Tracey Peake

Sep 8, 2011

Boxing Up Sub-Atomic Particles

Let’s say you’re a nuclear physicist who – in your quest to learn more about the way the universe works – wants to learn more about the structure and angular momentum, or spin, of an atomic nucleus. However, you can’t just grab a nucleus and stick it under a microscope. What do you do? If… 

Sep 7, 2011

Home Field Advantage

It’s football season, that magical time of year when regalia-bedecked fans gather to cheer on the home team and elevate tailgating to an art form. But fans aren’t the only ones who have favorite colors: it turns out that the football fields themselves also have a preference. Why? Because the health of the turf on a football field… 

Sep 2, 2011

The Real Home Field Advantage

All school colors are not created equal - at least where football fields are concerned. 

Sep 1, 2011

NC State Dog Olympics Set For Sept. 10

What: North Carolina State University’s Dog Olympics is an annual charitable event organized by veterinary students. Dogs of all breeds, shapes, and sizes are invited to participate in athletic and non-athletic competitions including Musical Sit, Frisbee Toss, High Jump, Longest Tail, Look-a-Like, Best Beggar, Best Trick, and other contests. The Raleigh Police K-9 Unit, the… 

Aug 31, 2011

Leapin’ Lizards

If you live in the southeastern U.S., you see these little guys (and gals) everywhere – the ubiquitous green or brown Anole lizard known scientifically as Anolis carolinensis. But aside from being cute and able to regenerate part of its tail, this little lizard – and its newly sequenced genome – may help scientists solve… 

Aug 31, 2011

Leapin’ Lizards

If you live in the southeastern U.S., you see these little guys (and gals) everywhere – the ubiquitous green or brown Anole lizard known scientifically as Anolis carolinensis. But aside from being cute and able to regenerate part of its tail, this little lizard – and its newly sequenced genome – may help scientists solve… 

Aug 24, 2011

Common Bacterium Stops Mosquitoes from Transmitting Dengue Virus

Strains of a bacterium commonly found in fruit flies can prevent the Aedes aegypti mosquito from transmitting the virus that causes dengue fever, researchers have found. Their discovery could lead to a more effective way to control dengue worldwide. North Carolina State University mathematical biologist Dr. Alun Lloyd is part of the Eliminate Dengue program,… 

Aug 9, 2011

New Technique Scales Up Nanofiber Production

A new spin on an old technology will give scientists and manufacturers the ability to significantly increase their production of nanofibers, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. Collections of nanofibers, because they are porous and lightweight, are useful in applications ranging from water filtration to tissue regeneration to energy storage. But although nanofibers… 

Jul 27, 2011

Real Research, Real Results

From eradicating bed bugs to programming bandages, research at NC State produces results with real impact. 

Jul 22, 2011

Pirates of the Paleolithic

Avast, ye scurvy Homo erectus!  Recent archaeological finds from Crete show that the first seafaring humans set sail for parts unknown – or maybe parts barely visible to the naked eye – more than 10 times earlier than previously thought. So instead of man settling the Greek island around 10,000 years ago, we now have… 

Jul 20, 2011

Pirates of the Paleolithic

Avast, ye scurvy Homo erectus!  Recent archaeological finds from Crete show that the first seafaring humans set sail for parts unknown – or maybe parts barely visible to the naked eye – more than 10 times earlier than previously thought. So instead of man settling the Greek island around 10,000 years ago, we now have… 

Jul 14, 2011

NC State Presents Awards to Help Speed Discoveries to Marketplace

A vaccine that prevents Salmonella, coatings that protect fabrics from ultraviolet (UV) rays, bandages that release medication to improve wound healing, and better bed bug bait – these four technological breakthroughs are one step closer to becoming reality. The North Carolina State University researchers behind these inventions are the first recipients of NC State’s Chancellor’s Innovation… 

Jun 29, 2011

Genetic “Conductor” Involved With New Brain Cell Production in Adults

A team of North Carolina State University researchers has discovered more about how a gene connected to the production of new brain cells in adults does its job. Their findings could pave the way to new therapies for brain injury or disease. Most areas of the brain do not generate new brain cells, or neurons,… 

Jun 28, 2011

How Copper Folds Protein into Parkinson’s Plaques

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found out how copper induces misfolding in the protein associated with Parkinson’s disease, leading to creation of the fibrillar plaques which characterize the disease. This finding has implications for both the study of Parkinson’s progression as well as for future treatments. The protein in question, alpha-synuclein, is the… 

Jun 22, 2011

The Dirt Whisperer

Say you’re a civil engineer, and you’re looking for a good place to put a bridge. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to ask the ground how stable it is before you start digging, like some sort of dirt whisperer?  Or how close an older bridge is to failing, after erosion has affected the…