News

Jun 13, 2019

Sensing food textures is a matter of pressure

Food's texture affects whether it is eaten, liked or rejected, according to Penn State researchers, who say some people are better at detecting even minor differences in consistency because their tongues can perceive particle sizes.

Full Article

May 22, 2019

Exercise may help teens sleep longer, more efficiently

Getting more exercise than normal — or being more sedentary than usual — for one day may be enough to affect sleep later that night, according to a new study led by Penn State.

Full Article

Apr 25, 2019

Songbird-body changes that allow migration may have human health implications

Songbirds that pack on as much as 50 percent of their body weight before migrating and that sleep very little, exhibit altered immune system and tissue-repair function during the journey, which may hold implications for human health, according to Penn State researchers.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

Jul 24, 2014

Test - Can fish feel pain?

On BBC's Newsnight, Victoria Braithwaite discusses science, business, and ethics in commercial fish harvesting.

Full Article