News
Jan 07, 2020
Growth of Microbiome Centers Noted In Nature Microbiology.
Penn State has committed to hiring almost two dozen new faculty members to study the microbiome since the creation of its own center.
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Jan 03, 2020
Water lily genome expands picture of the early evolution of flowering plants
The newly reported genome sequence of a water lily sheds light on the early evolution of angiosperms, the group of all flowering plants. An international team of researchers, including scientists at Penn State, used high-throughput next-generation sequencing technology to read out the water lily’s (Nymphaea colorata) genome and transcriptome — the set of all genes expressed as RNAs.
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Jan 02, 2020
Weight-loss plan developed at Penn State ties for No. 2 ranking
If eating healthier is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, you may need to look no further than Volumetrics, a diet developed by Penn State Professor of Nutrition Barbara Rolls that has tied for the No. 2 weight-loss plan in this year’s U.S. News & World Report's "Best Diets."
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Dec 20, 2019
Penn State researcher receives a Rising Star Award in biomedical engineering
Xiaojun “Lance” Lian, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Penn State, has been named one of the 2020 Rising Star Award recipients in stem cell engineering by the Biomedical Engineering Society’s (BMES) Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Special Interest Group (CMBE SIG).
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Dec 18, 2019
LiveB1G: Infectious Disease Forecasting
As part of its LiveB1G series, the Big Ten Network has featured Penn State professor Steven Schiff, who leads an interdisciplinary team that applies weather forecast modeling to forecast infection risk in infants, providing the opportunity to diagnose diseases in children that cannot be diagnosed with existing technology.
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Dec 17, 2019
Agricultural parasite avoids evolutionary arms race, shuts down genes of host
A parasitic plant has found a way to circumvent an evolutionary arms race with the host plants from which it steals nutrients, allowing the parasite to thrive on a variety of agriculturally important plants. The parasite dodder, an agricultural pest found on every continent, sends genetic material into its host to shut down host defense genes.
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Dec 17, 2019
New tool reveals DNA structures that influence disease
Disruption of certain DNA structures — called topologically associating domains, or TADs — is linked with the development of disease, including some cancers. With its newly created algorithm that quickly locates and helps elucidate the complex functions of TADs, an international team of researchers is making it easier to study these important structures and help prevent disease.
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Dec 16, 2019
Center for Security Research and Education announces spring 2020 grant program
The Penn State Center for Security Research and Education (CSRE) has announced its spring 2020 grant program to support security-related scholarship and educational programs at Penn State. University faculty and researchers are eligible to apply by Feb. 14, 2020. For the first time, CSRE will offer a $50,000 Impact Grant, a $50,000 Homeland Security Grant, and open-topic grants with maximum awards of $15,000.
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Dec 06, 2019
Novel way to ID disease-resistance genes in chocolate-producing trees found
Chocolate-producing cacao trees that are resistant to a major pathogen were identified by an international team of plant geneticists. The findings point the way for plant breeders to develop trees that are tolerant of the disease.
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Dec 04, 2019
Respiration key to increase oxygen in the brain
Contrary to accepted knowledge, blood can bring more oxygen to mice brains when they exercise because the increased respiration packs more oxygen into the hemoglobin, according to an international team of researchers who believe that this holds true for all mammals.
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