Center For Chemical Ecology News | Center for Chemical Ecology

The new method may eventually help give insight into why bee populations are declining overall, according to the researchers. Credit: Adonyi Gábor/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 12, 2025

Analyzing genetic ‘signatures’ may give insight into what stresses wild bees

A new method of examining gene expression patterns called landscape transcriptomics may help pinpoint what causes bumble bees stress and could eventually give insight into why bee populations are declining overall.

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Pennsylvania’s native bumble bee queens are particularly vulnerable to outside pressures, such as harsh winters, according to the researchers. Credit: Sandy Millar/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 26, 2025

The complex effects of pesticide exposure on bumble bee health

The effects of pesticide exposure on pollinator health may be more complicated than originally thought, according to a team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences who recently published an article on the topic in Biology Letters.

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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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Luke Reynolds, a doctoral degree student in entomology at Penn State, pauses while conducting research in a growing room at a mushroom farm. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Feb 18, 2025

Penn State researchers developing strategies to diminish mushroom phorid flies

The commonwealth, industry and University researchers are partnering to develop integrated pest management solutions.

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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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The flexible sensor, ideal for use in the human body, uses laser-induced graphene to simultaneously but separately measure temperature and strain, potentially enabling better wound healing monitoring by providing clearer insights into inflammation and recovery. Credit: Jennifer M. McCann. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 07, 2025

New smart sensor takes the pain out of wound monitoring

Laser-made, ultra-thin material enables precise, self-powered tracking of healing wounds.

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Christina Grozinger was appointed the new director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State. Credit: Christina Grozinger / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 21, 2025

Christina Grozinger to lead Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences as director

Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, has been named the new director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State.

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The study focused on the horned-face bee, which helps pollinate crops like apples and blueberries, and the alfalfa leafcutting bee, which pollinates alfalfa. Credit: Alain C./Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 07, 2025

Quantity over quality? Different bees are attracted to different floral traits

When it comes to deciding where they’re going to get their next meal, different species of bees may be attracted to different flower traits, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and published in PNAS Nexus.

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A team led by Penn State researchers used principles of pulse monitoring in traditional Chinese medicine to design a pressure-sensing platform to identify the optimal pulse signal, which they combined with a machine learning model to also predict blood pressure. Credit: Provided by Huanyu "Larry" Cheng. All Rights Reserved.

Dec 17, 2024

Old wisdom meets new tech: Traditional Chinese medicine inspires pulse sensors

A team led by Penn State researchers used principles of pulse monitoring in traditional Chinese medicine to design a pressure-sensing platform to identify the optimal pulse signal, which they combined with a machine learning model to also predict blood pressure.

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Oct 14, 2024

Penn State researchers earn funding for sustainable weed and insect management

Three Penn State research teams have received awards totaling $1.78 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to investigate climate-smart approaches to pest control in agriculture.

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