News

Apr 22, 2021

Little crop of horrors

An international team of researchers has received a grant from the Human Frontier Science Program to investigate how carnivory-related genes, such as those involved in digestion, could help crops not only avoid pests, but also thrive in low-nutrient environments.

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Apr 06, 2021

Ancient oral biome points to overall health

When a baby puts something from the floor in their mouth, we panic, but the mouth already contains thousands of bacteria. Now a team of researchers is looking at archaeological remains for an example of how Japanese oral biomes have changed and what they say about the people who owned those mouths and teeth.

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Mar 25, 2021

Three Huck Students Collect Grad School Awards

Two students from the intercollegiate graduate degree program in plant biology and one from ecology have been named among the recipients of prestigious 2020-21 Penn State Graduate School awards.

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Mar 18, 2021

Ottar Bjørnstad elected to Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters

Ottar N. Bjørnstad, distinguished professor of entomology and biology and J. Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair of Epidemiology at Penn State, has been elected to the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. Bjørnstad was recommended as a result of his significant contributions to the fields of population ecology and quantitative epidemiology.

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Feb 18, 2021

Silencing the alarm

An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.

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Feb 10, 2021

Andrew Patterson receives Society of Toxicology Achievement Award

The Society of Toxicology has named Tombros Early Career Professor Andrew Patterson of Penn State as the recipient of its 2021 Achievement Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the field of toxicology within 15 years of obtaining the highest earned degree.

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Feb 11, 2021

Rebuilding soil microbiomes in high-tunnel agricultural systems focus of study

The presence of high salt and nitrogen concentrations in high- tunnel soils may make it more challenging to rebuild a healthy soil microbiome following a soil-clearing event, according to microbial ecologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

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Dec 11, 2020

Could spotted owls benefit from forest fires?

It may seem counterintuitive, but forest fires are actually beneficial to spotted owls, according to Penn State biologist Derek Lee.

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Oct 05, 2020

Bacteria virus combo may be cause of neonatal brain infections in Uganda

A newly identified bacteria and a common virus may be the underlying cause of infection-induced hydrocephalus in Uganda, according to an international team of researchers.

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Sep 30, 2020

Coral’s resilience to warming may depend on iron

How well corals respond to climate change could depend in part on the already scarce amount of iron available in their environment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.

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