Jun 2, 2023 Star News Online

Pollution, port expansion and PFAS: Why some are worried about the Cape Fear River’s future

Regarding the issue of PFAS, controlling the emittance of the chemicals at the source is key, said Detlef Knappe, professor at North Carolina State University. Through actions at the Fayetteville Works site, PFAS levels in the river have come down significantly, but there are still other points of pollution that need to be addressed. 

Jun 2, 2023 New Atlas

Not so sweet: Chemical in common artificial sweetener found to damage DNA

North Carolina State University researchers looked particularly at sucralose-6-acetate, one of the fat-soluble compounds produced when sucralose is broken down (metabolized) in the body, to determine how it affects the body, particularly DNA. They’d already studied sucralose metabolism back in 2018, which is how they knew about the existence of sucralose-6-acetate. 

Jun 1, 2023 Technology Networks

Artificial Sweetener Metabolite Breaks DNA

Scientists at the North Carolina State University found that a chemical compound produced through the digestion of a common artificial sweetener causes damage to DNA. A team of researchers led by Dr. Susan Schiffman, adjunct professor in the joint department of biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at… 

Jun 1, 2023 WECT

NC study discovers chemical in common sweetener damages DNA, can cause cancer

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found sucralose-6-acetate, the chemical that forms when we digest Splenda, is “genotoxic,” meaning it breaks up DNA. The chemical is also found in trace amounts in Splenda itself, raising questions about how the sweetener may contribute to health problems, researchers… 

Jun 1, 2023 WRBW

2023 Atlantic hurricane season begins: Here’s what to know about this year’s storms

North Carolina State University outlook: Similar to NOAA, university forecasters released a range of possible season activity and expect 11 to 15 named storms to form in the Atlantic basin this year. Of the expected 11 to 15 named storms, six to eight could become hurricanes, with the possibility of two or three of these… 

Jun 1, 2023 Sierra

Out of the Frying Pan, Onto the Farm

The increased deaths might also not be impacting the populations of those animals, said Roland Kays, an ecologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh who was also not involved in the study. We know the mesopredators are going toward humans and they’re dying, he said, but that doesn’t mean their numbers are decreasing. The… 

May 31, 2023 NPR

Antarctica cruises are more popular than ever. Experts say they need more regulation

Christian’s coalition, along with scientists and some governments, want the group of nations that oversees Antarctica to take a firmer hand in regulating tourism there. Yu-Fai Leung is a professor at North Carolina State University who studied the impact visitors have on penguins. He says some colonies seem resilient and aren’t greatly disturbed by tourist… 

May 31, 2023 Phys.org

You can make carbon dioxide filters with a 3D printer

“This manufacturing process, using 3-D printing, makes everything faster and more precise,” said the study’s lead author Jialong Shen, assistant research professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State. “If you have access to a printer, and the raw materials, you can make this functional material. 

May 31, 2023 All About Beer

Spotted Lanternfly Poses Risk To Plants Including Hops

A spotted lanternfly egg mass is hard to see. “Detecting them is really challenging,” says Dr. Kelly Oten, an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. They don’t really look like eggs, Oten notes. Instead, an egg mass resembles a splatter of mud and… 

May 31, 2023 WRAL

NC study discovers chemical in common sweetener damages DNA, can cause cancer

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found sucralose-6-acetate, the chemical that forms when we digest Splenda, is “genotoxic,” meaning it breaks up DNA. “Our new work establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic,” said Susan Schiffman, corresponding author of the study and an adjunct professor in the joint… 

May 30, 2023 The Wire-Science

The Ever-Tenuous Success of Plants Engineered To Kill Insect Foes

Scientists understood that the strategy could fail. In 1998, entomologist Fred Gould, at North Carolina State University, laid out some of its weaknesses in the Annual Review of Entomology. He noted that some insects, by virtue of their biology or life cycle, were less susceptible to Bt toxins than others. In those cases, the crop… 

May 30, 2023 WRAL Tech Wire

Textiles muscle up, change shapes in new studies at N.C. State

In two new studies, North Carolina State University researchers designed and tested a series of textile fibers that can change shape and generate force like a muscle. In the first study, the researchers focused on the materials’ influence on the artificial muscles’ strength and contraction length. The findings could help researchers tailor the fibers for… 

May 30, 2023 The News & Observer

In search of the next SAS, Triangle investor donates $900k to NC State

A year after he sold his Triangle startup for $300 million, entrepreneur Bill Spruill is funding a new North Carolina State University program that aims to help promising research projects become real, revenue-generating businesses. With a $900,000 donation, Spruill will kickstart the school’s 2ndF Research Commercialization Fund. It is a name derived from the company… 

May 30, 2023 The New York Times

How Much Can a Water Filter Do?

Since the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act, though, other water-monitoring issues have arisen. For example, most water treatment plants are not set up to remove more modern contaminants, such as PFAS, pharmaceutical drugs and endocrine disrupting chemicals, said Detlef Knappe, a professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at North Carolina State University,… 

May 26, 2023 WUGA

VR designer helps people experience what it was like to play in the Negro Leagues

A virtual reality designer is helping people experience what it would be like to try on the spikes of baseball players in the Negro Leagues of the 1940s.INSKEEP: The game is called Barnstormers: Determined to Win. And it was developed by Derek Ham. MARTIN: Ham is an associate professor at North Carolina State University. He…