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The findings are a step in identifying beneficial microorganisms that potentially could be used to improve mushroom harvests and prevent disease, the researchers said. Credit: Harshal S. Hirve/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Harnessing mushroom microbiomes for better crop development

Microorganisms collected from the material in which button mushrooms are grown may benefit the development of future fungi crops, according to a study led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and published in the journal Fungal Biology.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant launches research video series

Pennsylvania Sea Grant, a program supported by Penn State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has launched a new video series featuring eight research projects conducted across the commonwealth.

Researchers attached QR codes to the backs of thousands of bees to track when and for how long they left their hives. Credit: Provided by the researchers. All Rights Reserved.

‘Buzz me in:’ Bees wearing itty bitty QR codes reveal hive secrets

Researchers attached QR codes to the backs of thousands of bees to track when and for how long they left their hives.

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

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.

Through a series of experiments, the research team led by Scott Medina, right, William and Wendy Korb Early Career Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Penn State, replaced the water-based solution commonly used in protein-based medications with a perfluorocarbon oil and tested five different proteins with a range of health-related functions such as antibodies and enzymes. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Discovery could eliminate need to refrigerate vaccines and protein-based drugs

A new storage technique can keep protein-based drugs and vaccines stable without keeping them cold. The discovery, led by researchers at Penn State, could eliminate the need for refrigeration for hundreds of life-saving medicines like insulin, monoclonal antibodies and viral vaccines.

PlantVillage, a Penn State-based research lab, is working with smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and the Americas to adapt to climate-related challenges. To guide its expansion and commercial efforts, PlantVillage participated in the Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps regional short course, which helps researchers start on the path toward commercializing their innovations.  Credit: Katie DeFiore / Penn State. Creative Commons

PlantVillage empowers farmers around the world to combat climate change

UN-supported Penn State research-based non-profit expands into for-profit sector with help from Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps programming

College of Ag Sciences graduate students receive research grant awards

Thirteen graduate students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences received research grants recently awarded by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

PSAA Presents is every Penn Stater’s home for all of the virtual and in-person programming that the Penn State Alumni Association offers.  Credit: Penn State Alumni Association. All Rights Reserved.

Virtual speaker to discuss impact and potential of PlantVillage on Jan. 21

The next Virtual Speaker Series from the Penn State Alumni Association will highlight PlantVillage, an AI-enabled "land grant in a phone" that uses data sharing to help farmers adapt to climate change and manage emerging pests and diseases.

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.

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.

Salmonella infections in dogs may be an overlooked transmission vector to humans, researchers reported in a new study.  Credit: SeventyFour/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

Pet dogs often overlooked as spreader of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella

A team of Penn State researchers have found that household dogs are an overlooked transmission point for zoonotic pathogens such as nontyphoidal Salmonella.