Duke
Elemental ‘cookbook’ guides efficient thermoelectric combinations
A repository developed by Duke University engineers that they call a “materials genome” will allow scientists to stop using trail-and-error methods for combining electricity-producing materials called “thermoelectrics.”
Thermoelectri…
Jumping droplets take a lot of heat
Microscopic water droplets jumping from one surface to another may hold the key to a wide array of more energy efficient products, ranging from large solar panels to compact laptop computers.
Duke University engineers have developed…
Creasing to cratering: Voltage breaks down plastic
DURHAM, N.C. — A Duke University team has seen for the first time how soft polymers, such as wire insulation, can break down under exposure to electrical current.
Researchers have known for decades that polymers, such those insulating wires, m…
New method for rapidly producing protein-polymers
DURHAM, NC — Duke University bioengineers have developed a new method for rapidly producing an almost unlimited variety of man-made DNA sequences.
These novel sequences of recombinant DNA are used to produce repetitive proteins to create new…
Genetic sequencing alone doesn’t offer a true picture of human disease
DURHAM, N.C. — Despite what you might have heard, genetic sequencing alone is not enough to understand human disease. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have shown that functional tests are absolutely necessary to understand the biologi…
Detecting esophageal cancer with light
DURHAM, N.C. — A tiny light source and sensors at the end of an endoscope may provide a more accurate way to identify pre-cancerous cells in the lining of the esophagus.
Developed by biomedical engineers at Duke University and successfully t…
Report: Policies to spur renewable energy can lower energy costs
The South could pay less for its electricity in 20 years than is currently projected if strong public policies are enacted to spur renewable energy production and use, according to a report released today by researchers at the Georgia Institute of T…
Mexican immigrants’ health declines as they assimilate to America
Mexican-Americans who are most integrated into the culture — including those born in the United States, and not recent immigrants — appear less healthy and more likely to require resources to manage their health conditions than more recent, less-i…
Duke scientists look deeper for coal ash hazards
DURHAM, N.C. — As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency weighs whether to define coal ash as hazardous waste, a Duke University study identifies new monitoring protocols and insights that can help investigators more accurately measure and predi…
Marsupial embryo jumps ahead in development
DURHAM, N.C. — Long a staple of nature documentaries, the somewhat bizarre development of a grub-like pink marsupial embryo outside the mother’s womb is curious in another way.
Duke University researchers have found that the developmental progra…
Why so many antibodies fail to protect against HIV infection
DURHAM, NC — Researchers have been stymied for years over the fact that people infected with the AIDS virus do indeed produce antibodies in response to the pathogen — antibodies that turn out to be ineffective in blocking infection.
Now, sci…
