The Abstract

Dec 3, 2010

NASA’s Arsenic Thingy: What It Is, Why It Matters

In case you missed it, NASA announced Dec. 2 that researchers have discovered the first organism that can survive and reproduce using arsenic – an extremely toxic element. First things first: it is NOT extraterrestrial and they did NOT find it. They sort of created it. That said, it’s still incredibly cool. In short, a…

Nov 30, 2010

Dispatches From The North Pole: The Science of Santa’s List

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of occasional dispatches from Dr. Larry Silverberg, a researcher at NC State who is leading a visiting scholars program at Santa’s Workshop-North Pole Labs (NPL). Dr. Silverberg is an expert in unified field theory and is accompanied by four other mechanical and aerospace engineers: Drs. Mohammad Zikry…

Nov 29, 2010

Building a Better Sun-Trap

How does the saying go? Build a better solar cell and the world will beat a path to your efficiently temperature-controlled and environmentally friendly door? Okay, maybe that’s not exactly the saying, but you’ve got to admit that the idea of cheaper, more efficient solar technology is at least as compelling today as the idea…

Nov 29, 2010

Food Fables: Learning Food Safety From Unhappy Endings

Stories have long been used to teach people about the consequences of their actions – just ask Aesop. A new study finds that storytelling is also a critical component when it comes to teaching kitchen workers the importance of food-safety practices – and hopefully saving lives. But the researchers behind this study are telling stories…

Nov 23, 2010

Messin’ with Sasquatch

The Bigfoot of ants, named not because of its massive size but because of its elusive nature, was found recently – in suburban Cary, N.C., of all places. Benoit Guenard, an NC State graduate student in biology, found a pair of the most rarely seen ants in the United States, Amblyopone trigonignatha, took photos of them,…

Nov 19, 2010

Hey, Dit Dots! A Coastal N.C. Vocabulary Quiz

It has been said that England and the U.S. are two nations divided by a common language. But you don’t have to travel overseas to find English words and phrases that are virtually impossible to decipher to outsiders. The coastal region of North Carolina is home to a host of terms that make little sense…

Nov 18, 2010

It’s the End of the Male As We Know Him (And Boas Feel Fine)

If the end of men is upon us, as asserted by a summer cover story in The Atlantic, you can add boa constrictors to the list of those sticking their tongues out at males as they slide to irrelevance. Boa constrictor females, it turns out, don’t need males to get involved in the birthing process.…

Nov 17, 2010

Thanksgiving Science: Tryptophacts and Tryptophantasies

I was looking for an excuse to write about Thanksgiving science when a friend posed this question: “Can tryptophan be extracted from a turkey and then be injected directly into a human vein via syringe?” Answer: no. But that raised some other interesting questions, like, what is tryptophan? And if tryptophan doesn’t make us sleepy…

Nov 10, 2010

Sci/Med Writers: Are We Part Of The Problem?

Research is an incremental process, and there are precious few “Eureka!” moments when an idea springs forth fully formed, unfettered by qualifiers and questions that muddy the waters. As a result, those of us who write about science and medicine often take pains to ensure that we do not overstate research results. We use our…

Nov 9, 2010

Discussing Sci/Tech Risks Hurts Consensus Efforts

Thomas Jefferson once wrote to John Adams that, “Truth between candid minds can never do harm.” But times have changed, and new research shows that discussion of the risks and benefits associated with emerging science and technology actually hurts efforts to build consensus on those issues. A paper published this month by Risk Analysis finds…

Sep 29, 2010

GDP: What’s Debt Got To Do With It?

Have you had the sneaking suspicion that a nation’s debt can be a dead weight on the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP)? You’re right! New economic research can tell you exactly how much debt a country can handle before that debt begins to hurt its economy. Good news for the U.S. and other developed nations…

Sep 28, 2010

Research: Welcome To The Real World

A new study shows that social-science research done by “ivory tower” academics does have utility in the real world, specifically in the business community. And, even more specifically, it could help catch the next corporate fraud. The accounting firms tasked with auditing corporations and identifying fraud are required to have brainstorming sessions as part of…

Sep 15, 2010

Science Communication Breakdown (I Got Something I Think You Oughtta Know)

I used to work as a cook. And, as “Top Chef” aficionados know, teamwork is essential to cooking a good meal and getting it out on time. You can imagine how much more important teamwork is in today’s world of multi-institution, interdisciplinary research initiatives targeting complex scientific questions. Luckily, a new field of study is…

Aug 30, 2010

This Old DNA Of Mine (Is Weak For Surveys)

I have a friend who HATES taking surveys. I’ve always found that irrational, but a new study shows that her dislike of surveys may have a genetic basis. A forthcoming paper shows that some people are genetically predisposed to not take surveys (and that some people are genetically predisposed TO take surveys). The researchers used…

Aug 26, 2010

Education Reform: Racing to the Top

Education reform in North Carolina received a boost from the federal government this week, thanks to a partnership between the state and North Carolina State University. The U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top program will provide $400 million in funding for innovative initiatives that address specific state needs in four areas of education…