-
Duke Women End Basketball Season Amid Virus
The Duke women’s basketball team ended its season Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic, The team has been on pause since Dec. 16 because of two positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the program’s travel party.
-
The Most and Least Effective Face Masks to Use During Pandemic: Study
A recent study out of Duke University suggests that not all face coverings are equally effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19.
-
Scientists Take a Peek Behind Those Sad Puppy Dog Eyes
What’s behind those hard-to-resist puppy dog eyes? New research suggests that over thousands of years of dog domestication, people preferred pups that could pull off that appealing, sad look. And that encouraged the development of the facial muscle that creates it. Today, pooches use the muscle to raise their eyebrows and make the babylike expression. That muscle is virtually absent...
-
3 Universities, Medical Center Get $1B Gift to Teach and Research
Three universities and a health care institution are sharing a gift of more than $1 billion that’s one of the largest in the history of higher education, they announced Wednesday. Receiving $260 million apiece will be Duke University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California, and the Cleveland Clinic. The institutions are free to use the money...
-
Happening Today: Julian Assange, Felicity Huffman, ‘Pikachu,' ‘This Is Us'
Here’s what to know for Monday, May 13.
-
Church Membership in US Plummets Over Past 20 Years: Poll
The percentage of U.S. adults who belong to a church or other religious institution has plunged by 20 percentage points over the past two decades, hitting a low of 50% last year, according to a new Gallup poll. Among major demographic groups, the biggest drops were recorded among Democrats and Hispanics. Gallup said church membership was 70% in 1999 —...
-
Raw Video Shows Notre Dame Spire Collapsing From Fire
Video taken by shocked Parisians and onlookers shows the spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral collapsing in the heart of Paris as flames engulfed the French landmark.
-
Notre Dame Cathedral Fire Ravages ‘Transcendental' Cultural Treasure
The Notre Dame Cathedral has long been regarded as a spiritual beacon, architectural marvel, monument to Parisian beauty and a towering symbol of French national pride. But the flames that engulfed the centuries-old structure on Monday threatened to demolish part of that rich cultural legacy, NBC News reports. “It is bone-chilling. It is heartbreaking,” Caroline Bruzelius, a professor of architectural...
-
John Kelly Differs With Trump on Immigration, Mum on Security Clearances
Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said he disagreed with some Trump administration policies — particularly on immigration — but dodged questions Wednesday about the president reportedly intervening to secure top-secret security clearances for his daughter Ivanka Trump and son–in–law, Jared Kushner. Kelly, in an appearance at Duke University, did not deny reports that President Donald Trump circumvented...
-
Tortoise Feared Extinct Found on Remote Galapagos Island
A living member of species of tortoise not seen in more than 110 years and feared to be extinct has been found in a remote part of the Galapagos island of Fernandina. An adult female Chelonoidis phantasticus, also known as the Fernandina Giant Tortoise, was spotted Sunday by a joint expedition of the Galapagos National Park and the U.S.-based Galapagos...
-
Swastika Painted on Duke Mural Honoring Synagogue Victims
Duke University officials say someone painted a Nazi symbol on a mural honoring victims of last month’s Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. University president Vincent Price said in a letter to the school community that a red swastika was painted Sunday night on the tribute to those who died in the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. The East Campus Bridge...
-
Virginia Lawyer Sues for Return of $100K Engagement Ring After Breakup
A Virginia lawyer sued his former fiancee after he says she refused to give back the 4.06-carat engagement ring he gave her, valued at nearly $100,000.
-
Why North Carolina Is Vulnerable to Hurricanes
As Hurricane Florence churns toward the East Coast with catastrophic power, the storm has become a reminder of how vulnerable North Carolina’s coast is. Vast amounts of new development now stand on the shifting sands of barrier islands there, amid the rising waters of climate change. Except for a few short stretches, the state is flanked almost entirely by those...
-
Ex-EPA Chief: Millennials Have Stepped Up Amid Complacency on the Environment
Christine Todd Whitman was at the first Earth Day 48 years ago, long before she became governor of New Jersey and head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Her generation was inspired by “Silent Spring,” a book about the dangers of the pesticide DDT, she said. Soon after that day in 1970, DDT was banned — one of many green-friendly policy...
-
Duke University Removes Statue of Robert E. Lee
Duke University removed a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee early Saturday, days after it was vandalized amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy. The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness early Saturday morning from Duke Chapel where it stood among 10 historical figures depicted in the entryway. Another statue of Lee was at the heart...
-
HBO Producer Gets Year in Prison After Dermatologist's Death
An HBO producer who helped drag an unconscious dermatologist down to the lobby of a New York City apartment building after she overdosed has been sentenced to a year in prison.
-
Noose Found Inside National Museum of African American History and Culture
A noose has been found hanging inside the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, and U.S. Park Police are investigating.
-
Man Gets 5 Years in Prison After Death of Dermatologist
A man who pleaded guilty to a drug charge after a New York dermatologist died of cocaine and alcohol intoxication in his apartment building has been sentenced to five years in prison.
-
Engineer Set to Take Over SUNY System
An entrepreneur, academic and former undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Energy has been appointed the next leader of New York state’s public university system.
-
HBO Producer Pleads Guilty in Overdose Death of NY Dermatologist
A man arrested in connection with the 2015 death of a New York dermatologist who died of cocaine and alcohol intoxication has admitted to helping move her body out of a Manhattan apartment.