Spirostomum uses a calcium-activated protein network to contract at remarkable speed without conventional muscle fibers. In less than five milliseconds, the aquatic single-celled organism Spirostomum ambiguum can shrink to one quarter of its body length, a movement hundreds of times faster than a human blink. Researchers have now traced that speed to an unusual calcium-activated [...]

Imagine wearing a small patch that can instantly warn you if you are exposed to dangerous gases or contaminated water. Instead of sending an alert to your phone that you might not notice right away, the patch vibrates against your skin, giving you an immediate warning to move away from danger. Researchers at North Carolina […]

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A newly identified pest is raising concerns for North Carolina’s blueberry industry. What began as a mystery beneath North Carolina’s blueberry fields has now been traced to a surprising culprit: a giant root-feeding beetle never before confirmed attacking blueberries anywhere else in the United States. Researchers at North Carolina State University have identified the insect [...]