News

Oct 25, 2021

Traffic and mobile phone data predict COVID case counts in rural Pennsylvania

How much people moved around town predicted COVID-19 cases in a rural Pennsylvania county in 2020, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State.

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Oct 22, 2021

Preparing for potential pandemics is focus of new federal grant to Penn State

Researchers at Penn State have received a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study H7N9 with a goal of developing new and fundamental knowledge of virus mutations that could indicate the potential for transmissibility in humans. 

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Oct 15, 2021

Huck Welcomes Sindura Ganapathi as Visiting Fellow in Global Heath

Ganapathi, a Penn State alum who now works for the Indian government, will give a pair of lectures next week while he visits University Park.

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Oct 14, 2021

Pioneering Penn State virologist Marilyn Roossinck retires

After a fascinating and productive scientific career, Penn State professor Marilyn Roossinck, a trailblazing researcher in virology, has announced her decision to retire.

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Sep 30, 2021

New tool predicts changes that may make COVID variants more infectious

The first key step in SARS-CoV-2 infection is when the virus’ spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor on human cells. Researchers at Penn State have created a novel framework that can predict with reasonable accuracy the amino-acid changes in the virus’ spike protein that may improve its binding to human cells and confer increased infectivity to the virus.

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Sep 24, 2021

When will the pandemic end?

The worst of the pandemic may finally be over, according to new modeling results from a consortium of researchers advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The team’s “COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub,” which is co-coordinated by researchers at Penn State, projects that COVID-19 cases will decrease across the United States, barring the emergence of any new variants or major changes in behavior.

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Sep 24, 2021

Penn State experts to answer COVID-19 questions live Sept. 30 on WPSU

Penn State experts will answer community members’ questions about COVID-19 live during the fall premiere of WPSU’s “Conversation’s Live” on Thursday, Sept. 30.

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Sep 23, 2021

'Zombie Ant' sculpture brings interactive art to Penn State Behrend

Zombies! Ants! Parasitic fungus! The new augmented reality project at Penn State Behrend’s School of Science complex could serve as the set for a drive-in horror movie.

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Sep 14, 2021

Eberly’s 2022 Lab Bench to Commercialization grant recipients announced

The Eberly College of Science has chosen faculty members Joyce Jose and Sally Mackenzie to receive its 2022 Lab Bench to Commercialization grants. This competitive program provides funding for researchers in the college, enabling them to enhance the commercial potential of ongoing Penn State research and prepare them to translate their Penn State-owned intellectual property to the marketplace.

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Aug 25, 2021

Will COVID-19 become a mostly childhood disease?

Within the next few years, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus becomes endemic in the global population, COVID-19 may behave like other common-cold coronaviruses, affecting mostly young children who have not yet been vaccinated or exposed to the virus, according to new modeling results. Because COVID-19 severity is generally lower among children, the overall burden from this disease is expected to decline.

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