Broadway is gearing up for its biggest night. The Tony Awards will be held Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. Ryan Donovan, assistant professor of theater studies at Duke University, says there'll be plenty of surprises. There's a toss up for best play and best musical, which almost never happens. There's no clear front runner in a lot of the big races. read more » about Ryan Donovan: Broadway is Gearing Up for the Tony Awards
A proposal to streamline Federal Reserve operations has raised alarm inside the sprawling institution over whether it would undermine the autonomy of its 12 regional banks, just as the central bank braces for broader changes from its new chairman, Kevin Warsh.The initiative – led by Warsh’s one-time rival for the top job, Governor Christopher Waller – aims to centralize certain back-office functions, such as human resources and information technology, at individual reserve banks rather than duplicate them across the Fed’s… read more » about Ellen Meade Comments on Waller’s Push to Shake Up Fed and Fears Over Regional Autonomy
To chart how our brains change over the course of our lives, neuroscientists have focused largely on beginnings and endings: the rapid development and pruning of neural connections in childhood and adolescence, and the degeneration associated with old age.“Think of midlife as the top of an inverted U-curve,” says Ahmad Hariri, a professor of neuroscience at Duke University in North Carolina. You spend the earlier decades on the upward slope, developing and refining your brain. You’ll likely spend decades on… read more » about Duke Neuroscientist Ahmad Hariri on Why You Need to Future Proof Your Brain in Middle Age
A term that began as a meme to poke fun at artificial intelligence is now causing a stir.Gaillynn Clements, a linguistics professor at Wake University and Duke University, said the term "clanker" sounds like an onomatopoeia for clanking metal to some; however, the word may be a microtrigger or microaggression to others."It anthropomorphizes them, it personifies them, it gives them this two-tiered society-type look like we often have done with religious minorities, racial minorities, gender minorities," Clements told USA… read more » about Is 'Clanker' an Appropriate Slang For AI? Duke Linguist Gaillynn Clements Weighs In
Last year, the U.S. fertility rate fell to a record low, with the number of births standing at 53.1 per 1,000 women (ages 15 to 44). That’s a 1% decline from the previous year, and a 23% decline since 2007. Fertility rates are also falling around the world.As America’s fertility rate declines, experts have raised concern about what that will mean for different facets of our economy, like our Social Security system, which relies on contributions from workers and their… read more » about Duke Economics Professor Discusses the U.S. Economy and Declining Birth Rate
Food isn’t just about taste, it’s a fascinating intersection of biology, chemistry and data collection. In this series, we are exploring the research shaping what we eat and why, from breakthroughs in nutrition and sustainability to using to technology to improve crop yield.When Mariano Alvarez arrived at Duke University as a postdoctoral researcher, he never imagined he would run a seed company. But the origins of his startup, Avalo, can be traced directly back to Duke’s biology department, its greenhouses, and a few… read more » about How a Duke Biologist is Reimagining Agriculture
Metabolism is the body’s ability to take in fuel and process it to support life.“It consists of all the complex biochemical reactions that go on in the body to create energy in order to survive,” says fitness and nutrition educator and researcher Mike T. Nelson, PhD....“It’s important to understand that your metabolic rate is a measure of how busy your cells are,” adds Herman Pontzer, PhD, a metabolism researcher and professor at Duke University. “We’re really aware of the calories that our muscle cells use during exercise… read more » about Herman Pontzer: What Exactly Is Metabolism?
NEW YORK (AP) — George Soros ’ Open Society Foundations pledged $300 million Wednesday toward initiatives it says will defend democratic rights and advance economic security in the U.S. over the next five years.The new strategy comes even as President Donald Trump's administration has singled out the Soros family, accusing them of supporting violence and fostering division. Those attacks are part of a broad effort rolled out in 2025 by Trump and his allies to influence nonprofits and charitable funders through executive… read more » about Duke Political Scientist Comments on George Soros’ Foundations Pledge of $300M for US Democracy Amid Attacks on Nonprofits
WASHINGTON -- Global warming is causing rivers to slowly lose oxygen, threatening fish and other lives in the waterways, a new study shows.Researchers in China used satellites and artificial intelligence to track and analyze oxygen levels in more than 21,000 rivers across the globe since 1985. They found oxygen levels have dropped an average of 2.1% since 1985, according to a study published Friday in Science Advances. That doesn't seem like much, but it adds up, and if it continues or accelerates, rivers in the Eastern… read more » about Duke Biologist Emily Bernhardt Discusses New Study On Global Warming Causing Rivers to Lose Oxygen
Oak trees are a familiar part of the landscape here in the Triangle, shading us from the heat and peppering Duke’s campus with acorns of different sizes and shapes. But far beyond North Carolina, the mountains of Mexico and Central America harbor one of the richest concentrations of oak diversity anywhere on Earth. A new international study co-authored by Professor of Biology Paul Manos provides the clearest picture yet of how that extraordinary diversity came to be. The… read more » about New Study Traces How Oaks Rapidly Diversified Across the Americas
Three students with extensive research records under their belts have been named 2026 Faculty Scholars, the highest award given by the Academic Council to undergraduate students.The students are Daniel Levin, a biology major; Emily Song, who is studying biomedical engineering; and Anushka Kumar, who crafted her own Program II individualized major. The trio was chosen from 27 applicants.Meet the scholars:Emily SongEmily Song’s interest in neuro-engineering began long before college through work with the… read more » about Trinity Undergraduate Students Named Faculty Scholars
Pete Hegseth sounded more politician than Defense Secretary on Monday, diving directly into a Republican-on-Republican primary battle on behalf of President Donald Trump.For just over 10 minutes, Hegseth campaigned in Kentucky for Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who is trying to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie, the GOP’s harshest critic of the Iran war — and of Trump.... Experts noted it was a fine line. “It is unusual to see the secretary of Defense campaigning not just in an election, but in the primary, and picking and… read more » about Peter Feaver on Hegseth Entering The War Between Donald Trump and Thomas Massie
Incoming Federal Reserve chief Kevin Warsh's plans to shrink the U.S. central bank's "footprint" in financial markets could be constrained by rising federal debt and the potentially lost luster of U.S. Treasuries, analysts said, with rising long-term interest rates a sign of the challenge awaiting the new Fed chair. read more » about Ellen Meade Comments: US Debt Could Undercut Warsh's Plan to Shrink Fed Balance Sheet
There will come a time, in the not-so-distant future, when you decide to stick a computer chip in your brain.At least, that’s what D. Scott Phoenix told the audience at TED 2026 in Vancouver last month....Nita Farahany, a professor of law and philosophy at Duke and a leading scholar on emerging technologies, believes questions of neural data should be treated separately from other privacy issues rather than simply amending existing privacy law.“The most intimate data is the data about what you’re thinking and feeling that… read more » about Professor of Law, Philosophy Nita Farahany on Neural Data and Privacy Law
Power in the modern world is increasingly exercised not just through military force, but through technology, finance and control over information.Walter D Mignolo, professor at Duke University, argues that while what we historically see as “formal colonialism” may have largely ended, systems of Western dominance continue through economics, culture, technology and knowledge production.“Coloniality is not over. It is all over the world,” Mignolo said, arguing that modern ideas of development and progress often have the effect… read more » about Duke's Walter Mignolo Comments on Big Tech's Global Dominance
Duke University has been awarded $4.4 million from The Duke Endowment for the Duke Lemur Center (DLC), including support for a newly created academic director position. Primatologist and Duke alumna Elizabeth Lonsdorf (T '96) will join the DLC and the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology in this new role on Aug. 1.The new position fills a need identified by an interdisciplinary faculty review committee last year. Working with Executive Director Greg Dye, Lonsdorf will be responsible for… read more » about Trinity Alumna Elizabeth Lonsdorf Joins Duke Lemur Center as New Academic Director
Kevin Warsh will face a key moment in his first weeks as U.S. Federal Reserve leader when interest rate projections released at June's meeting could reveal to President Donald Trump and the world whether Warsh is as dovish about rates as Trump might hope or disappears into more mainstream Fed thinking....Changes to the SEPs are something Warsh is considered likely to pursue, an undertaking he could possibly twin with a decision to hold off on his inaugural "dot," said Ellen Meade, former senior adviser to the Fed board and… read more » about Duke's Ellen Meade On Warsh's First Fed Rate Projection
Duke juniors Fisher Mallon and Michael Sakellakis have been named recipients of the Udall Scholarship. This competitive program recognizes future change agents in environmental, Tribal public policy, and Native health care fields. Mallon and Sakellakis are among the 55 scholars chosen from more than 400 applicants nationwide. “Fisher and Michael embody Duke’s commitment to knowledge in service of society. Through their leadership and dedication to environmental issues, they are already making… read more » about Two Duke Economics Majors Win Udall Scholarships
A federal jury has ordered Kanye West to pay over $438,000 in damages for using an uncleared sample from a 2012 demo by a Florida-based production team at a 2022 “Donda” listening party in Chicago. The ruling—delivered late Tuesday night after a week-long trial—marks the first time Ye has lost a major copyright case, setting a precedent for how artists handle sample clearance in live settings. Here’s why this matters: the case exposes the murky legal gray areas of fan events, the escalating cost of creative disputes, and… read more » about Mark Anthony Neal Discusses Kanye West Copyright Trial Over Uncleared Sample
When you’re in the middle of a disagreement, the person across from you can start to feel like a stranger. That’s one of the biggest reasons empathy gets harder to access mid-fight, says Patty Van Cappellen, a social psychologist at Duke University.“Conflict is typically when people see themselves as being more distant,” she says. “Like, ‘I don’t recognize this other person.’”The fix is what she calls psychological closeness. “Focus on aspects in the relationship that will bring you closer,” she advises. That might mean… read more » about Duke's Patty Van Cappellen Shares The Secret to Ending Arguments Faster
Two Duke alumni have been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate study at Stanford University. Class of 2022 graduates Ayden Case and Jonathan Perera will receive three years of funding there.Case and Perera are members of the ninth Knight-Hennessy cohort and are the 15th and 16th Duke students to receive the scholarship since the program welcomed its first class in 2018.“I am thrilled to celebrate Ayden and Jonathan as 2026 recipients of the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, an honor that recognizes… read more » about Duke Chemistry Alumnus Awarded Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
As an economics undergraduate at Duke University in the 1990s, Amy Hood had no master plan that would one day land her the top finance job at one of the world’s biggest tech companies. In fact, now Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Hood, said her career has looked more like a roller coaster than a ladder—and the lesson she told the class of 2026 still resonates today.“As you start out, many successful careers are rarely—if ever—a straight line,” she said at Duke’s commencement ceremony this past weekend. “Your next… read more » about Duke Economics Alumna Amy Hood, Microsoft CFO, Joined the Tech Giant Without Even Knowing Her Salary
"The nostalgia wave on Broadway is coming for us in Gen X." That's Ryan Donovan, assistant professor at theater studies at Duke University. if you think about Broadway, 20 years ago, you knew Jersey Boys was hot, Mamma Mia was still playing, all of these shows that appeal to Boomers. Now, all of these eighties movies from Gen X-ers' childhoods are big business on Broadway and in the West End. read more » about Duke Theater Expert Ryan Donovan Discusses the Nostalgia Wave on Broadway
Chronic abdominal pain affects an estimated 10–15% of children and is a leading cause of school absence and daily disruption for families. For many children, the experience does more than hurt—it teaches them something potentially harmful: that their bodies cannot be trusted.A new study by researchers at Duke University challenges that assumption, suggesting that how children learn to relate to their bodies may be just as important as how their symptoms are treated. Led by Nancy Zucker, PhD, the research team… read more » about Duke Psychologist Nancy Zucker's New Study Reframes How We Treat Chronic Pain
The Office of the Provost has awarded Intellectual Community Planning Grants to ten projects from Duke faculty members based in eight schools, along with faculty colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill, NC Central and NC State.These planning grants will be used to cover the cost of meeting venues, external speakers, event materials, books or other meeting costs, and/or exploratory research into potential collaborators.Seed funding supports Duke’s strategic vision of empowering the boldest thinkers to take on pressing challenges and… read more » about Trinity Faculty Collaborations Receive Intellectual Community Planning Grants
For the past few years as a Duke undergraduate student, Nana Osaki has studied the brain, focusing on how language changes after a stroke. During her sophomore year, she became the Blue Devil mascot – a role that depends entirely on gestures.Together, those experiences have shaped how she understands communication and how a stroke causes language to break down. Nana Osaki spent years anonymously representing Duke as the Blue Devil mascot. (Photo courtesy of Nat LeDonne) “I think a large… read more » about How the Blue Devil and Brain Research Intersect
“Brain scientists, clinicians and scholars have been dealing with tough times this past year,” said Marc Sommer, director of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS). He noted that, although Duke’s schools and departments have been very supportive in helping their faculty and research groups with bridge funding and other initiatives, there’s an opportunity for DIBS to lend additional assistance during challenging financial moments.“DIBS has focused specifically on ways to support graduate students and… read more » about Ph.D. Fellowships Provide Valuable Support for the Duke Brain Sciences Community
It takes less than 10 seconds to remember that teacher who changed the trajectory of our lives.Perhaps it was the middle school teacher telling us we could be anything we wanted to be in life, or maybe it was the teacher whose enthusiasm was so contagious it inspired further study and a professional career.This week recognizes those individuals with Teacher Appreciation Week. The five-day celebration starting May 4 included National Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday, and National Black Teachers Day May 7.This week we’re… read more » about Teacher Appreciation Week: Trinity Programs Support NC Educators
Big global messages can come from small towns. Consider Snow Hill, a rural hamlet nearly 100 miles east of Duke University.One of Snow Hill’s native daughters is Marlanna Evans — known as Rapsody — a Grammy-award winning artist whose socially conscious storytelling has made her one of the most consequential hip-hop stars in the modern music era.Last month Rapsody arrived in the band room at Jordan High School in Durham to speak with 11th graders. The students had spent the spring semester studying Rapsody’s music along with… read more » about Education Faculty Kisha Daniels Creates Connection Through Hip-Hop
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently announced the election of 120 members and 25 international members "in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research."Two Duke faculty join the ranks of this prestigious organization:Robert Calderbank is Charles S. Sydnor Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and professor of mathematics at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. He is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pratt School of… read more » about Robert Calderbank Elected to The National Academy of Sciences