The Abstract

May 21, 2014

The Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Baking soda has only one ingredient: sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is a base that reacts when it comes into contact with acids, like buttermilk, yogurt or vinegar. This reaction produces carbon dioxide (CO2) in the form of bubbles (think of the grade school experiments involving fake volcanoes, vinegar and baking soda). When making baked goods,…

May 20, 2014

Researchers Test Distributed Computing as Defense Against Cyberattacks on Power Grids

Imagine a cyberattack that does serious damage to the U.S. power grid. The results wouldn’t be pretty. The power grid is complicated, divided up into sections that cover everything from a single municipal area (like New York City) to large regions (like the entire state of California). But each of those sections is controlled by…

May 19, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Golsa Naderi

Editor’s note: This post comes from Golsa Naderi, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State. The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist…

May 16, 2014

How Can I Wash All the Pesticides off My Food?

Note: This post is part of an ongoing series in which we try to answer questions about the science behind food – from farm to fork. If you have a food-related question, please let me know at matt_shipman@ncsu.edu. What is the best way to wash all the pesticides off your food? The bad news: you…

May 15, 2014

Small Number of Genes Have Big Impact on Fish Egg Quality

NC State researchers have taken a big step toward solving a puzzle that has long vexed vertebrates – predicting egg quality, or the viability of embryos in eggs. Using gene expression data and computer modeling, the researchers examined farmed striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and showed that the coordinated interactions of less than 2 percent of the…

May 12, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Yasmin Cardoza

Editor’s note: This post comes from Yasmin Cardoza, an associate professor of entomology at NC State. The post is part of an an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. I was…

May 8, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Alison Moyer

Editor’s note: This post comes from Alison Moyer, a Ph.D. student in paleontology at NC State. The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. I’m Alison Moyer,…

May 8, 2014

Farmers Skeptical About Validity of Climate Change

The recently released National Climate Assessment, reported by a team of 300 experts, including a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, asserts that climate change is already impacting the United States, and that the warming of the past 50 years is “primarily due to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases.” Ask American farmers about climate…

May 6, 2014

What Makes Spider-Man’s Web So Strong?

Spider-Man’s webs are pretty impressive, capable of supporting Spidey’s weight as he swings through New York, trapping super-villains and even suspending cars above city streets. What are they made of? And how are they made? Spider webs are notoriously strong, with spider silk reported as having a tensile strength of up to 1.75 gigapascals (GPa),…

May 6, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Lori Foster Thompson

Editor’s note: This post comes from Lori Foster Thompson, a professor of psychology at NC State. The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. My name is…

May 5, 2014

Dogs, Technology and the Future of Disaster Response

Imagine a team of humans, dogs, robots and drones swooping onto the scene in the aftermath of a disaster and working together to find and rescue anyone trapped in collapsed buildings. That’s the goal of a team of researchers from around the United States working on what they call the Smart Emergency Response System (SERS).…

May 2, 2014

Why Parents Are Told to Give Babies Unseasoned Food – One Type of Food at a Time

Note: This post is part of an ongoing series in which we try to answer questions about the science behind food – from farm to fork. If you have a food-related question, please let me know at matt_shipman@ncsu.edu. Why is the conventional wisdom in the West to start babies out on bland, unseasoned, single foods,…

May 1, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Ezinne Achinivu

Editor’s note: This post comes from Ezinne Achinivu, who recently completed her Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State. The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks…

Apr 30, 2014

What We Know (and Don’t Know) About Vitamins, Diet and Health

Here’s the short version: your kid probably doesn’t need a daily vitamin, and there is no magic ingredient in food that will keep you healthy. When I told folks that I was going to start writing a series of posts that addressed scientific questions about food, I was inundated with questions people wanted me to…

Apr 30, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Heather Patisaul

Editor’s note: This post comes from Heather Patisaul, an associate professor of biology at NC State.The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. I am Heather Patisaul,…