News
Aug 18, 2026
Genetic ‘switches’ could program 3D-printed bone tissue for blood vessel growth
An interdisciplinary team of engineers and chemists at Penn State has laid the groundwork to 3D print spheroids — tiny clusters of living cells — capable of regenerating bone tissue in response to severe trauma or infections. By introducing different strands of genetic information into undifferentiated, commercially sourced stem cells, the team has demonstrated that bioprinting, which layers the fundamental building blocks of an organ tissue, can create cell clusters optimized to support bone tissue regeneration
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Aug 14, 2026
Printable hydrogel enables wearable health sensors that multitask
A team of researchers led by Penn State developed an ultrasoft, adhesive and printable hydrogel — a soft, water-rich material that mimics the flexibility of living tissue — designed to conform to dry, wet, moving and hairy skin. In proof-of-concept experiments, the material simultaneously recorded different combinations of heart, eye, brain and muscle activity, changes in sweating and body movement, demonstrating its potential as a platform for future wearable health-monitoring technologies.
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Aug 14, 2026
Cell ‘invisibility cloaks’ could offer side-effect-free diabetes treatment
Outfitting cells in “invisibility cloaks” may offer an easier, less damaging treatment pathway for people with diabetes undergoing cell therapy, according to researchers at Penn State.
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Aug 12, 2026
NSF CAREER Award: Understanding how the brain learns complex skills
Tarkeshwar Singh, associate professor of kinesiology in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The five-year, $775,450 CAREER award will support Singh’s research on the interaction between cognition, decision-making and motor control to plan and coordinate complex movement sequences and skills.
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Aug 11, 2026
Andrew Patterson named H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair
Andrew Patterson has been named the H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. The professorship, which is named for H. Thomas Hollowell and his wife Dorothy Willits Hallowell, is granted to distinguished University faculty members to help enhance Penn State's commitment to the commonwealth by supporting the faculty member’s contributions to education, research and public service.
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Aug 05, 2026
Soilless farming system design can determine microbial growth, impact on crops
Vegetable production from soilless farming — a method of growing plants in a nutrient-rich solution rather than traditional soil — is significant, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), with more than half of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce grown using hydroponics. This fast-growing segment of modern agriculture addresses water scarcity, land limitations and food security, but microbial management remains a challenge, according to a team of researchers at Penn State.
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Aug 03, 2026
How does a deadly chicken virus escape vaccines designed to slow it?
A new genome-wide study of the virus that causes Marek’s disease in chickens has identified 10 regions in the virus genome that are associated with an increase in virulence. The study could inform the development of next-generation vaccines that are more effective at preventing future breakthroughs.
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Jul 31, 2026
Chemical engineering professor honored for work on plant-based tissue scaffolds
Amir Sheikhi, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering and associate professor of chemical engineering at Penn State, recently received the 2025 Early Career Investigator Award from the journal BioResources. The award recognized a paper published by Sheikhi and his research team in 2026, titled “All-Cellulose Cryogels with Tunable Extracellular Matrix-MimeticArchitecture.”
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Jul 29, 2026
Honey from continental US may be as pesticide-free as imported organic honey
Honey from the continental U.S. can’t currently be certified organic due to specific land requirements, but farms in the Northeast may still produce honey that is as low in pesticide residue as imported organic honeys, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State, Cornell University and Auburn University.
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Jul 28, 2026
Industrial noise may alter bluebird behavior but not cognitive ability
Scientists have long wondered whether loud, human-caused noise interferes with wild animals’ cognition — their ability to think and learn — by causing stress, distraction or making it harder for them to focus. The results of a novel study of Eastern bluebirds conducted by a team of researchers at Penn State suggests that, at least in some cases, short-term noise doesn’t affect them much.
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