The Abstract

Aug 30, 2011

Time Machine: See and Hear John Donne Preach (Sort Of)

While the time machine has not yet been invented to transport us back to 17th century England, a researcher named John Wall is attempting to use modern technology to do the next best thing – recreating an important scene involving politics, religion and literary figure John Donne. Best of all, he’s hoping to make it…

Aug 29, 2011

Putting Research-Driven Teaching Tools In Schools – For Free

When John Begeny saw that an aspect of literacy education was getting scant attention in schools, he decided to research it. Then he used that research to develop an effective new tool for teachers, with demonstrated results. Then he decided to give the new program to teachers and parents for free. Cheers to that. As…

Aug 26, 2011

Send In The Ants

Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by David Hunt, of NC State’s News Services. I don’t want to alarm you, but you may have Camponotus americanus crawling around in your backyard. Or Tetramorium caespitum creeping between the cracks in your front walkway. In fact, there are more than 200 species of these critters sharing our…

Aug 25, 2011

Advances In Forensic Anthropology: Creating A Face

Note: This is the third of three posts outlining recent technological advances in forensic science, which were the focus of a workshop held earlier this month at NC State. The workshop, Advances In Forensic Anthropology, was funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and organized by the National Forensic Science Technology Center. When trying to…

Aug 23, 2011

Advances In Forensic Anthropology: Database For The Unidentified

Note: This is the second of three posts outlining recent technological advances in forensic science, which were the focus of a workshop held earlier this month at NC State. The workshop, Advances In Forensic Anthropology, was funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and organized by the National Forensic Science Technology Center. When a loved…

Aug 19, 2011

Advances In Forensic Anthropology: 3D-ID

Note: This is the first of three posts outlining recent technological advances in forensic science, which were the focus of a workshop held earlier this month at NC State. The workshop, Advances In Forensic Anthropology, was funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and organized by the National Forensic Science Technology Center. Sometimes law enforcement…

Aug 18, 2011

Researchers Find First Malware To Utilize Root Exploit Against Android 2.3

Researchers have identified the first malware – called GingerMaster – in any market that utilizes a root exploit to take over phones running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). A root exploit allows the malware to operate freely because it functions at the most fundamental level of the Android system, where there are no security checks. GingerMaster gives…

Aug 18, 2011

DroidKungFu Malware Evolves Again, Becomes More Difficult To Detect

DroidKungFu is continuing to evolve, with researchers detecting a new generation of the Android malware that incorporates new mechanisms to mask it from users and security software. This is the third version of DroidKungFu to be identified in the past two months. Like the previous generations of DroidKungFu, the latest iteration takes advantage of two…

Aug 8, 2011

Made in the Shade

When environmental conditions are poor, plants can’t get up and walk away. They must, instead, figure out how to deal with the stresses placed upon them by lack of sunlight or extreme temperatures, for instance. Now scientists have discovered a genetic link to understanding how plants change their shape to respond to environmental challenges. Their…

Aug 2, 2011

DNA ‘Fingerprint’ Techniques Can Aid Food Safety

Tracking polluted water back to the source of its contamination can help researchers assess potential health risks and determine methods for cleaning up the affected water. Now those same techniques can be utilized to keep food safe. For about a decade, researchers have used a technique called microbial source tracking to trace water pollution back…

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 19, 2011

Jell-O Memory

Researchers have come up with memory technology that feels like Jell-O. It’s made of water-based gels and liquid metal, and it works just fine when it is completely underwater. The device could be the first step towards developing a new generation of biocompatible electronics – such as medical sensors – because of its pliability, its…

Jul 18, 2011

Juicy: Citrus ID Tool Lends Aid to ‘Ade’

When life hands you lemon diseases, make “lemon aid.” That’s the idea behind a new online tool to help identify hosts and potential hosts of diseases that leave a sour taste in the mouth of the multi-billion dollar citrus industry. The first-of-its-kind tool, called Citrus ID, contains photos and physical descriptions of more than 500…

Jul 15, 2011

Data-Stealing Apps ID’d, Pulled From Official Android Market

NC State computer science researchers have identified five applications on Google’s official Android Market that upload users’ personal information to a remote server without notifying the users. Google has been notified and pulled the apps from the market July 14. The relevant apps carry a hidden payload called “SndApps,” which stealthily upload user information – including…

Jul 12, 2011

Using Data, Not Assumptions, To Make Safe Structures For Less Money

Each level of a parking garage is held up by a structure called an L-shaped spandrel beam. For years, manufacturers have been making these beams using inefficient assumptions, which meant they were using too much steel and putting it in the wrong places. Researchers have now collected actual data on these structures, allowing them to…