Perched on a plastic chair overlooking a colony of Nazca boobies in the Galápagos Islands, researcher David Anderson carefully studied the seabirds. Anderson, a research professor and professor of biology emeritus at Wake Forest University, was shocked to discover that female Nazca boobies had hundreds of conspicuous sexual liaisons with multiple males. And, their promiscuity…
Categories: Research & Discovery
Students are more likely to attain their degree when they report a stronger sense of belonging in their first year of college, according to a new study by Wake Forest University psychology professor Shannon Brady. A one-point increase on a five-point belonging scale corresponded to a 3.4 percentage-point bump in the likelihood that a student…
Categories: Research & Discovery
Jason Fanning has spent a lot of time talking to older adults about leading healthy, active lifestyles. And he knows that the minute he utters the word “exercise,” he loses many of them. Instead, he talks to them about movement across the day, a key component of his current research study, A Mobile Health Intervention…
Categories: Experts, Research & Discovery
According to the International Rhino Foundation, on average, one rhino is killed by poachers every 15 hours. Despite aggressive anti-poaching measures, the global rhino population has continued to decline. Wake Forest economist Fred Chen’s decades-long research on rhino horn poaching examines the outcomes of defensive anti-trafficking efforts (such as rhino relocation, anti-poaching patrols, GPS trackers,…
Categories: Experts, Research & Discovery
Nearly a decade ago, Kristen Beavers, who studies safe ways for older adults to lose weight, began asking whether weighted vests could help this population drop pounds without sacrificing vital bone mass and lean muscle. Now, in 2025, she routinely gets requests from national media, community groups and individuals interested in better ways to work…
Categories: Experts, Research & Discovery
Studio art major Blair Newsome wanted to find sustainable ways to reconcile the use of oil paint in art classes with ecological responsibility. She combined pigment powders with seed oils, plant-based solvents, and historical binders such as egg tempera as part of her research project. “These materials, though slower to prepare, proved cost-effective, reusable, and…
Categories: Research & Discovery
Wake Forest University has announced that Boswell Presidential Chair in Neuroscience and Society Kenneth T. Kishida is its newest Wells Fargo Faculty Scholar.
Categories: Research & Discovery, University Announcements
The emerging AI field of multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) has infinite potential for use in health care, disaster response and power grid management, allowing multiple AI systems to work together to manage complex and sometimes life-threatening situations. But the risk of one AI system’s failure leading to the others has kept MARL in the realm…
Categories: Awards & Recognition, Research & Discovery
While nothing says “summer” quite like the taste of a perfectly ripe tomato, excessive heat during the growing season can prevent tomato plants from bearing fruit. Gloria Muday, the Charles M. Allen Professor of Biology at Wake Forest University, studies tomatoes and how to make them more heat-resistant. Her research laboratory focuses on understanding the…
Categories: Environment & Sustainability, Experts, Research & Discovery
A new study published today by Wake Forest University and an international team of scientists reveals that tree communities across the Amazon and Andes are not adapting quickly enough to climate change, with major implications for the future of tropical biodiversity and ecosystem services like climate regulation and pollination. The research, spanning more than 40…
Categories: Research & Discovery