Agriculture and Life Sciences

Feb 24, 2011

NC State Receives $3 Million Grant to Root Out Factors Behind Childhood Obesity

North Carolina State University has received a five-year, $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study the root causes behind childhood obesity in low-income families. The goal is to track urban and rural families to better understand the factors – economic, social, cultural and environmental – that contribute to what has… 

Feb 10, 2011

For Longer-Life, Disease-Free Roses, NC State Researchers Insert Celery Gene

A rose by any other name would smell … like celery? North Carolina State University research intended to extend the “vase life” of roses inserts a gene from celery inside rose plants to help fight off botrytis, or petal blight, one of the rose’s major post-harvest diseases. 

Jan 28, 2011

Superbugs from Swine? Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Found in Flies, Roaches on Hog Farms

Antibiotics are frequently used on commercial hog farms not only to fight disease, but also to help pigs gain weight faster. New research from North Carolina State University and Kansas State University shows that the common pests that live on these farms acquire antibiotic-resistant bacteria and have the potential to spread these bacteria throughout the… 

Jan 19, 2011

NC State Research Tests Winter Cover Crops, Soil Health on Organic Farms

North Carolina State University soil scientists have received $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to examine how winter cover crops on organic farms can make the soil healthier to help organic farming meet increased demand from consumers. The funding from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will help NC State scientists evaluate… 

Jan 14, 2011

Five NC State Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Five North Carolina State University faculty members have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. H.T. Banks, Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics, elected for distinguished contributions to the field of applied mathematics, particularly in quantitative modeling in the biomedical sciences and other areas of science and engineering.… 

Dec 22, 2010

From Fossils To New Tech: Research Highlights From 2010

From prehistoric penguins, which help us understand the mysteries of evolution, to “artificial leaves” that could change the face of solar energy, 2010 was a fascinating year of research at North Carolina State University. As we prepare for 2011, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the interesting research stories to come… 

Nov 3, 2010

Girl Power: No Male? No Problem for Female Boa Constrictor

In a finding that upends decades of scientific theory on reptile reproduction, researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that female boa constrictors can squeeze out babies without mating. 

Nov 2, 2010

Invasive Fruit Fly Found In North Carolina

A potentially important invasive insect species – the fruit fly Drosophila suzukii, or spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) – winged its way to North and South Carolina this summer. The insect has the potential to cause up to 20 percent crop loss in host fruit. 

Oct 14, 2010

Lost, Found and Lost Again

Stop the presses: Bigfoot was spotted in Cary! It’s probably not the Bigfoot you know, that 8-foot-tall beast also known as Sasquatch. Instead, it’s the Bigfoot of ants, a species of ant so rarely seen that it makes blue moons seem common. This ant Bigfoot was unknown until more than 60 years ago, when it… 

Oct 8, 2010

NC State Economist Receives UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Public Service

Michael L. Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of economics at North Carolina State University, received the Award for Excellence in Public Service today from the Board of Governors of the multi-campus University of North Carolina. The award, announced during the Board’s regular October meeting, was established in 2007 to encourage, identify, recognize, and reward distinguished… 

Oct 7, 2010

In Plants, Small Changes Make Big Impact

You can’t see them or feel them, but right now countless biochemical interactions in your body affect your life in countless ways. These interactions are important because if they go poorly, really bad things can happen. In a simple and admittedly extreme example, poorly regulated protein interactions – interactions between molecules that are the main… 

Oct 6, 2010

Study: Fish Near Coal-Fired Power Plants Have Lower Levels Of Mercury

A new study from North Carolina State University finds that fish located near coal-fired power plants have lower levels of mercury than fish that live much further away. The surprising finding appears to be linked to high levels of another chemical, selenium, found near such facilities, which unfortunately poses problems of its own. 

Sep 23, 2010

NC State Named Southeast Climate Science Hub

North Carolina State University will lead the U.S. Department of the Interior’s new Southeast Climate Science Center. The regional center will  provide scientific research needed to understand more about climate change and use the research to work with natural- and cultural-resource managers to plan for climate-change impacts. 

Sep 21, 2010

NC State Research Grant Will Help Military Combat Infections

A new $1.8 million grant from the Department of Defense will allow North Carolina State University researchers to work with the Walter Reed Institute of Research to further test the effectiveness of molecules that have shown great promise in combating antibiotic-resistant infections. The two-and-a-half-year project will show the efficacy of molecules created by NC State’s Dr.… 

Sep 14, 2010

Research Will Help ID Bodies Left Behind By Chilean Earthquake, Pinochet Regime

New research from North Carolina State University will help medical examiners and others identify human remains of those killed during the recent earthquake in Chile, as well as the bodies of the “disappeared” who were killed during the Pinochet administration.