. Are consumers willing to pay to know their risks before they buy?
Helping people and wildlife coexist in ways that benefit both, using math
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Helping people and wildlife coexist in ways that benefit both, using math. Duke Research Blog, July 13, 2023. Duke team wins top prize in mathematical modeling contest.
Making rubbery materials that can take a beating without losing their bounce
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Making rubbery materials that can take a beating without losing their bounce. Duke Today, June 22, 2023. Research could pave the way to flexible-yet-durable materials that help cut down on microplastic pollution from things like the wear and tear of car tires. The secret to their toughness: Weak bonds that actually make them stronger. Picked up by Science News and ZME Science.
Could biological clocks be the next weapon against malaria?
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Could biological clocks be the next weapon against malaria? Duke Today, June 6, 2023. Research could pave the way to new anti-malarials that work by “jet-lagging” the parasites that cause the disease.