Latest Duke University Stories
Prof Rick Larrick looks at how political ideology affects how people buy energy-efficient products When it comes to deciding which light bulb to buy, a label touting the product's environmental benefit may actually discourage politically conservative shoppers. Dena Gromet and Howard Kunreuther at The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Rick Larrick at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business conducted two studies to determine how political ideology affected a person's...
Duke University Software builds "library" of millions of small, carbon-based molecules chemists might synthesize. Drug developers may have a new tool to search for more effective medications and new materials. It's a computer algorithm that can model and catalogue the entire set of lightweight, carbon-containing molecules that chemists could feasibly create in a lab. The small-molecule universe has more than 10^60 (that's 1 with 60 zeroes after it) chemical structures. Duke...
Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online One of the largest studies on some of the most complete remains of early human ancestors has culminated in a comprehensive look into how an early hominid (Australopithecus sediba) moved and chewed. The study, collaborated on by an international team of scientists and published in six papers in the journal Science, details not only early traits but also describes notable features that set it apart from modern humans. The research...
Alan McStravick for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A recent animated movie franchise introduced children around the world over to an island just off the coast of Africa and its immense biodiversity. Perhaps unknown to those children and even their parents is the fact this diversity continues to increase thanks to the dedication of scientists who continually seek out new species. The mouse lemur, a saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primate is an example of diversity that can only be found...
CLEVELAND, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Simbionix USA Corporation, the world's leading provider of medical simulators and education solutions, is pleased to announce an agreement with Duke University to license surgical videos and other instructional materials. These resources were developed by Duke physicians and they cover the advanced skills and procedures addressed in Phase 2 of the ACS/APDS Surgical Skills Curriculum for Residents. (Logo:...
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Scientists from Duke University believe that women require more sleep than men. When women don’t get the amount of sleep they need, they may suffer the consequences, both mentally and physically. According to this study, men do not experience the same consequences when they get less sleep than recommended. The consequences of too little sleep can be quite dangerous for women. According to the Duke scientists, women who skimp on...
In experiments mimicking a natural environment, Duke University researchers have demonstrated that the silver nanoparticles used in many consumer products can have an adverse effect on plants and microorganisms. Fifty days after scientists applied a single low dose of silver nanoparticles, the experimental environments produced about a third less biomass in some plants and microbes. These preliminary findings are important, the researchers said, because little is known about the...
"Father of Personalized Medicine" Brings Unique Experience to Board SOUTH BEND, Ind., Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Press Ganey Associates, Inc. today announced the addition of renowned health care visionary Ralph Snyderman, MD, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Snyderman, Chancellor Emeritus and James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University, brings a unique perspective to the Board having led one of the most successful integrated academic health systems in the country and...
By reproducing in the laboratory the complex interactions that cause human genes to turn on inside cells, Duke University bioengineers have created a system they believe can benefit gene therapy research and the burgeoning field of synthetic biology. This new approach should help basic scientists as they tease out the effects of "turning on" or "turning off" many different genes, as well as clinicians seeking to develop new gene-based therapies for human disease. "We know that human...
Epidermal growth factor has been found to speed the recovery of blood-making stem cells after exposure to radiation, according to Duke Medicine researchers. The finding could open new options for treating cancer patients and victims of dirty bombs or nuclear disasters. Reported in the Feb. 3, 2013, issue of the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers explored what had first appeared to be an anomaly among certain genetically modified mice with an abundance of epidermal growth factor in...
