News

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WHO recommends universal introduction for rubella vaccination

Global policy change, influenced in part by research led by Penn State scientists, removes barriers for countries that have yet to introduce rubella vaccination.

The researchers said they hope their recent findings will give homeowners the confidence to participate in tick management around their homes and yards. Credit: Dillon Fancher/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Tick tubes help reduce the parasites on mice, but time and frequency matters

A new study led by researchers at Penn State analyzed the effectiveness of a simple, inexpensive strategy for controlling ticks that homeowners can use in their backyards.

Huck researchers reflect on the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

This month, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists credited with historic breakthroughs surrounding proteins and their structures. Three Huck researchers working on similar challenges chime in with their thoughts.

Babesiosis, a disease spread by ticks, is on the rise. Credit: Penn State Extension / Penn State. Creative Commons

Rates of a tick-borne parasitic disease are on the rise

Cases of babesiosis increased 9% per year, on average, between 2015 and 2022 and nearly half were co-infected with another tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease, according to a new study

The researchers tested raw sewage samples collected twice a week from two treatment plants in central Pennsylvania for non-typhoidal Salmonella and characterized isolates using whole genome sequencing. They recovered 43 Salmonella isolates from wastewater samples. Credit: Provided by Ed Dudley. All Rights Reserved.

Wastewater monitoring can detect foodborne illness, researchers find

Results of a new study suggest sewage monitoring could provide early warning of foodborne disease outbreaks to public health authorities

Jasna Kovac, associate professor in food science, has been selected to receive the 2025 Award for Early Career Environmental Research by the American Society for Microbiology.   Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Food science researcher receives early career award

Jasna Kovac, associate professor and Lester Earl and Veronica Casida Career Development Professor of Food Safety in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been selected to receive the 2025 Award for Early Career Environmental Research by the American Society for Microbiology.

The Student Health Center on Penn State's University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Penn State community reminded to take COVID-19 precautions

With COVID-19 activity on the rise in Pennsylvania and nationally, Penn State is urging its community to continue to take health precautions and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to keep themselves and others healthy.

Research teams receive $1.1 million to study microbiomes in agriculture

Two Penn State-led research teams have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for projects investigating the ways microbiomes — the microorganisms in a particular environment, such as in soil or a living organism — can affect disease dynamics in agriculture.

Troy Sutton named Huck Early Career Chair in Virology

Troy Sutton, assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, has been awarded a Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Virology.

Re-engineering cancerous tumors to self-destruct and kill drug-resistant cells

A team led by Penn State researchers has created a modular genetic circuit that turns cancer cells into a “Trojan horse,” causing them to self-destruct and kill nearby drug-resistant cancer cells. Tested in human cell lines and in mice as proof of concept, the circuit outsmarted a wide range of resistance.