News
Feb 03, 2021
Penn State entomologists devise a system to control mushroom phorid flies
Working with producers, researchers develop method to give beleaguered residents relief from pest
Full Article
Feb 02, 2021
Vector-borne diseases shaped human history and reveal race disparities
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs), such as plague, malaria and yellow fever, have significantly shaped society and culture, according to an international team of researchers. In a study published in Ecology Letters on Jan. 27, the team used historical evidence interpreted through an ecological lens to illustrate how VBDs have influenced human history, with particular attention to how VBDs have reinforced and exacerbated racism.
Full Article
Feb 02, 2021
Vaccines against 10 diseases prevented 37 million deaths in last 20 years
Vaccine programs in low- and middle-income countries have prevented 37 million deaths in the last 20 years – 36 million of which have been in children under age five. These are the findings, published Jan. 28 in The Lancet, of the most comprehensive study of the impact of vaccination programs ever undertaken.
Full Article
Feb 01, 2021
Summer weather conditions influence winter survival of honey bees
Winter survival of honey bee colonies is strongly influenced by summer temperatures and precipitation in the prior year, according to Penn State researchers, who said their findings suggest that honey bees have a "goldilocks" preferred range of summer conditions outside of which their probability of surviving the winter falls.
Full Article
Feb 01, 2021
Newly discovered trait helps plants grow deeper roots in dry, compacted soils
A previously unknown root trait allows some cereal plants to grow deeper roots capable of punching through dry, hard, compacted soils, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest that harnessing the inherited characteristic could lead to crops better able to deal with a changing climate.
Full Article
Feb 01, 2021
Student funding available for laboratory research
The Energy and Environmental Sustainability Laboratories (EESL) announced its 2020-21 funding opportunity for Penn State students. The program, called EESL Green, is now accepting proposals for funding that will support energy and environment, materials and fermentation laboratory research.
Full Article
Jan 28, 2021
Infants exposed to second-hand smoke may develop behavior problems later in life
When parents think of baby-proofing, they may think of baby gates and outlet covers, but there might be something less obvious to consider: whether previous occupants of their home were smokers. According to a National Institutes of Health-funded study by researchers at Penn State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), babies can be exposed to nicotine left behind in the home.
Full Article
Jan 28, 2021
Ecology Institute to hold pitch slam for funding competition
The Ecology Institute announced a funding competition for its annual Flower Grant for Ecological Research. The events, which will take place as virtual pitch slams, will occur from noon to 1 p.m. on March 9 and 10. The Ecology Institute is inviting researchers who are seeking funding to participate.
Full Article
Jan 28, 2021
Two members of Eberly College honored for extraordinary efforts during pandemic
Matthew Ferrari, Huck Career Development Professor and Associate Professor of Biology, was one of two people honored with Dean’s Special Awards for their efforts to support the Eberly College of Science and the University in response to COVID-19.
Full Article
Jan 27, 2021
Therapeutic cell researcher joins biomedical engineering and Huck Institutes
Yuguo “Leo” Lei joined the Penn State Department of Biomedical Engineering as an associate professor and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences as the inaugural faculty director of the Sartorius Cell Culture Facility in a joint appointment on Jan. 1.
Full Article