News

Study first author Michelle Zavala-Paez, doctoral candidate in Penn State’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, selects the main shoot of a hybrid Populus tree to collect the first fully expanded leaf for physiological measurements. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Dec 19, 2025

Genetic teamwork may be the secret to climate-resilient plants, researchers find

A plant’s success may depend on how well the three sets of genetic instructions it carries in its cells cooperate, according to a new study led by plant scientists at Penn State.

Full Article
A new study has uncovered several instances of wood warblers — like the magnolia warbler pictured here — passing color-related genes to other species of wood warblers, including those that are not closely related. Credit: Davey Walters. All Rights Reserved.

Dec 12, 2025

Warblers borrow color-related genes from evolutionary neighbors, study finds

Wood warblers, also called New World warblers, are some of the most colorful birds in North America, with more than a hundred species in the family ranging in color from yellow, orange and red to blue, green and pink. A new study led by researchers at Penn State has uncovered several instances of the birds passing color-related genes to other species of wood warblers, including those that are not closely related.

Full Article

Dec 11, 2025

Mentorship and communication take center stage at training summit

Huck Institutes’ annual T32 summit underscores benefits of professional development alongside scientific training.

Full Article
Francisco Dini-Andreote and Andrew Patterson are both faculty in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Dec 09, 2025

Two College of Ag Sciences faculty earn spots on highly cited researchers list

Francisco Dini-Andreote and Andrew Patterson in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences are among the most highly cited researchers in 2025, according to the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Group.

Full Article
Yangbo Yuan, a graduate student in engineering science and mechanics, and lead Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics in the College of Engineering, pose with their proof-of-concept test device — a wearable ring with an embedded, miniaturized accelerometer. Credit: Courtney Robinson / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 20, 2025

Shrinking materials hold big potential for smart devices, researchers say

Wearable electronics could be more wearable, according to a research team at Penn State. The researchers developed a scalable, versatile approach to designing and fabricating wireless, internet-enabled electronic systems that can better adapt to 3D surfaces, like the human body or common household items, paving the path for more precise health monitoring or household automation, such as a smart recliner that can monitor and co

Full Article
Penn State Beaver Associate Professor of Biology Sarah Nilson discovered Allium buridckii, a second species of wild ramps, growing in southwestern Pennsylvania. Credit: Sarah Nilson/Penn State Beaver / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 05, 2025

Second species of wild ramps discovered, solving long-standing debate

Overharvesting has led to conservation concerns for a popular foraged plant, but improved genetic understanding could help conservation efforts, researchers say.

Full Article
To see how microbial activity changes near and inside roots, the researchers chose crimson clover, or Trifolium incarnatum, as a test plant. It’s a legume commonly grown as a cover crop in the U.S. Northeast that forms root nodules with bacteria like the one shown here. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 05, 2025

Novel technique reveals insights into soil microbe alarm clock

New study yields clues about when dormant microscopic bacteria and fungi in soil ‘wake up’ and colonize roots, which influences plant growth and health.

Full Article
Sahil Pawar, a doctoral candidate in entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, studies how soil salinity, drought and climate change influence the interactions between crops and the pests that feed on them. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 31, 2025

Salty soil, scrappy bugs and shared ideas drive graduate student’s research

Sahil Pawar says that tackling the world’s agricultural challenges is not a task for one person — it requires a collective effort. That grounded view shapes the early-career entomologist’s research, which examines how environmental stressors, such as soil salinity, drought and climate change, influence the interactions between crops and the pests that feed on them.

Full Article
Entomologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences examined the potential for birds to feed on spotted lanternflies. Credit: Anne Johnson / Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 27, 2025

Spotted lanternfly may use ‘toxic shield’ to fend off bird predators

Spotted lanternflies may season themselves to the distaste of potential bird predators, according to a new study led by entomologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Full Article
Feral hogs, like this one pictured in a Louisiana swamp, were an animal mentioned in a new study that analyzed over half a million tweets to understand how the public talks about invasive species. Other frequently mentioned animals included cats, dogs, squirrels, goats, rats and horses. Credit: Pedro Mendes/Creative Commons. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 27, 2025

Small group of users drive invasive species awareness on social media

A new study co-authored by a scientist at Penn State analyzed over half a million tweets to understand how the public talks about invasive species — and which accounts are driving the conversation.

Full Article
Next Page