Bioinformatics And Genomics News | Bioinformatics and Genomics

Environmental contaminants don’t just pose direct risks to human health — they may also have hidden effects through the microbiome that researchers are working to uncover. Credit: Brenna Buck. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 03, 2025

'Growing Impact' discusses environmental contaminants, human health

The latest episode of Growing Impact discusses how environmental contaminants affect human health, a research focus for Penn State professors Andrew Patterson and Costas Maranas.

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The flavonoids that provide insecticide-like protection to some corn lines against corn earworm larvae also provide pigments to the plants that show up in the silks, husks and kernels. Pictured here are the lines used in the research. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Feb 20, 2025

Select corn lines contain compounds that sicken, kill major crop pest

The compounds, called flavonoids, have an insecticidal effect on corn earworm larvae.

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New research lends insight into the regulatory control of gene expression in the deadliest of the malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, and provides opportunities for the development of new therapeutic approaches against the disease. PfSnf2L, in red, is an essential malaria parasite protein for developing from the asexual ring to the sexual transmission stage — shown at top with the arrow illustrating the trajectory of various stages of sexual development. When the PfSnf2L enzyme is inhibited by the small molecule, NH125, in green, this leads to disordered DNA packaging. Changes in DNA packaging with active — the white line — and inactive PfSnf2L enzyme — the blue line — are depicted. When the DNA packaging is disrupted, the necessary information for parasite development can no longer be read out and the malaria parasites die thereby blocking transmission. Credit: Längst and Kannan Venugopal/Marti laboratory. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 20, 2025

Disrupting parasite gene regulation reveals new malaria intervention strategy

Malaria's deadliest parasite relies on precise gene regulation to survive. A new multinational study, including Penn State scientists, reveals key insights into these control mechanisms.

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Feb 13, 2025

Team Dynamics course to be available for Huck graduate students in Fall 2025

A unique team-building and leadership course, taught by faculty from the Smeal College of Business MBA program, is available for a limited number of Huck graduate students next fall.

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2024 My Green Lab Consultants Zaman Ataie and Ananya Gollakota check the expiration date on a chemical bottle. Credit: Lydia Vandenbergh. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 11, 2025

Sustainable Labs Program increases participant engagement, welcomes new labs

Two upcoming virtual sessions will cover how labs can learn more and join next year’s cohort.

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A native bee sits on a purple flower on the left, while a honey bee sits on a yellow flower on the right. Credit: Provided by Margarita López-Uribe. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 07, 2025

Native bee populations can bounce back after honey bees move out

Managed honey bees have the potential to affect native bee populations when they are introduced to a new area, but a study led by researchers at Penn State suggests that, under certain conditions, the native bees can bounce back if the apiaries are moved away.

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López-Uribe is the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor of Entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 28, 2025

López-Uribe awarded presidential honor for early career scientists

Margarita López-Uribe, the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor of Entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Biden earlier this month.

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Three Penn State researchers have been awarded the highest honor the United States government bestows on early-career scientists and engineers. They are (from left to right): Catherine Berdanier, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Margarita Lopez-Uribe, Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor and associate professor of entomology; and Lauren Zarzar, professor of chemistry. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 27, 2025

Three faculty receive Presidential Early Career Award for scientists, engineers

Three Penn State researchers have been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the White House announced on Jan. 14.

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Yongsoo Kim, associate professor of neural and behavioral sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine, is leading a new five-year, $17.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health. Credit: Jason Plotkin / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 23, 2025

$17.9M NIH grant to research neurodevelopment disorders

Illuminating key biological pathways that underlie neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is the goal of a new five-year, $17.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health to a national team of researchers.

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First author Prabhav Borate, a graduate student in engineering science, demonstrates how lab earthquakes are created: by grinding two blocks of rock together until a failure occurs. Credit: Poornima Tomy / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 24, 2025

Predicting lab earthquakes with physics-informed artificial intelligence

By refining an artificial intelligence approach to predicting earthquakes in the laboratory, or labquakes, engineers at Penn State are paving the way to one day help forecast natural earthquakes.

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