Nov 21, 2024 Phys.org

Hurricane exposure tied to rise in maternal mental health issues

“Our research highlights a critical gap: while we know the mental health impacts of single disasters, we’re only beginning to understand the effects of recurrent exposure especially in vulnerable groups like pregnant women,” says Jen Runkle, corresponding author of the study and senior research scholar at NC State’s North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies. 

Nov 20, 2024 Advanced Biofuels

Finding Could Help Turn Trees Into Affordable, Greener Industrial Chemicals

Lignin, a polymer that makes trees rigid and resistant to degradation, has proven problematic. Now those NC State researchers know why: They’ve identified the specific molecular property of lignin — its methoxy content — that determines just how hard, or easy, it would be to use microbial fermentation to turn trees and other plants into industrial… 

Nov 20, 2024 Diverse Education

‘Need for Love More Profound, Harder than It’s Ever Been’

Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, chancellor of the Austin Community College District, spoke at the The Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research’s tenth annual Dallas Herring Lecture on Tuesday. “The need for us to love is more profound today than it has ever been,” said Lowery-Hart. “But, because of those realities, leading with love is… 

Nov 19, 2024 Best in Business

Fluffy Popcorn Isn’t Actually Safe to Eat

Fluffy popcorn, a new online trend, incorporates boxed cake mix with butter and marshmallows to create a sweet treat. Raw flour in the mix can harbor bacteria that could cause food borne illnesses such as e. Coli and Salmonella. “Butter and marshmallows melt somewhere around 100 Fahrenheit which is not hot enough to kill any pathogens… 

Nov 19, 2024 The Weather Network

Methane from tropical wetlands is surging, putting climate plans in peril

A massive surge in wetlands methane — unaccounted for by national emissions plans and undercounted in scientific models — could raise the pressure on governments to make deeper cuts from their fossil fuel and agriculture industries, according to researchers. For countries trying to tackle climate change, “this has major implications when planning for methane and… 

Nov 19, 2024 ABC News

Trump’s proposed tariffs would raise prices for these products, experts say

Economists widely forecast that tariffs of this magnitude would increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers. Trump’s tariffs would cost the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “This… 

Nov 18, 2024 Printed Electronics Now

Printed Electric Bandages Could Change the Way Chronic Wounds are Treated

Because this has the potential to be a huge step forward in treating wounds, researchers worldwide are working on possible solutions. One such research team is being led by North Carolina State University, where, in conjunction with Columbia University, Beth Israel Deaconess Center, and researchers from other universities and institutes, advances are being made on… 

Nov 18, 2024 MSN

Scientists are making headway in gene editing to unlock critical potential within trees

Scientists and engineers at North Carolina State University have discovered trees can be used to produce greener, environmentally safer industrial chemicals that don’t contain petroleum. 

Nov 18, 2024 Reuters

Methane from tropical wetlands is surging, threatening climate plans

For countries trying to tackle climate change, “this has major implications when planning for methane and carbon dioxide emissions cuts,” said Zhen Qu, an atmospheric chemist at North Carolina State University who led the study on La Nina impacts. 

Nov 18, 2024 Yahoo! News

PSA: Fluffy Popcorn Isn’t Actually Safe to Eat

“Butter and marshmallows melt somewhere around 100 Fahrenheit which is not hot enough to kill any pathogens that might be in the cake mix,” says Dr. Ben Chapman, professor and director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program at North Carolina State University. ”Relying on the hot melted mixture to kill any… 

Nov 15, 2024 Yahoo Lifestyle

America Recycles Day Isn’t Just About Bottles & Cans

In yet another effort to keep cotton garments out of landfills, Cotton Incorporated and North Carolina State University are conducting research into turning worn cotton clothes into glucose, or sugar. 

Nov 15, 2024 WECT-TV

DEQ to help fund two southeastern NC cities flood protection projects

North Carolina State University will construct and monitor two “water farming” projects on agricultural and silviculture lands, allowing farm managers to detain more than 77 acre-feet of flood water while continuing to maximize crop and timber yields. 

Nov 15, 2024 Innovation News Network

$160m funding to boost US semiconductor manufacturing

Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) in North Carolina, led by North Carolina State University, received $23.7m. 

Nov 15, 2024 New Scientist

Mounting evidence points to air pollution as a cause of eczema

“The study brings forward the science by nicely showing a clear correlation in a large population,” says Giuseppe Valacchi at North Carolina State University. PM2.5 may trigger the immune system to cause inflammation when it comes into contact with skin, like pollen or dust mites can, says Valacchi. Inhaling it may also play a role,… 

Nov 14, 2024 The Guardian

Washington state farm workers worry about boom in legal foreign workers

Alejandro Gutierrez-Li, a North Carolina State University economist whose work focuses on immigration and agricultural labor in the US, said: “In [the program’s] early years, H-2A workers were primarily found on the east coast (particularly North Carolina and Florida), but with the decline in the farm labor supply, its use has become more widespread throughout…