News

Researchers get USDA-NIFA grant to study corn plant nutrient-use efficiency

A research team led by a Penn State plant scientist has received a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the functions of key plant genes responsible for regulating the acquisition and use of nitrogen and phosphorus in corn hybrids.

Researchers to develop scaffolding for nerve regeneration with $2.14M NIH grant

Peripheral nerves are responsible for moving muscles, sensing temperatures and even inhaling and exhaling; yet they comprise fragile fibers vulnerable to disease and injury.

Penn State research team will study Lassa virus spread in Nigeria

A team of researchers led by Penn State has been awarded $4 million from the National Science Foundation to investigate the elements that lead to the spread of Lassa virus from rodents to humans in Nigeria.

Pulsed light technology effectively kills harmful pathogens in new study

A light-based, food sanitization technique successfully eliminated multiple harmful pathogens in a new study carried out by Penn State researchers.

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.

Irreversible declines in freshwater storage projected in parts of Asia by 2060

Most comprehensive study to date on water storage in Tibetan Plateau projects dramatic losses of freshwater storage in parts of Asia by mid-century under modest climate policy scenario

Penn State funds study of student mental health, well-being for five more years

The coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of college students nationwide, according to recent studies. To better serve its own students, Penn State recently funded a five-year extension of a study with researchers at the University to gain further insight into its students’ mental health status and needs.

New at-home, saliva-based COVID test as effective as PCR in preliminary analysis

PCR tests, also called molecular tests or nucleic acid tests, are considered the gold standard in detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that gives rise to COVID-19. However, they can take a few days to process, resulting in unnecessary quarantine for negative individuals or delays for those who require proof of negative testing for travel or other commitments.

New SciArt installation reflects on viruses in our everyday lives

"The BioMachine," a new art installation designed and fabricated by the SciArt team at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, offers an interactive exploration of the viruses — like those which cause COVID-19 — that permeate our world.

Close ties with industry fuel success for master of biotechnology degree program

Looking back over more than two decades leading Penn State’s master of biotechnology degree program, Loida Escote-Carlson concluded: “We’ve been tremendously successful.”