Aug 4, 2023 National Geographic

These bizarre worms are probably coming to a backyard near you

“It’s very visceral for people to hear about hammerhead worms and then see one in [their] yard,” says entomologist Matt Bertone, director of the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at North Carolina State University. “Hammerhead worms are particularly abundant and common throughout the U.S., but they’re so foreign-looking that people really react to them.” 

Aug 4, 2023 Tech Xplore

Robotic grippers offer unprecedented combo of strength and delicacy

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a robotic gripping device that is gentle enough to pick up a drop of water, strong enough to pick up a 6.4 kilogram (14.1 pound) weight, dexterous enough to fold a cloth, and precise enough to pick up microfilms that are 20 times thinner than a human… 

Aug 4, 2023 AZO Robotics

New Robotic Grippers to Handle a Plethora of Disparate Objects

“Our new grippers also use kirigami, but are substantially different, as we learned a great deal from the previous design. We’ve been able to improve the fundamental structure itself, as well as the trajectory of the grippers—meaning the path at which the grippers approach an object when grabbing it,” states Yaoye Hong, co-author of the paper… 

Aug 3, 2023 WTVD

New invasive insect feeding on elm trees in North Carolina

An invasive insect that’s originally from East Asia has arrived in North Carolina, according to researchers at NC State. The elm zigzag sawfly, or Aproceros leucopoda, first arrived in the United States in 2021. It feeds on the leaves of elm trees, and researchers are not sure what that will do in the long-run to the… 

Aug 3, 2023 WUNC

A new invasive insect has reached North Carolina

Officials are asking residents to keep an eye out for Elm zigzag sawflies across the state. The Elm zigzag sawfly is native to Asia. It starts out as a small green caterpillar-like insect with black markings. It feeds on elm tree leaves. Once it’s done feeding it goes into a cocoon stage and emerges as… 

Aug 3, 2023 IEEE Spectrum

New Form of Silicon Targets Quantum Computing

A new form of silicon called Q-silicon could be just the ticket, its developers say. Researchers at North Carolina State University who reported the material in the journal Materials Research Letters say it has properties suitable not just for quantum computing but also for lithium-ion batteries. Q-silicon has a random arrangement of those diamondlike pyramids… 

Aug 3, 2023 Popular Science

How male tobacco budworm moths found their perfect cologne

“These close-range interactions provide valuable insight into both species recognition— how females recognize males of the same species—and female choice in mate selection,” study co-author and North Carolina State University entomologist Coby Schal said in a statement. “This interaction gives females some insight into a particular male’s history.” 

Aug 3, 2023 Forbes

Why Declawing Tigers Or Other Big Cats Is Bad For Their Health

“What people might not realize is that declawing a cat is not like trimming our fingernails; rather, it is removing part or all of the last bone of each digit,” comparative and functional anatomist Adam Hartstone-Rose, an Associate Professor of Biology at North Carolina State University and the corresponding author of this study said in… 

Aug 3, 2023 New Atlas

Kirigami-inspired robotic grippers combine strength & a delicate touch

We’ve seen a spate of robotic grippers of late, including grippers that operate without electricity, are inspired by flowers, or sport wooden ‘fingers’. But, researchers from North Carolina State (NC State) University may have just developed next-level robotic grippers. “It’s difficult to develop a single, soft gripper that is capable of handling ultrasoft, ultrathin, and heavy… 

Aug 2, 2023 New Scientist

Male moths make their own perfume from flowers to attract females

Coby Schal at North Carolina State University and his colleagues discovered that the males of tobacco budworm moths (Chloridea virescens) – a major agricultural pest – collect a plant scent called methyl salicylate and use it to increase their mating success. Methyl salicylate is found in the flower nectar of many different plants and has… 

Aug 2, 2023 Science That Matters

The Power of Partnerships: How the “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Journey on SciStarter Supported Girl Scouts in Learning and Taking Action

Our research team recently published a study highlighting how partnerships between SciStarter and facilitator organizations like the Girl Scouts of the USA provide a supportive context for extending learning and action associated with participation in citizen science. One of the most inspiring findings of this study was that the vast majority of girls participating in… 

Aug 2, 2023 IEEE Spectrum

The Solar Cell Discovery Machine

With the aid of crystals known as perovskites, solar cells are increasingly breaking records in how well they convert sunlight to electricity. Now a new automated system could make those records fall even faster. North Carolina State University’s RoboMapper can analyze how well perovskites might perform in solar cells, using roughly one-tenth to one-fiftieth the… 

Aug 2, 2023 Futurity

Why Declawing Is Really Bad For Tigers

“What people might not realize is that declawing a cat is not like trimming our fingernails; rather, it is removing part or all of the last bone of each digit,” says Adam Hartstone-Rose, professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of the research. “Like us, each cat finger has three… 

Aug 2, 2023 WRAL

New insect, invasive to NC, chews zigzag pattern into elm leaves

Kelly Oten, assistant professor of forest health at North Carolina State University, explains that the elm zigzag sawfly feeds on the leaves of elm trees, creating a zigzag pattern, thus the name. Because the species is so new to North Carolina, it’s not yet clear what the long-term impact will be on the state’s millions… 

Aug 1, 2023 Inverse

Scientists Identify The Surprising Secret Ingredients In Male Moth Pheromones

Senior author Coby Schal, an urban entomology professor at North Carolina State University, wrote to Inverse that female and male moths produce pheromones that resemble each other but are also distinct. Females create their blend exclusively from fatty acids in a very precise chemical ratio. Males, on the other hand, use a combination of alcohols,…