News
Jul 07, 2023
Newly identified protein regulates the creation of cellulose in plant cells
Cellulose — an integral component of plant cell walls — is an important source of food, paper, textiles and biofuels, but how its creation is regulated within plant cells has remained unclear.
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May 23, 2023
Orchids’ ability to grow on other plants independently evolved multiple times
The most extensive study of the genetic relationships among orchids to date reveals that the flower’s ability to grow on other plants evolved independently multiple times.
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Mar 22, 2023
Penn State biologist to present free public lecture on MicroRNAs in plants
Michael J. Axtell, the Louis and Hedwig Sternberg Chair in Plant Biology and distinguished professor of biology, will present the inaugural Louis and Hedwig Sternberg Chair in Plant Biology Lecture at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, March 27, at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the Penn State University Park campus.
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Dec 14, 2022
Novel 3D imaging model may show path to more water-efficient plants
Changes in Earth’s orbit that favored hotter conditions may have helped trigger a rapid global warming event 56 million years ago that is considered an analogue for modern climate change, according to an international team of scientists.
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Nov 22, 2022
New 'Life From All Angles' video features Sally Mackenzie’s epigenetics research
The latest episode of "Life From All Angles," a YouTube series from the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, features Penn State Plant Institute Director Sally Mackenzie and her groundbreaking research in the field of epigenetics.
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Sep 27, 2022
Penn State awarded grant to help dairy farmers develop climate-smart commodities
Funding of up to $25 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will support a new Penn State-led collaboration with dairy industry associations and producers to develop and implement climate-smart practices on Pennsylvania dairy farms.
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Aug 17, 2022
Plant molecular geneticists discover, and begin to crack, the epigenetic code
When plants sense environmental challenges such as drought or extended periods of extreme temperatures, they instinctively reprogram their genetic material to survive and even thrive.
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Jun 30, 2022
Jared Ali named director of the Penn State Center for Chemical Ecology
Jared Ali, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology and associate professor of entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named director of the Penn State Center for Chemical Ecology (CCE).
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Jun 27, 2022
Jared Ali named Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology
Jared Ali, associate professor of entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
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Jun 24, 2022
Climate-associated genetic switches found in plants
Genetic variants that can act as switches directing structural changes in the RNA molecules that code for proteins in plants have been experimentally validated in plants for the first time. The changes to RNA structure can affect the molecule’s stability, how it interacts with other molecules, and how efficiently it can be translated into protein — all of which can impact its function and the traits of the plant.
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