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Réka Albert, Evan Pugh University Professor and professor of physics and biology at Penn State, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. She pioneered network science, a method that involves studying systems as networks, where individual components — like people, proteins or genes — are represented as "nodes," and their interactions are depicted as "edges." This approach led to new ways to visualize and analyze the intricate web of connections in various systems.​ Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

May 08, 2025

Biological physicist Réka Albert elected to National Academy of Sciences

Réka Albert, Evan Pugh University Professor and professor of physics and biology at Penn State, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

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By extending egg production in broiler breeder hens, farmers may be able to reduce flock turnover, improve animal welfare and increase efficiency, according to researchers at Penn State. Credit: Hispanolistic/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

May 07, 2025

Common diabetes drug helps chickens lay more eggs

Metformin, a drug commonly prescribed to humans, could be a game-changer for farms and food production, researchers said.

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Apr 30, 2025

Celebrating James Marden: A Decade of Impact and a Lifetime of Achievement

After a decade of exceptional service to the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and a distinguished academic career spanning four decades, James Marden, professor of biology and associate director of operations, will retire from Penn State at the end of June 2025.

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Apr 29, 2025

HGSAC prepares for largest Life Sciences Symposium yet

The Life Sciences Symposium, organized by the Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee (HGSAC), is set to showcase student research on May 23.

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Apr 29, 2025

Heather Hines named interim director of the Center for Pollinator Research and the Insect Biodiversity Center

Heather Hines, Associate Professor of Biology and Entomology, has been named Interim Director of the Center for Pollinator Research (CPR) and the Insect Biodiversity Center (IBC). Hines is succeeding Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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New research predicts the location of DNA sequences that can form structures besides the canonical double helix — non-B DNA — in the recently released telomere-to-telomere genomes of the great apes, finding that non-B DNA is enriched in newly deciphered genomic regions, including telomeres and centromeres. Image shows evolutionary relationships among the great apes, left from top to bottom, including chimpanzee, bonobo, human, gorilla and two orangutan species and illustrations of representative chromosomes, right, with canonical helical and non-B DNA. Credit: Dani Zemba and Makova Laboratory / Penn State. Creative Commons

Apr 24, 2025

Beyond the double helix: Alternative DNA conformations in ape genomes

Researchers used recently published telomere-to-telomere genomes of humans, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla and two orangutans to predict locations of DNA sequences that can form other structures besides the double helix.

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Apr 23, 2025

How do you like them apples? Apple genus evolution revealed

A new comparison and analysis of the genomes of species in the genus Malus, which includes the domesticated apple and its wild relatives, revealed the evolutionary relationships among the species and how their genomes have evolved over the past nearly 60 million years.

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A new study used modern methods to reassess a foundational study in biology that explained how ecologically similar species of wood warblers coexist. The research team examined foraging behavior, physical characteristics, diet and evolutionary history of 13 warbler species, including the black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens) pictured here, and found that how these songbirds coexist is more nuanced than originally proposed. Credit: Ronnie d'Entremont. All Rights Reserved.

Apr 16, 2025

Foraging on the wing: How can ecologically similar birds live together?

New study uses modern molecular and evolutionary techniques to reassess a foundational, 67-year-old study in warblers.

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Apr 09, 2025

Complete genome sequences of six ape species unveiled

Differences among the DNA of seven ape species — including humans — are greater than originally thought, according to an international team led by researchers at Penn State, the National Human Genome Research Institute, and the University of Washington.

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Apr 09, 2025

Complete genome sequences of six ape species unveiled

Previously inaccessible regions reveal novel insights that may advance understanding of evolution and conservation genetics for endangered apes as well as human health.

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