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Shineng Hu is a climate scientist specializing in using observations, theory and climate models to better understand the relationship between global ocean and atmospheric movement, especially as that relationship indicates and informs climate change.

Meet the Hu Climate Dynamics Lab, learn more about its research focus, a PhD student's experience in the lab and the opportunities the lab offers Duke students.

Gulf War Illness (GWI), which affects approximately 250,000 U.S. veterans, has been found to significantly reduce the ability of white blood cells to make energy and creates a measurable biochemical difference in veterans who have the disease. The finding comes from a physician who noticed GWI symptoms paralleled those of mitochondrial diseases. Analysis revealed significantly lower levels of extracellular acidification and oxygen consumption in the white blood cells of veterans with GWI.

Juliet Wong is a global-change biologist, specifically interested in how climate change affects marine ecosystems and their organisms, working to predict biological responses for improved resilience to adverse environmental events. Wong presented “Organismal Responses to Climate Change in the Sea” at the recent faculty research symposium, describing several ongoing studies on coastal marine invertebrates.

As rising global temperatures push Arctic icecaps into retreat, large and small sea creatures and the commercial fishing boats that follow them are migrating northward.

A new study on the impacts of prenatal exposure to toxic metals linked to artisanal gold mining and other sources in Madre de Dios, Peru, finds that mercury has no direct effect on a newborn’s birth weight or gestational age. It’s a different story, though, for lead, which may also be released by mining operations but more likely is consumed when people eat wild game that inadvertently still contains small bullet fragments.

In recent years, “30 by 30” has become a rallying cry in international marine conservation. It’s the idea that to safeguard marine biodiversity and limit environmental damage caused by future sea-floor mining and other industrial-scale human activities, we need to place at least 30% of the world’s oceans within marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030.

91�������� scientists have received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study molecular mechanisms that can help our bodies fight respiratory inflammation caused by air pollution.

Analysis indicates ingested microplastics migrate into whales’ fat and organs

Greg Merrill, a PhD student in the University Program in Ecology, recently shared insights into his research focus, the Nowacek Lab, the impacts of his research and what he has learned working in the lab.

Brianna Elliott, a PhD student in the Marine Science and Conservation program, recently shared insights into her research focus, the Read Lab, the impacts of her research and the most rewarding part of her research experience.

People in areas where drinking water is contaminated with PFAS often want to know their PFAS blood levels but have trouble gaining access to reliable testing, which traditionally involves having their blood drawn by a medical professional.

Researchers at 91��������’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering are co-leading a new National Science Foundation-funded project that aims to boost economic development and climate resilience in coastal North Carolina through nature-based scientific and technological innovations.

China’s annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions exceeded 10 gigatons in 2018 for the first time in history and are expected to continue to grow. The nation’s leaders have pledged to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

The Duke Plastic Pollution Working Group is working to find solutions, through innovative technologies, practices and policies that can help curb plastic waste, reduce its harmful impacts, and make Earth a greener, healthier home for us all.