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Duke in the News: July 5, 2007

Study Finds Chocolate Good for the Heart | Firms Find Lure of Motherhood Hard to Overcome | Birds Twig Fashion Important in Songs, and more...

STUDY FINDS CHOCOLATE GOOD FOR THE HEART Houston Chronicle, AP, July 5 -- Though the results of a small research study seem to indicate small amounts of dark chocolate can lower blood pressure, researchers should study the effects of chocolate on a larger, ethnically diverse population, according to Laura Svetkey, director of Duke's Hypertension Center. ... Full story -- Also, MSNBC: Just 2 Kisses A Day Can Lower Blood Pressure ... Full story Chicago Sun-Times: Two Kisses A Day Keep Doc Away ... Full story

FIRMS FIND LURE OF MOTHERHOOD HARD TO OVERCOME (Charlotte) Business Journal, July 1 -- With no regrets, Duke law school graduate Valerie Busch, '94, made the decision to leave a lucrative position at a law firm to become a stay-at-home mom. ... Full story

BIRDS TWIG FASHION IMPORTANT IN SONGS Scotsman, July 5 -- After comparing 1979 and 2003 recordings of the male whitecrowned sparrows' song Elizabeth Derryberry, a Duke graduate student behavioral ecologist, found the modern song was slower and lower in pitch - and this difference in time and "dialect" influenced mating behavior. ... Full story -- Also, Telegraph: Cock of the Pops ... Full story Spiegel: Sparrows Don't Dig Oldies, Research Shows ... Full story Daily Mail: Birds Aren't Sweet on Their Old Tweets ... Full story

PLANT FORESTS FOR THE WORLD CUP, SAYS BIOLOGIST Herald (South Africa), July 5 -- Speaking at a meeting of the Society of Conservation Biologists, Stuart Pimm, a conservation biology professor at Duke, says South Africa should commit itself to planting indigenous trees in order to achieve its goal of a carbon-neutral World Cup. ... Full story

JULY 4TH ROOTS DIFFERENT FOR BLACK AMERICANS (Durham) Herald-Sun, July 3 -- To illustrate racial inequality in the U.S., influential Duke historian John Hope Franklin refers to the hypocrisy of Thomas Jefferson who owned nearly 200 slaves when he penned the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ... Full story

'US SHOULD ABOLISH H1B VISA' Sify, July 5 -- Based on his recent study which found that immigrants were key founders in more than a quarter of all the engineering and technology companies set up in the U.S. during a 10-year period, Vivek Wadhwa, an executive-in-residence at Duke's Pratt School, suggests the U.S. relax its immigration policies. ... Full story

MEDICAL CENTERS BAN SMOKES (Raleigh) News & Observer, July 4 -- Starting July 4, the use of tobacco products by medical workers, patients and visitors will be banned on the campus of Duke University Health Systems, Rex Healthcare, WakeMed and UNC Hospitals. ... Full story

POST-CONCUSSION DANGERS South Bend Tribune, July 3 -- A new report on post-concussion syndrome echoes the findings of a 2002 Duke study that found World War II veterans who had been treated for head injuries had an increased chance of being treated for depression at some point in their lives. ... Full story

DUKE DIET NOW AVAILABLE IN A BOOK ABC 11, July 2 -- "The Duke Diet," co-authored by Howard Eisenson, program director at Duke's Diet and Fitness Center, and Martin Binks, director of behavioral health and research at the center, distills 40 years of advice about healthy living for patients who, on average, can lose up to 3 pounds each week following the program. ... Full story