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Sep 17, 2013

NC State Lands $7.3M ‘Citizen Science’ Grant to Boost Research in Schools

North Carolina State University is taking the lead on a five-year, $7.3 million “citizen science” initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the program is to give science teachers and students the opportunity to engage in meaningful scientific research while improving the educational success of both teachers and students. 

Sep 5, 2013

Protecting 17 Percent of Earth’s Land May Preserve 67 Percent of Its Plant Species

Protecting key regions that comprise just 17 percent of Earth’s land may help preserve more than two-thirds of its plant species, according to a new study by an international team of scientists, including a biologist from North Carolina State University. The researchers from Duke University, NC State and Microsoft Research used computer algorithms to identify the… 

Aug 6, 2013

Battery Design Gets Boost From Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a new flexible nano-scaffold for rechargeable lithium ion batteries that could help make cell phone and electric car batteries last longer. The research, published online in Advanced Materials, shows the potential of manufactured sheets of aligned carbon nanotubes coated with silicon, a material with a much higher… 

Jul 3, 2013

Powerful Animal Tracking System Helps Research Take Flight

Call it a bird’s eye view of migration. Scientists are taking a fresh look at animal movement with a big data approach that combines GPS tracking data with satellite weather and terrain information. The new Environmental-Data Automated Track Annotation (Env-DATA) system, featured in the journal Movement Ecology, can handle millions of data points and serve… 

Jun 27, 2013

Mapping Out How to Save Species

In stunning color, new biodiversity research from North Carolina State University maps out priority areas worldwide that hold the key to protecting vulnerable species and focusing conservation efforts. The research, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pinpoints the highest global concentrations of mammals, amphibians and birds on a scale that’s 100… 

Jun 25, 2013

Researchers Use Video Game Tech to Steer Roaches on Autopilot

North Carolina State University researchers are using video game technology to remotely control cockroaches on autopilot, with a computer steering the cockroach through a controlled environment. The researchers are using the technology to track how roaches respond to the remote control, with the goal of developing ways that roaches on autopilot can be used to… 

Jun 13, 2013

Light-Carved ‘Nano-Volcanoes’ Hold Promise for Drug Delivery

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a method for creating “nano-volcanoes” by shining various colors of light through a nanoscale “crystal ball” made of a synthetic polymer. These nano-volcanoes can store precise amounts of other materials and hold promise for new drug-delivery technologies. 

May 23, 2013

Bittersweet: Bait-Averse Cockroaches Shudder at Sugar

Sugar isn’t always sweet to German cockroaches, especially to the ones that avoid roach baits. In a study published May 24 in the journal Science, North Carolina State University entomologists show the neural mechanism behind the aversion to glucose, the simple sugar that is a popular ingredient in roach-bait poison. Glucose sets off bitter receptors… 

Apr 15, 2013

Research Finds Invasive Kudzu Bugs May Pose Greater Threat Than Previously Thought

The invasive kudzu bug has the potential to be a major agricultural pest, causing significant damage to economically important soybean crops. Conventional wisdom has held that the insect pests will be limited to areas in the southern United States, but new research from North Carolina State University shows that they may be able to expand… 

Mar 12, 2013

When Hungry, Gulf of Mexico Algae Go Toxic

When Gulf of Mexico algae don’t get enough nutrients, they focus their remaining energy on becoming more and more poisonous to ensure their survival, according to a new study by scientists from North Carolina State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The study shows that harmful and ubiquitous Karenia brevis algae, which cause… 

Mar 5, 2013

Seniors Who Play Video Games Report Better Sense of Emotional Well-Being

New research from North Carolina State University finds that older adults who play video games report higher levels of emotional well-being. 

Feb 19, 2013

Researchers Create Semiconductor ‘Nano-Shish-Kebabs’ With Potential for 3-D Technologies

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new type of nanoscale structure that resembles a “nano-shish-kebab,” consisting of multiple two-dimensional nanosheets that appear to be impaled upon a one-dimensional nanowire. However, the nanowire and nanosheets are actually a single, three-dimensional structure consisting of a seamless series of germanium sulfide (GeS) crystals. The structure… 

Feb 4, 2013

Grooming Helps Insects Keep Their Senses Sharpened

Like a self-absorbed teenager, insects spend a lot of time grooming. In a study that delves into the mechanisms behind this common function, North Carolina State University researchers show that insect grooming – specifically, antennal cleaning – removes both environmental pollutants and chemicals produced by the insects themselves. The findings, published online this week in… 

Jan 14, 2013

Lack of Protein Sp2 Disrupts Neuron Creation in Brain

A protein known as Sp2 is key to the proper creation of neurons from stem cells, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. Understanding how this protein works could enable scientists to “program” stem cells for regeneration, which has implications for neural therapies. Troy Ghashghaei and Jon Horowitz, both faculty in NC State’s Department of… 

Nov 27, 2012

For Some Feathered Dinosaurs, Bigger Not Necessarily Better

Every kid knows that giant carnivores like Tyrannosaurus rex dominated the Cretaceous period, but they weren’t the only big guys in town. Giant plant-eating theropods – close relatives of both T. rex and today’s birds – also lived and thrived alongside their meat-eating cousins. Now researchers have started looking at why dinosaurs that abandoned meat…