News

Jul 02, 2025
What a bumble bee chooses to eat may not match ideal diet
A new study led by researchers at Penn State suggests that what bumble bees choose to eat may not line up with their ideal nutritional needs.
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Jul 02, 2025
Eight graduate students receive U.S. National Science Foundation fellowships
Eight Penn State graduate students received U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2025-26 academic year.
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Jun 25, 2025
Warmer spots within fields have more blooms and more bees
Climate can vary across large areas of land, but it also can vary within much smaller areas such as farms. A new study by researchers at Penn State examined whether these microclimates — the climate of a very small or restricted area — affect pollination by both wild and managed bees and resulting wild blueberry yields.
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Jun 30, 2025
Huck announces 2025-26 Leadership Fellows
Three faculty members, representing three different Penn State colleges, have been named Huck Leadership Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.
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Jun 20, 2025
How a genetic tug-of-war decides the fate of a honey bee
Despite having identical genetic instructions, female honey bee larvae can develop into either long-lived reproductive queens or short-lived sterile workers who help rear their sisters rather than laying their own eggs. Now, an interdisciplinary team led by researchers at Penn State has uncovered the molecular mechanisms that control how the conflict between genes inherited from the father and the mother determine the larva’s fate.
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Jun 11, 2025
‘Fingerprinting’ plant compounds helps explain food, drink tastes
Researchers develop method to determine what compounds affect bitter taste, mouthfeel in wine, dark chocolate, and other foods and drinks.
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Jun 11, 2025
Q&A: Unifying the microbiome sciences for global health and sustainability
Recently, members of Penn State's One Health Microbiome Center published an article in the American Society for Microbiology’s flagship journal, mBio. In this Q&A, a few of the paper’s authors discussed how the center is leading the charge to breakdown traditional disciplinary silos and expand the One Health focus to include more than just pathogenic microbial threats.
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Jun 03, 2025
Isolated Torrey pine populations yield insights into genetic diversity
Researchers find a few genes that allowed trees from insular populations to adapt to local conditions may inhibit their adjustment long term to a new location.
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Jun 02, 2025
Huck opens search for Associate Director for Graduate Education
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is seeking an innovative Penn State faculty member with a strong background in interdisciplinary life sciences research and a passion for teaching and mentoring graduate students to join our Huck leadership team as an Associate Director for Graduate Education.
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May 29, 2025
Biology professor, Huck associate operations director to retire
After a decade of 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.
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