DURHAM, N.C. -- Close bonds with the opposite sex can have non-romantic benefits. And not just for people, but for our primate cousins, too. Drawing on 35 years of data, a new study of more than 540 baboons in Amboseli National Park in Kenya finds that male baboons that have close female friends have higher rates of survival than those who don’t. Researchers have often assumed that when a male is friendlier to certain females, it’s for the reproductive perks: to better protect his offspring, or to boost his chances of… read more » about Male Baboons With Female Friends Live Longer
DURHAM , N.C. -- Many humans live to see their 70s and 80s, some even reach 100 years old. But life is much shorter for our closest animal relatives. Chimpanzees, for example, rarely make it past age 50, despite sharing almost 99% of our genetic code. While advances in medicine and nutrition in the last 200 years have added years to human lifespans, a new study suggests there could be a more ancient explanation why humans are the long-lived primate. Part of the secret to human longevity, researchers say, may lie… read more » about Your Cells Look Young for Their Age, Compared to a Chimp’s
Jonathan Mattingly, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, was interviewed on the mathematics of gerrymandering and the way computer generated maps can detect the problem. Read the article at Science News. read more » about How Next-gen Computer Generated Maps Detect Partisan Gerrymandering
After teaching a doctoral course for the past five years that mixes in-person learning and online class sessions, Duke Divinity School’s Curtis Freeman is an online teaching veteran. Curtis Freeman has embraced the challenge of teaching online. Photo courtesy of Duke Divinity School. But with COVID-19 limiting in-person classes this fall, and making Freeman’s class an entirely online affair, even he knew he’d need to keep evolving. “The delivery and interaction with students is different this fall,” said Freeman,… read more » about Lessons From Teaching in a Pandemic
The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows. In particular, many American congregations report becoming substantially more involved in immigration issues, likely in response to the administration’s controversial, hardline stances. And Black Protestant congregations report a surge in political activity since 2012, perhaps in reaction to the ongoing and increasingly visible abuse of Black men by police, the article found. “… read more » about In Trump Era, More Progressive Churches Get Politically Active
Duke employees and alumni have a chance to share their expertise and help students with their writing through the Duke Reader Project. The Duke Reader Project is seeking Duke alumni, staff and faculty – called “readers” – to assist undergraduate students with assignments in writing courses for the fall and spring semesters. By participating, Duke alumni and employees use their knowledge to help students improve their communication and reasoning skills. “There is a tremendous amount of knowledge that employees… read more » about Help Students One Word at a Time
May 6, 2021 Update: Jonathon Yuly and his co-authors, including Peng Zhang and David Beratan, were awarded Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences's 2020 Cozzarelli Prize for their paper on electron bifurcation. The award is given annually to six research teams whose articles have made "outstanding contributions to their fields." You can hear Yuly describe the paper in the video above or in an episode of PNAS's Science Sessions… read more » about PhD Student Solves 40-Year Bioenergetics Mystery
Brian Hare, professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, and Vanessa Woods, a research scientist in the same department, joined Alan Alda's radio show Clear+Vivid to discuss what their research tells us about humanity's essential ingredient. Listen at the Clear+Vivid website. read more » about On Humanity’s Essential Ingredient
Sarah Gaither, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, writes about the way Kamala Harris's nomination sheds light on black female experiences. Read the article at Psychology Today. read more » about Black Women: The Invisible Warriors
DURHAM, N.C. -- You know the type: Loud. Swaggering. Pushy. The alpha male clearly runs the show. Female alphas are often less conspicuous than their puffed up male counterparts, but holding the top spot still has its perks. Wearing the crown means privileged access, like never having to wait your turn. And now, a study of female baboons points to another upside to being No. 1: less stress. In a Duke University-led study, researchers describe how, after 18 years of collecting fecal samples from 237 female baboons in… read more » about Baboon Matriarchs Enjoy Less Stress
Although he left office nearly a decade ago, the man known to millions simply as Lula remains Brazil’s single most influential politician, says John French, Duke professor of history. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva led strikes against the country’s military dictatorship, founded the Workers’ Party and became president of Latin America’s largest country after his fourth attempt at election in 2002. Lula has spoken out against the right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic and… read more » about Professor John French on Lula, Former Brazilian President (and the Country’s COVID-19 Problem)
A cluster of new classics professors are expanding our view of the past. When the 2020–2021 academic year began, Duke’s Department of Classical Studies looked a lot different than it had when the previous year ended. Over the summer, the department welcomed four new professors—a cluster of hires that accounts for nearly 50 percent of the department’s faculty. Their presence alone is a significant addition to Duke’s classics expertise and teaching, but equally as important is who was hired. The four new professors cover the… read more » about The Complicated Classical World
In the upcoming election, North Carolina voters will have a lot of sway. Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice-President Joe Biden, are locked in a tight race thus far. As a Southern state that often leans Republican in presidential elections, North Carolina could change the course of the entire national election if Biden can eke out a win here, three Duke experts said Thursday during a media briefing on the relevance of the Tar Heel state this election season. Watch the briefing on… read more » about How NC Votes Likely to Determine National Outcomes, Experts Say
Duke University researchers Jungsang Kim and Christophe Monroe will join peers from the national labs, universities, federal agencies and industry on a new National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC) recently announced by the U.S. Department of Energy and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The NQIAC’s mission is to “counsel the Administration on ways to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science” and was established by Executive Order as part of the… read more » about Duke Joins Peers on New National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee
Writing with Kraig Beyerlein from Notre Dame, professor of Sociology Mark Chaves argues that his research on the National Congregations Study shows there is "surging political activism among religious progressives in what appears to be a direct response to Trump administration policies." Read the article at CNN. read more » about Trump Can't Take the Evangelical Vote for Granted
Duke Economics is pleased to welcome Jason Baron to the department. Baron is currently Scholar in Residence while completing a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. He will start as an Assistant Professor in the 2021-2022 school year. Baron grew up in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. He moved to the United States with his family when he was fifteen years old. “My parents wanted to move to the United States to pursue a better future for our family. We… read more » about Duke Economics Welcomes Jason Baron
For some of The Graduate School’s current and former students, adding the title of podcaster to their already impressive credentials has been a way to dive deeper into their respective fields of study, connect with professionals, or learn a new skill. We take a look at four podcasts that several members of The Graduate School community have helped to create, produce, and host. The Gastronauts Podcast After being challenged by his Ph.D. mentor to expand the Gastronauts Network, an organization committed to exploring… read more » about From Science to Basketball, Grad Students and Alumni Find Their Voice in Podcasting
DURHAM, N.C. -- COVID-19 has stripped control and predictability from us. We can’t do the things we want, and we aren’t sure when this mess is going to end. So we’re anxious and depressed and overwhelmed. Many of us are trying to work and parent and keep households running. Many of us are “essential,” which means we have to work in public, putting our health at risk. It’s a lot to deal with, but there are ways to cope, help others, and shepherd our kids to the other side of all of this. Speaking to reporters Wednesday… read more » about Anxious and Depressed? Experts Share Tips for Coping in Pandemic
Alfred Goshaw, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics, surveys his career studying elementary particle physics for those "who are curious about how the field has evolved from the dawn of the Standard Model in the 1960s to activities today that require the use of mega particle detectors." Read the article at Innovation News Network. read more » about Research in the Field of Elementary Particle Physics
Duke Economics is excited to welcome new assistant professor Laura Castillo-Martinez to the department. Castillo-Martinez is originally from Murcia, Spain. Growing up, her parents' jobs took them around Europe, so Castillo-Martinez knew they would support her looking for school and work opportunities internationally. She completed her Ph.D. at the London School of Economics, where she discovered her love of teaching. “At LSE you have a teaching load every year,” Castillo-Martinez said, “At first it was very demanding for me… read more » about Duke Economics Welcomes Laura Castillo-Martinez as Assistant Professor
This fall semester, Duke Kunshan University lecturer Ashton Merck will be communicating with her students more than usual. She plans to check in with her students early and often through WeChat messages, email, and virtual office hours. Merck hopes that by staying in contact, students will feel more connected to the course and to each other, no matter where they are in the world. “I think that especially in this stressful time, instructors have a responsibility to open up lines of communication that… read more » about How Duke Faculty Prepared for the Fall Semester
The signs of change were all around: Students walking around campus wearing face masks, talking to new friends in distanced circles. Socializing tents scattered around campus. Seminars in large rooms with seats spaced out. But the first day of classes also had much that was familiar. Students strolled along pathways with coffee and food-for-later in hand. Groundskeepers zipped past on riding mowers while joggers circled the East Campus loop, albeit giving each other plenty of room. Most importantly, there was… read more » about The First Day of Classes Start With Masks, Distancing and Vigorous Classrooms
A traditional Theater Studies mainstage course (THEATRST 350) would provide students the chance to participate in the department’s major production for the semester, with a faculty member not only teaching the course, but also directing. Classwork would focus on analyzing, researching, and producing a play, with students auditioning for roles and rehearsing lines well into the fall. Costumes and sets would be built and props gathered—all culminating in a multi-week public performance on a stage at the Bryan Center. But this… read more » about Theater Studies Mainstage Addresses Racism Against Black America
Priscilla Wald, R. Florence Brinkley Distinguished Professor of English, was interviewed for a WalletHub article about how to close the gender pay gap, what policies will have the most impact and how to increase female representation in leadership at large companies. read more » about 2020’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality
Nicki Washington is a woman on a mission: As a professor of the practice of computer science at Duke, she teaches a course called Race, Gender, Class & Computing, which explores the diversity challenges in computer science and the effects that this lack of inclusion has on technology. “I have long argued that computer science needs a stronger dose of social sciences as part of its curriculum and this class is a chance to do that,” she said. This is uphill work. Though women make up over 50 percent of the U.S.… read more » about The Final Frontier: New Course Addresses Lack of Inclusion in Computer Science
Sunshine Hillygus, professor of Political Science, was interviewed for a Good Housekeeping article on raising good citizens. She discussed the need to show children how to take part in civic life. Read the article at Good Housekeeping. read more » about How to Raise a Good, Civic-Minded Citizen While Avoiding the Ugly Side of Politics
