News

Feb 07, 2019
Simple drug combination creates new neurons from neighboring cells
A simple drug cocktail that converts cells neighboring damaged neurons into functional new neurons could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries. A team of researchers at Penn State identified a set of four, or even three, molecules that could convert glial cells—which normally provide support and insulation for neurons—into new neurons.
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Feb 17, 2015
Nerve-cell signaling traced back to common ancestor of humans and sea anemone
New research led by by Tim Jegla shows that a burst of evolutionary innovation in the genes responsible for electrical communication among nerve cells in our brains occurred over 600 million years ago in a common ancestor of humans and the sea anemone.
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Nov 12, 2014
Learning languages is a workout for brains, both young and old
Learning a new language changes your brain network both structurally and functionally, according to Penn State researchers.
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Nov 02, 2014
Link seen between seizures and migraines in the brain
Seizures and migraines have always been considered separate physiological events in the brain, but now a team of engineers and neuroscientists looking at the brain from a physics viewpoint discovered a link between these and related phenomena.
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Oct 16, 2014
Computer game could help adolescents with autism improve their social skills
Penn State researchers including Suzy Scherf are leveraging their collective expertise to design a computer game that could help adolescents with autism improve their social skills.
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Oct 16, 2014
Research shows alcohol consumption influenced by genes
How people perceive and taste alcohol depends on genetic factors, and that influences whether they "like" and consume alcoholic beverages, according to researchers -- including John Hayes -- in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
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Jul 24, 2014
Test - Can fish feel pain?
On BBC's Newsnight, Victoria Braithwaite discusses science, business, and ethics in commercial fish harvesting.
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Jun 12, 2014
Can fish feel pain?
On BBC's Newsnight, Victoria Braithwaite discusses science, business, and ethics in commercial fish harvesting.
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Nov 07, 2013
Male lizards prefer more-feminine lizards to "bearded ladies," new research finds
Which females do male lizards find to be the sexiest? Huck Institutes affiliate Tracy Langkilde and Lindsey Swierk, a graduate student in Langkilde's lab, tackle this question by examining the mating behavior and blue-color patterns of fence lizards in Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi.
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Aug 27, 2013
Huck Institutes affiliate receives Early Career Award
From the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, David Puts has received the 2013 Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, which "recognizes excellent young scientists who have made distinguished theoretical and/or empirical contributions to the study of evolution and human behavior."
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