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In the News

NC State news is shared far and wide. Below are just some of our recent appearances in local, regional, national and international media publications.

Apr 28, 2023 The Guardian

Dogs with dementia also have sleep problems, finds study

“Changes in sleep habits should be expected in older dogs, and could be a harbinger of decline in cognition,” said Prof Natasha Olby, senior author of a study at North Carolina State University. Writing in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Olby and colleagues reported on their study of 28 dogs aged between 10 and… 

Apr 27, 2023 WRAL

‘Recession bell continues to ring … just got louder’ warns NC State economist in new report

New economic data for North Carolina’s economy point more strongly to a recession after a drop in the monthly index of economic indicators compiled by N.C. State economist Dr. Mike Walden. “Hold on,” he warns. “The recession bell continues to ring, and it just got louder,” Walden notes in the NCSU Index of North Carolina Leading… 

Apr 27, 2023 MedicalXpress

Pickleball helps older adults stay physically active

“We know it’s an enjoyable activity, but what we didn’t know was: Are older adult participants getting enough moderate to high intensity activity to reach the level critical for cardiovascular health?” asked the study’s lead author Jonathan Casper, associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State. 

Apr 27, 2023 WRAL Techwire

Discovery of genetic mutation in canine bladder cancers could be big news for dogs – and humans, NC State researchers say

“Essentially, BRAF V595E generates an abnormal protein that instructs the cells to keep dividing, forming a tumor. So if this single nucleotide substitution in the BRAF gene is detected in 85% of all canine urothelial carcinomas, why is it not in all of them?” asks Matthew Breen, Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology… 

Apr 27, 2023 MSN

The Surprising Reasons Your Dog Curls Up in a Ball Before Going to Sleep

Take, for example, when dogs curl up in a ball before falling asleep. To the average pet owner, this probably just seems like a way to get comfortable before dozing off. And while that could be part of it, Dr. Margaret Gruen, an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, said… 

Apr 26, 2023 Futurity

There’s Surprising Variation In Human Gut Anatomy

“There was research more than a century ago that found variability in the relative lengths of human intestines, but this area has largely been ignored since then,” says Amanda Hale, co-first author of the study and a PhD candidate at North Carolina State University. “When we began exploring this issue, we were astonished at the… 

Apr 26, 2023 Smithsonian

How You Can See Tens of Thousands of Fireflies Flash in Unison

“We like to call it a Christmas light show because there are literally thousands of fireflies twinkling in the trees,” says Clyde Sorenson, an entomologist at North Carolina State University, to the Charlotte Observer’s Kimberly Cataudella. 

Apr 26, 2023 Discover Magazine

Will AI Help Design Hurricane-Proof Buildings?

In Colorado State University’s 2023 forecast are six hurricanes and two major hurricanes (meaning Category 3 or greater). Researchers at North Carolina State University tend to agree with that: They predict six to eight hurricanes and two to three major hurricanes. 

Apr 26, 2023 Futurity

Tools Gauge Value Of Healthy Urban Streams

“Urban streams are ubiquitous and face a number of stressors from rapid economic development,” says Roger von Haefen, professor of agricultural and resource economics at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper on the work. “But there have not been well-established tools to help agencies assess the benefits of regulations aimed at… 

Apr 25, 2023 Futurity

To Predict Warming, You Can’t Ignore Wind And Ocean Currents

“The ocean plays a huge role in global warming—its currents can redistribute heat from warmer to colder regions, for instance, by moving warm water from the equator to the poles,” says Kay McMonigal, a postdoctoral research scholar at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of the study in Geophysical Research Letters. 

Apr 25, 2023 WRAL Tech Wire

NC State researchers pursue a fiber-shaped battery that could be integrated into clothing

“Ultimately, we want to make a yarn-shaped battery, so we could put it in a real garment, and preferably hide it,” said the study’s corresponding author Wei Gao, associate professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State. “In this study, we created a yarn-shaped cathode. Our findings were pretty promising for such a short… 

Apr 25, 2023 U.S. News & World Report

Digestive Organs Vary Widely Between People, Study Finds

“I almost missed one guy’s appendix because it was growing off the back of the cecum [the pouch that forms the first part of the large intestine] instead of the front,” said lead researcher Erin McKenney, an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “If I hadn’t flipped it over… 

Apr 25, 2023 Yahoo! News

It’s termite season in NC. How to keep those wood-eating pests out of your home

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, termites cause billions in damage to homes in the U.S. each year. And wood isn’t the only meal that attracts termites. The insects feed on anything with cellulose, the main component of wood, including paper, cardboard, and carpeting, scientists at North Carolina State University explained. If you discover… 

Apr 24, 2023 Earth.com

Healthy humans have shockingly different digestive systems

The research, which resurrects a century-old exploration of human gut anatomy, has left the scientific community astounded at the extent of variability observed. Amanda Hale, co-first author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate at North Carolina State University, explained: “There was research more than a century ago that found variability in the relative lengths… 

Apr 24, 2023 NewScientist

Women’s small intestines are 30 centimetres longer than men’s

Women’s small intestines are longer than men’s, with this added length probably helping them to better absorb fat and other nutrients if needed for pregnancy and breastfeeding. “The small intestine is all about absorption, absorption, absorption,” says Amanda Hale at North Carolina State University. “It’s where you get the vast majority of your nutrients from…