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Oct 11, 2012

Researchers Create ‘Nanoflowers’ for Energy Storage, Solar Cells

Researchers from North Carolina State University have created flower-like structures out of germanium sulfide (GeS) – a semiconductor material – that have extremely thin petals with an enormous surface area. The GeS flower holds promise for next-generation energy storage devices and solar cells. 

Sep 27, 2012

New Fish Species Offers Literal Take on ‘Hooking Up’

Fishing hooks aren’t the only hooks found in east-central Mexican waters. A new species of freshwater fish described by a North Carolina State University researcher has several interesting – and perhaps cringe-inducing – characteristics, including a series of four hooks on the male genitalia. Females of the new species – the llanos mosquitofish, or Gambusia… 

Sep 4, 2012

A Blueprint for ‘Affective’ Aggression

A North Carolina State University researcher has created a roadmap to areas of the brain associated with affective aggression in mice. This roadmap may be the first step toward finding therapies for humans suffering from affective aggression disorders that lead to impulsive violent acts. Affective aggression differs from defensive aggression or premeditated aggression used by… 

Aug 30, 2012

Unexpected Finding Shows Climate Change Complexities in Soil

In a surprising finding, North Carolina State University researchers have shown that certain underground organisms thought to promote chemical interactions that make the soil a carbon sink actually play a more complex, dual role when atmospheric carbon levels rise. In a paper published in the Aug. 31 edition of Science, North Carolina State University researchers… 

Aug 8, 2012

Welcome Back, Pack!

Summer is winding down, and North Carolina State University has an impressive slate of events to welcome both returning students and a new Wolfpack freshman class. NC State’s fall semester begins Thursday, Aug. 16. 

Jul 16, 2012

Rodent Robbers Good Guys in Rainforest?

There’s no honor among thieves when it comes to rodent robbers—which turns out to be a good thing for tropical trees that depend on animals to spread their seeds. Results of a yearlong study in Panama, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of July 16, suggest that thieving rodents… 

Jul 12, 2012

Researchers Create Highly Conductive and Elastic Conductors Using Silver Nanowires

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed highly conductive and elastic conductors made from silver nanoscale wires (nanowires). These elastic conductors can be used to develop stretchable electronic devices. 

Jun 20, 2012

Researchers Find Gold Nanoparticles Capable of ‘Unzipping’ DNA

New research from North Carolina State University finds that gold nanoparticles with a slight positive charge work collectively to unravel DNA’s double helix. This finding has ramifications for gene therapy research and the emerging field of DNA-based electronics. 

Jun 11, 2012

Visionary Surgery Aids Elephant

Richard McMullen has just finished the biggest case of his life – literally. On May 31, McMullen successfully completed the second of two cataract surgeries on an elephant named C’sar. C’sar is a 38-year-old African bull elephant who has been in residence at the North Carolina Zoo since 1978. In fact, he was one of… 

May 23, 2012

Rock and (Not) Roll: Study Eyes How to Keep a Mars Tumbleweed Rover Moving on Rocky Terrain

New research from North Carolina State University shows that a wind-driven “tumbleweed” Mars rover would be capable of moving across rocky Martian terrain – findings that could also help the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) design the best possible vehicle. 

May 17, 2012

Ancient Giant Turtle Fossil Revealed

Picture a turtle the size of a Smart car, with a shell large enough to double as a kiddie pool. Paleontologists from North Carolina State University have found just such a specimen – the fossilized remains of a 60-million-year-old South American giant that lived in what is now Colombia. The turtle in question is Carbonemys… 

Apr 23, 2012

Bartonella Infection Associated with Rheumatoid Illnesses in Humans

A bacterium historically associated with cat scratch fever and transmitted predominately by fleas may also play a role in human rheumatoid illnesses such as arthritis, according to new research from North Carolina State University. Bartonella is a bacterium that is maintained in nature by fleas, ticks and other biting insects. It can be transmitted to… 

Apr 17, 2012

Improved Loblolly Pines Better for the Environment, Study Finds

More than 50 years of genetics work to increase loblolly pine production in the Southeast has improved the trees’ ability to act as carbon sinks that mitigate climate change, according to a new study by North Carolina State University researchers. “We’ve been working to create trees that grow faster and produce more wood, and what… 

Apr 10, 2012

Researchers Foresee Relatively Quiet Hurricane Season

Researchers at North Carolina State University aren’t looking for any surprises with the 2012 hurricane season – they believe that storm activity in the Atlantic basin will be in line with historic averages. According to Dr. Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, and collaborators Dr. Montserrat Fuentes, professor of statistics, and graduate… 

Mar 30, 2012

Bees ‘Self-Medicate’ When Infected With Some Pathogens

Research from North Carolina State University shows that honey bees “self-medicate” when their colony is infected with a harmful fungus, bringing in increased amounts of antifungal plant resins to ward off the pathogen.