By Emma Goldberg Everyone, young and old, loves Disney movies. And have you ever noticed that some of the most iconic and loved characters talk in an accent? Think of The Little Mermaid’s Sebastian, or Finding Nemo’s Crush! Both of these beloved characters sport their very own accent. Although part of why we love Disney […]
By Devina Thiono When you go to a different place, you may notice that the water tastes different than what you are used to at home. Even different commercial water bottles, like Dasani or Fiji Water, can taste different from one another. A lot of this has to do with the amount of minerals present […]
By Eva Vitucci The electronic-cigarette (e-cig) comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, and many different flavoring options. While vaping and e-cig use were initially brought into the market as a safer alternative to cigarettes, new studies suggest otherwise. As 27.5% of high school youth continue to vape, an increase in lung disease and […]
By Jenna Beam If you’ve been on social media lately, you might have noticed that a lot of people are using quarantine to attempt the mother of all breads: sourdough. But why is sourdough so special? And why are people scared to make homemade bread in general? Let’s start with some bread-making basics. Bread dough […]
By Jeffrey Letourneau What did you eat for dinner last night? It might feel like a long time ago from your perspective, but chances are that the microbes in your gut are currently digesting some of the last remaining nutrients from that meal. In particular, dietary fiber is an important food source for these microbes, […]
By Alan Curtis Hiking can be a fun and rewarding form of exercise but it comes with plenty of dangers ranging from blistered feet to wild animals. One of the most common dangers, however, is a seemingly harmless plant called Toxicodendron radicans, or more commonly, poison ivy. Poison ivy is a hardy, flowering summer plant […]
By Yogitha Chareddy Spring is in full bloom and the warming weather is encouraging North Carolinians to leave their cozy homes in search of fun outdoor activities. As we shed our winter jackets, sweaters, and fuzzy socks, we must remember to add a new layer of protection: sunscreen. Everyone knows what sunscreen is. It’s the […]
By Lane Scher If you’ve been spending time outside lately, you’ve probably noticed a lot more green over the last few weeks. Maybe you’ve also noticed more birds singing, and if you’re really paying attention, you’ll see different types of birds every couple of days. These are changes that happen every year in the Spring, […]
By Rachel Cherney Have you ever woken up to see a shadow in your room, perhaps whispering your name? You do all you can to hide, but you can’t move – you’re paralyzed, and your breathing is so loud, the shadow is sure to find you. You try to scream, but you can’t. You’re completely […]
By Emma Goldberg There are nearly 90 million dogs in the US and each has a unique personality. There is, however, one thing nearly all dogs have in common: if you throw a ball, they will bring it back! We have long believed that the “fetching skill” only existed in modern dogs, but researchers at […]
By Alan Curtis Ah, Spring- a season of renewal, growth and beautiful colors! Flowering plants and trees use pollen to reproduce. Pollen is produced by male parts of the flower and spread through the air and peaks in the spring months. For some North Carolinians, pollen makes spring a time of intense allergies. Puffy eyes, […]
By Jenna Beam Meet Edward Jenner, a physician from way back in the early 1800’s. Why do we care about another old English man, you ask? Because Edward Jenner is the man responsible for one of the most important medical discoveries ever made: vaccines. As a baby through early childhood, and even sometimes as an […]
By Eva Vitucci The horseshoe crab, an animal that’s actually more closely related to sea spiders than sea crabs, has swum through our coastal waters for the past 445 million years – dating them beyond the existence of dinosaurs! While these animals are ancient, they are relatively well-equipped to handle today’s world. In fact, the […]
By Devina Thiono With Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still going strong, we’re hearing the phrase “wash your hands” more frequently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also listed proper hand-washing with soap and water as one of the main steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19. So, how could this simple regimen protect […]
By Lane Scher Sunflowers are one of my favorite plants. I like them not just because they grow tall and make beautiful flowers but also because of their amazing tricks to get sunlight and attract pollinators. When I was in college, I got to work in a research lab that studied these behaviors in sunflowers, […]
By Carolina Herrera Vaping is safer than smoking tobacco you say? Tobacco smoking in the U.S. has decreased, however due to this decline, tobacco companies have promoted electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) as safer alternatives to tobacco cigarettes. E-cigs are battery-operated devices that produce aerosols by heating up nicotine, flavorings and other components. However, what people don’t […]
By Emma Joy Goldberg It’s that time of year again! The time of year when, one by one, your friends, teachers, sisters, brothers, moms and dads come down with that dreaded weeklong cold! That’s right, it’s cold season! Traditional symptoms of the common cold that no one seems able to escape include a runny nose, […]
By Rachel Cherney Earth is filled with some incredible sights and unbelievable creatures. You may have heard of the great white shark, the giant squid, the anglerfish, or even the tardigrade, that can survive in space, or decades without water! Now, you’re going to learn about the mantis shrimp, a class of about 450 sea […]
By Allyson Roberts Fall is finally upon us, bringing colder temperatures and the holiday season. Fall also brings beautiful scenery—the rainbow of colors seen as leaves begin to transform and fall from their branches. Not surprisingly, this phenomenon—and the reasoning behind why only some leaves change color—is easily described by cool, natural science! You may […]
By Eva Vitucci Scientists have proven that it truly is harder for teens to wake up earlier than other age groups. While there are a few reasons that potentially drive this difference, it largely boils down to two main molecules that are produced in our bodies, melatonin and serotonin. When we wake up in the […]
Thanks for following the NC DNA Day CONNECT blog this year! We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the latest scientific discoveries and news as much as we’ve enjoyed writing about them. As we take a break for the summer, we thought it was a good time to share this post highlighting the great science resources […]
By Allyson Roberts Spring is finally here to stay. The weather is warming up, the sun is staying out later and later, and we’re beginning to see wildlife flit around outside. Amongst the blooming flowers and buzzing bees, sometimes you can even spot a butterfly perched nearby. Butterflies come in all shapes and sizes, but […]
By Chad Lloyd Most people have heard of the scientific method. The scientific method is the process that we use as scientists to help make discoveries. This method is also the process everyone uses when making decisions, which shows that everyone does science on a daily basis! The first part of the scientific method is […]
By Christina Marvin Humans have been drinking the modern form of coffee since as early as the 13th century. It is estimated that 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day worldwide. The scientific community has weighed the major risks against the benefits of the world’s favorite caffeinated beverage for decades. For the first […]
By Eva Vitucci The human body is an amazing entity, and as can be seen by watching the recent Winter Olympics, the body can accomplish great physical feats! Becoming an Olympic athlete requires years of practice and training. Interestingly, while most people may focus on how critical it must be to build and maintain the […]
By Eva Vitucci As 2018 makes its grand entrance, so does the ever trending hashtag #NewYearNewMe. This hashtag is frequently used in reference to the undertaking of a healthier lifestyle, and for those hashtag enthusiasts, is often followed by #FitFam and #LegDay. Shifting to a healthier lifestyle can be a monumental challenge, but often one of […]
With much of North Carolina under several inches of snow (included up to a foot in some parts of the Research Triangle!), we thought it was a good time to revisit how a familiar favorite survives in such harsh conditions. Originally published on November 12, 2016. By Christina Marvin What do you imagine when you hear […]
By Michelle Engle As kids, we are often told, “don’t go outside with wet hair, you will catch a cold!” Is there any truth to this old saying, or is it just a persistent myth? Knowing the difference between myths and scientific facts is important for making educated decisions. But what’s even more important is […]
By Chad Lloyd Flash back to 4th grade art class. “Today we are going to decorate for winter and will be making snowflakes,” your favorite art teacher says. As excitement fills the air, you and your friends rush to get paper and scissors to begin your masterpieces. After making your final cuts to the paper, […]
By Yitong Li When it comes to food choice, it’s almost an instinctual question: sometimes I want some chicken and greens for dinner and others I want some BBQ ribs and mashed potatoes. Compared to other decisions, such as which phone to buy or which shirt to put on in the morning, choosing food seems […]
By Clare Gyorke When I say the flu sucks, I’m not talking about the cold you get every year – you feel crappy for a day or two, but not so crappy that you can’t watch Netflix. I’m talking about the one that starts out feeling like a cold, but progresses to feeling so bad […]
By Kelsey Gray In elementary school, I always looked forward to enjoying some Sunny Delight orange juice when my mom picked me up from school. One day, rather than tossing the empty bottle into the trash, I told my mom we needed to save it. When she seemed a little confused, I explained that we […]
By Julia DiFiore As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, the countdown to summer gets shorter. While the first official day of summer isn’t until June 20, many of you have already started summer vacation. Whether your plans over the next couple of months involve a summer job, vacation, summer school, SAT […]
By Kelsey Gray As the days get longer, the air gets warmer, and the sun shines brighter, we may begin to notice fresh fruits and vegetables growing around us and appearing in local grocery stores and markets. Food crops, including grains, fruits, and vegetables, are harvested to feed the growing world population of over 7 […]
By Michelle Engle Scientists have been attempting to find a way to directly observe the developmental process of chicks for decades. The elegant process of developing from a single fertilized cell into a cluster of heart cells, and eventually into a tiny peeping chick is fascinating, but the eggshell has kept this process hidden from […]
By Mike Pablo Whether or not you know what to do with a stove, you need to eat. And, while food doesn’t have to taste good to be eaten, it certainly is nice if it does. As someone who enjoys eating, cooking, and science, today, I’m merging them all together! I hope I can convince […]
By Kelsey Gray Hearts have long been associated with the month of February. Hallmark Cards began producing Valentine’s Day cards featuring the heart in the early 1900s. The first American Heart Month was declared by President Lyndon B. Johnson and took place in February 1964. In 2003, the first National Wear Red Day was held […]
By Christina Marvin Yogurt is a yummy treat, but did you know that one of the main ingredients is live bacteria? Is it dangerous to eat bacteria? Don’t worry, yogurt contains only good kinds of bacteria, not the ones that make you sick. In fact, many bacterial species used in yogurt actually help your digestive […]
By Sarah Marks It’s the end of the semester, which means a slew of project deadlines and exams. To get through it all, many of us reach for one beverage, coffee. Coffee is complex. Beyond the most well-known component, caffeine, which gets most of us through our early morning grogginess, coffee beans contain acids that […]
By Christina Marvin What do you imagine when you hear people describe spending time on rural mountainsides? Country landscapes often bring to mind scenes of seemingly endless trees stretched out over mountaintops and across plains. North Carolina in particular is home to a variety of different trees, one of which is the beautiful and resilient […]
By Yitong Li What comes to your mind when you think of evolution? Giant dinosaurs with sharp fangs and powerful claws? Or giraffes stretching their necks to reach the leaves at the top of a tree? Or Charles Darwin the British gentleman with a long, dense beard? For a group of scientists in Belgium, evolution […]
By Kelsey Gray Edited by Mike Pablo and Anna Chiarella Communication is essential for surviving and thriving in our daily lives. We communicate with others all the time. Maybe you enjoy talking about books, shopping, writing, video games, traveling? Perhaps you prefer topics such as exercise, studying, sports, relationships, or other hobbies, such as playing […]
By Sarah Marks Edited by Kelsey Gray and Sam Stadmiller The internet is full of cats. They’re cute, they’re aloof, and apparently really bad at spelling. Some of the most recognizable cats on the internet, after Grumpy Cat, are Siamese cats. Their distinct coloring (dark ears, face, feet, and tail on a pale body), called point coloration, […]