Duke in the News: Dec. 4, 2003

NICOTINE A BOON? REMEMBER NOT TO SMOKE IT (Raleigh) News & Observer, Dec. 4 -- Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that nicotine, that infamous drug that makes cigarettes so addictive and dangerous, might improve short-term memory. ... Full story --Also, (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun: Nicotine Patches May Boost Memory Full story

ROOF LIKELY TO GET DUKE JOB (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun, Dec. 4 -- Barring an unexpected snag, Ted Roof will be named Duke's head football coach. ...Full story

MOLECULE DOES TWO-STEP Technology Review, Dec. 3 -- Duke University researchers have found a way to make a molecule react only when it has been hit by two photons of ultraviolet light, making the molecule a controllable switch. The molecule could eventually be used in optical storage devices and in biochips. ...Full story

NEW SCANNER MAY FIND CANCER EARLIER THAN MAMMOGRAM Boston Globe, Reuters, Dec. 4 -- A new scanner that uses gamma rays to see changes in live cells may find breast cancer even earlier than standard mammograms, a Duke University researcher says. ... Full story

COUNTING THE COSTS OF FUND FEES Washington Post, Dec. 4 -- The attention of investigators probing the mutual fund industry is turning to legal, lucrative "advertising" charges. Duke University law professor James D. Cox argues that shareholders should not be paying for sales and marketing, however. ... Full story

OP-ED: SEX ROILS THE CHURCHES (Raleigh) News & Observer, Dec. 4 -- The international bad news never seems to stop for the Episcopal Church since its ordination of a gay bishop on Nov. 2 in New Hampshire, says Duke Divinity School professor David C. Steinmetz. ... Full story

EDITORIAL: PROF. BASSETT'S TRIUMPH (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun, Dec. 4 -- A century ago this week, a small Methodist liberal arts school destined to become Duke University was briefly the center of the universe. ...Full story --Also, (Duke) Chronicle: Academic Freedom Still Major Issue (fourth in series) Full story Chronicle: Bassett Draws Varied Interest (fifth in series) Full story

DUKE CLASS HAS CERTAIN RING (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun, Nov. 28 -- The fate of Middle-earth may rest on the broad shoulders of Aragorn and a diminutive Hobbit named Frodo, but the students in Rebekah Long's English class exploring themes in Tolkien's classic carry their own burden into December: a 10-15 page final paper. (Free registration required; full text e-mail upon request.) ... Full story

MUSEUM PLANS TOUTED (Frederick, Va.) Free Lance-Star, Dec. 4 -- Plans for the National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg are reported to be moving at a steady clip. John Hope Franklin, a historian and professor emeritus at Duke University, serves on the museum's board of directors. ... Full story

FORMER MUSEUM CHIEF, DUKE REACH AGREEMENT (Raleigh) News & Observer, Dec. 4 -- Nearly eight months after he was ousted as director of the Duke University Museum of Art, Michael Mezzatesta has a new title, a severance agreement and a plan to take a yearlong sabbatical in Rome. ...Full story