Center For Chemical Ecology News | Center for Chemical Ecology

Sophia Mucciolo, a graduate student in ecology and her adviser Sara Hermann, assistant professor of ecology and of entomology, examine monarch butterfly specimens in the lab. Credit: Keith Hickey / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 28, 2025

Huck student receives U.S. National Science Foundation fellowship

Sophia Mucciolo, an ecology student affiliated with the Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, recently received a fellowship from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

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A flexible, skin-like sensor can monitor movement and electrical signals inside the body, with the potential to aid healing and bladder control. Credit: Huanyu “Larry” Cheng and Jennifer M. McCann. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 10, 2025

Skin-like sensor monitors internal, external body movement, electrical signals

A new skin-like sensor developed by an international team led by researchers at Penn State could help doctors monitor vital signs more accurately, track healing after surgery and even help patients with bladder control issues.

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Jason Keagy, assistant research professor of wildlife behavioral ecology, is shown on the bank of an Icelandic lake holding a fish trap during a collection of threespined sticklebacks in a previous study. Credit: Janette Boughman. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 07, 2025

‘Scialog’ grant to study how rising ocean temperatures affect fish behavior

A wildlife behavioral ecologist at Penn State is part of a multi-institution team that received funding from Scialog: Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems, a international three-year initiative that aims to spark new science exploring neurobiological responses to rapidly changing environments.

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The findings challenge previous beliefs that scientists can make assumptions about bees’ nutritional needs based on what they choose to consume, according to the researchers. Credit: Neringa Normantaite/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

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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The study's findings could be used to help inform precision agriculture approaches to help conservation efforts, the researchers said. Credit: Freestocks/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

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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Queen bees emit a pheromone that attracts worker bees — the queen's daughters — to her side. Credit: Sean Bresnahan. All Rights Reserved.

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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Study first author Yanxin Lin, left, and senior author Misha Kwasniewski examine the structure of the chemical catechin, an important polyphenol and building block of tannins. The new tannin-measurement method breaks large, complex structures into catechin ions and other fragments to characterize the original structure. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

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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The arc of health frameworks grew over time from one that siloed human, agricultural and environmental ecosystems from each other to a One Health structure that focused on pathogen spillovers shaping the risk of disease across ecosystems. An expanded vision of One Health microbiome sciences from Penn State incorporates the ecology of all microbes. It emphasizes that the flow of both disease-causing and health-promoting microbes links humans, environment and agriculture together to shape the sustainability of ecosystem wellness and resilience. This One Health framework intentionally unifies the microbiome sciences to advance core disciplinary theories and principles with cross-system validation and comparative studies, according to the researchers. Credit: Provided by the researchers. All Rights Reserved.

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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Credit: Dan Lesher. All Rights Reserved.

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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A team of researchers at Penn State found that increasing spiciness slightly using dried chili pepper slowed down eating and reduced the amount of food and energy consumed at a meal, all without negatively affecting the palatability of the dish. The study was led by Paige Cunningham, pictured, a postdoctoral researcher who earned her doctorate in nutritional sciences from Penn State in 2023. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

May 22, 2025

Looking to cut calories? Try adding chilies, study suggests

Throwing a little heat on your meal might be an effective strategy for cutting back on calories, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

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