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Sweat bee (Halictus ligatus). Photo credit: Elsa Youngsteadt.

Mar 9, 2016

Study Finds More Social Insects Have Weaker Immune Response, Highlights Role of Hygiene

Research finds that among eusocial insects – like ants, bees and termites – the more individuals there are in a typical species colony, the weaker the species’ immune response. The finding strongly suggests that hygiene behaviors, and not just immune systems, play a key role in keeping eusocial insects healthy. 

Worm in hand

Feb 24, 2016

106 countries and counting: NC State’s world-renowned vermicompost expert

“There are 25,000 worms in that building behind you,” North Carolina State University’s extension specialist Rhonda Sherman says with a proud smile. It’s not a large-scale infestation; it’s good science at work. 

Close shot of a turkey in poulty building with white feathers.

Feb 8, 2016

Extension helps spread word about avian flu threat

With authorities on high alert for avian influenza this fall and winter, North Carolina Cooperative Extension reached out across the state with educational programs aimed at helping owners of backyard poultry flocks keep the virus at bay. 

Microbe

Feb 2, 2016

Antiperspirant alters skin’s microbial ecosystem

Wearing antiperspirant or deodorant doesn’t just affect your social life, it substantially changes the microbial life that lives on you. New research from NC State and others finds that antiperspirant and deodorant can significantly influence both the type and quantity of bacterial life found in the human armpit’s “microbiome.” 

Nov 16, 2015

Crystal clear

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences research related to water spans the basic to the applied. Here, Dr. Flora Meilleur of the Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry discusses her fundamental research using crystallography to better understand the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in enzymes and what that could mean for water conservation. 

Brandon Glover with Clydesdales

Nov 2, 2015

Giant opportunity

Each year during the Super Bowl, the competition on the field is matched closely by the competition among advertisers to create the most original and impressive commercials. And usually the most heart-warming (or tear-inducing) are those commercials featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales. Last summer, NC State University student Bradley Glover essentially got to inhabit that soft-glow pastoral world of the gentle giants in the ads. 

Anna Stepanova and Jose M. Alonso display plant slides

Oct 22, 2015

Study Finds Key Molecular Mechanism Regulating Plant Translational Activity

Researchers elucidate plant cellular mechanisms associated with ethylene, an important hormone. 

Brittany Whitmire and Andy von Canon with their dog on their farm.

Sep 20, 2015

Business and Busy-ness

Andy VonCanon and Brittany Whitmire call their family farm near Brevard “Busy Bee” – and what a fitting name it is. The two keep bees and raise cattle, turkeys and forage crops, all the while holding busy off-farm careers in agriculture. He’s a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumnus who teaches high school agriculture, and she’s the new dairy economist with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service at NC State. 

Dr. H. Robert Horton signs the agreement creating the new endowment.

Sep 15, 2015

Horton endowment created to fund biochemistry scholarships

The H. Robert and Roberta A. Horton Biochemistry Scholarship Endowment was created in an agreement between the Hortons and the N.C. Agricultural Foundation Inc., in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

Photo credit: Elsa Youngsteadt

May 5, 2015

Top 5 Reasons to Garden for Native Bees

Five good reasons to take steps to make your garden welcoming to native bee species.