research news

Aug 24, 2009

U.S. Crop Yields Could Wilt in Heat

Yields of three of the most important crops produced in the United States – corn, soybeans and cotton – are predicted to fall off a cliff if temperatures rise due to climate change. In a paper published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, North Carolina State University agricultural and resource… 

Aug 18, 2009

How Schools, Parents Can Work Together For Successful Kids

It is widely understood that, ideally, schools and parents should work together to ensure that children can succeed as students and citizens. But what is the right balance? And how much do teachers want parents involved in the classroom?  A new study from North Carolina State University identifies ways that schools and communities can work… 

Aug 17, 2009

Study Highlights Hurdles Facing Women, Minorities in Job Market

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that white men receive significantly more tips about job opportunities than women and racial minorities – particularly among people in upper management positions – highlighting racial and gender inequality in the labor market. “Our research shows that 95 times out of 100, white men receive more… 

Aug 13, 2009

Finding Good Ideas: How To Improve Product Development

The development of new products and services is key to business success, but a new study from North Carolina State University shows that businesses could do a much better job of evaluating new ideas in order to identify products that will be winners in the marketplace. “You need more critical screens upfront, so that good… 

Aug 10, 2009

To Manage a Fishery, You Must Know How The Fish Die

Recreational anglers and commercial fishermen understand you need good fishery management to make sure there will be healthy populations of fish for generations to come. And making good management decisions rests in large part on understanding the mortality of fish species – how many fish die each year as a result of natural causes and… 

Aug 6, 2009

Scientists Devise Efficient Way of Learning About Complex Corn Traits

There’s no “silver bullet” gene or gene region that controls so-called complex traits in maize, commonly known as corn. Instead, in two research papers published this week in the journal Science, North Carolina State University crop scientists and colleagues show that lots of small changes in a number of gene regions affect complex traits –… 

Jul 23, 2009

Fetal Growth Restriction Studied in Swine

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which results in low birth weight and long-term deleterious health effects in cloned swine, is linked to a type of gene – known as an imprinted gene – found only in placental mammals. Imprinted genes play an important role in the normal… 

Jul 21, 2009

No Economic Crystal Ball Necessary

You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you what is going to happen next in the economy. You need a statistical model. A new method from North Carolina State University can help researchers determine which economic variables they should focus on by identifying whether a variable can be predicted. 

Jul 14, 2009

Plants Can’t Defend Remaining Celibate

Why do some plants defend themselves from insect attacks better than others? New evidence shows that the difference might be due to whether they're getting any plant love. 

Jul 14, 2009

$1.1 Million Grant Supports Transatlantic Forest Resource Management Degree

A new grant awarded to North Carolina State University, along with Michigan Technological University (MTU), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the University of Helsinki (UH), will fund a dual master’s degree program that will encourage European and North American collaboration in forest resource management. The $1.1 million grant is jointly funded by… 

Jul 8, 2009

NC State Researchers Receive $1.3 Million to Study Advanced Battery Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $1.3 million to faculty in North Carolina State University’s Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center to improve the batteries that help power plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. 

Jul 7, 2009

Robo-Bats May Be Next Remote Control Flyers

Tiny flying machines can be used for everything from indoor surveillance to exploring collapsed buildings, but simply making smaller versions of planes and helicopters doesn’t work very well. Instead, researchers at North Carolina State University are mimicking nature’s small flyers – and developing robotic bats that offer increased maneuverability and performance. Small flyers, or micro-aerial… 

Jul 6, 2009

Dogs, Humans, put Heads Together to Find Cure for Brain Cancer

Pinpointing the genes involved in human brain cancer can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and sometimes the needle you find may not be the right one. By comparing human and canine genomes, researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that a gene commonly believed to be involved in meningiomas-tumors that… 

Jun 30, 2009

Can Video Games Boost Thinking Skills in Elderly?

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study whether and how video games can boost memory and thinking skills in the elderly – and then to use their findings to develop a prototype video game to do just… 

Jun 29, 2009

Tool Finds Best Heart Disease, Stroke Treatments for Patients with Diabetes

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Mayo Clinic have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and stroke. “The research is significant because patients with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and…