Duke in the News: Jan. 30, 2007

OP-ED: TALENTED STUDENTS, ON HOLD (Raleigh) News & Observer, Jan. 30 -- The No Child Left Behind Act, as it is currently implemented, largely ignores gifted and talented students, write two Duke education experts. ... Full story

CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON SPEED OF CLIMATE CHANGE NPR's Morning Edition, Jan. 29 -- Susan Lozier, an oceanographer at Duke, allays at least one fear about abrupt climate change. ... Full story

IT'S CHOLESTEROL VERSUS ALCOHOL New Scientist, Jan. 27 -- Could cholesterol protect fetuses from damage by alcohol? That's what a Duke study on zebrafish indicates. ... Full story

LOOTING HUMAN HERITAGE IN IRAQ National Journal, Jan. 27 -- Eric Meyers, an archaeologist at Duke and the president of an association of scholars on the Middle East, says Iraqi artifacts that keep coming onto the market could mean sustained funding for the insurgency. ... Full story

COLUMN: THE SELFLESS GENE (London) The Times, Jan. 27 -- Duke scientists have isolated a region of the brain called the posterior superior temporal cortex that is specifically devoted to the display and management of human acts of altruism. ... Full story --Also, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Editorial -- Brain and Gain ... Full story

PBS SPECIAL TAKES JUDICIOUS LOOK AT THE HIGHEST COURT Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan. 30 -- Duke law professor Walter Dellinger III helps PBS's "The Supreme Court" review American history through the prism of cases that have come before the highest court in the land. ... Full story

THE SWEET SMELL OF DEMAND BusinessWeek, Jan. 29 -- Vishnu Swaminathan, who earned his doctorate from Duke in 2003 and since then has been a researcher for Siemens in India, found a way to produce a digital video camera for about $100 -- with an important benefit for folks stuck in traffic. ... Full story

BOOK EXCERPT: THE ORIGIN OF THE BLUE DEVILS News & Observer, Jan. 28 -- The inspiration for the "Blue Devils" mascot was a corps of French alpine soldiers. "The Encyclopedia of Duke Basketball" has the details. ... Full story

ON THE AIR Walter Dellinger, professor of law at the Duke School of Law and a former acting solicitor general of the United States, is scheduled to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today examining the constitutional authority of Congress to end the war in Iraq by cutting off funding. C-SPAN is expected to provide tape-delayed coverage. ... C-SPAN Fox Sports Network will air a story about the Swimming With the Blue Devils program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. A diver on the Duke Varsity Swimming and Diving Team had the idea of inviting Durham kids to come swim with the team while learning technique and safety. Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek is scheduled to be a guest on North Carolina Public Radio's "The State of Things" Wednesday to talk about Duke students who are engaged in Durham community projects. The conversation is part of a week-long series on higher education, "North Carolina Voices: Considering College." http://wunc.org/tsot