News
Jun 13, 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.
Full Article
Jun 13, 2022
Study predicts cancer cases, deaths in Africa could double by 2040
Cancer cases and deaths are expected to double in Africa during the next two decades, according to findings from a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers. The study also reveals that the region lacks sufficient health care resources and infrastructure to handle the growing cancer burden.
Full Article
Jun 06, 2022
Scientists devise method to help prevent hospital infections
On any given day, one in 31 hospital patients is diagnosed with an infection that developed as a result of care during their hospital stay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical devices such as catheters, stents, heart valves and pacemakers, whose surfaces can become covered with harmful bacterial films, account for about a quarter of such infections. To help prevent such infections, a research team led by Penn State and the University of California, Los Angeles, developed a novel surface treatment for these devices.
Full Article
Jun 06, 2022
Penn State Extension publication offers guidance on managing spotted lanternfly
A new publication from Penn State Extension is a must-read for those who want the latest information about the spotted lanternfly. Authored by scientists and extension educators in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, the Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide features comprehensive information, illustrations, charts and photos on the pest’s biology, behavior, plant damage and management, as well as a brief overview of ongoing research.
Full Article
Jun 01, 2022
Managing habitat for flowering plants may mitigate climate effects on bee health
Warm, wet weather conditions and changing climate negatively influence the nectar intake and nutritional health of honey bees, but maintaining large tracts of grassy natural habitat with flowering plants around apiaries may help to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.
Full Article
May 31, 2022
SSRI funding boosts interdisciplinary research
Three Penn State research teams were recently awarded Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) pilot funding to foster interdisciplinary research that addresses human and social problems.
Full Article
May 26, 2022
Seth Bordenstein named director of the Penn State Microbiome Center
Seth Bordenstein, director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center at Vanderbilt University, will take the reins of the Penn State Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in the fall of 2022.
Full Article
May 25, 2022
Three Physiology Students Awarded USDA Fellowships
Three graduate students in the Huck Institutes' Integrative and Biomedical Physiology program have recently been awarded fellowships by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support their continued research.
Full Article
May 24, 2022
Does herpes simplex virus change during transmission?
A new study helps explain how the virus that causes herpes might change during transmission between partners and over time during a long-term infection within a human host, which could have implications for future treatment strategies. The study, by a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Washington, is the first to track genetic differences of the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) as it moves between adult sexual transmission partners.
Full Article
May 19, 2022
College of Engineering awards six Multidisciplinary Research Seed Grants
The Penn State College of Engineering recently awarded six Multidisciplinary Research Seed Grants to faculty members, including one in partnership with the College of Health and Human Development and another with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
Full Article