News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Jan 11, 2021

Levels of stress hormone in saliva of newborn deer fawns may predict mortality

The first-ever study of the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of newborn white-tailed deer fawns yielded thought-provoking results that have Penn State researchers suggesting predation is not the only thing in the wild killing fawns.

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Jan 08, 2021

Students join research team examining the COVID-19 pandemic in Centre County

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting every aspect of daily life with implications including social, psychological and economic well-being and education achievement. The Data 4 Action Research Project aims to better understand such spillover impacts of COVID-19 in Centre County by assessing biological, psychological and social functioning of community members and Penn State students.

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Jan 06, 2021

Resist the resistance: Fighting the good fight against bacteria

In an effort to reduce the potential infection-caused 10 million deaths worldwide, Penn State researcher Scott Medina has developed a peptide, or small protein, that can target a specific pathogen without damaging the good bacteria that bolsters the immune system.

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Dec 23, 2020

Discovery of chemical clue may lead to solving cacao's black pod rot mystery

The finding of relatively high levels of the antimicrobial compound clovamide in the leaves of a disease-resistant strain of cacao has significant implications for breeding trees that can tolerate black pod rot, according to Penn State researchers who conducted a novel study.

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Dec 22, 2020

Study: Bumble bees lacking high-quality habitat have higher pathogen loads

Findings could inform management practices aimed at conserving wild bee populations

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Researchers will evaluate the results of two self-administered, scratch-and-sniff smell tests for COVID-19. The first involves asking users to identify odors such as smoke, strawberry, chocolate and onions, while the second is designed to reveal a participant’s sensitivity to different concentrations of the same odor

Dec 22, 2020

Researchers investigate an at-home 'scratch-and-sniff' test for COVID-19

A self-administered "scratch-and-sniff" test for COVID-19 may be around the corner, according to researchers at Penn State, the University of Florida, and Arizona State University.

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Dec 18, 2020

Genomics Core Unveils New Capabilities

A new machine and set of reagents recently acquired by the Genomics Core Facility will enable researchers to go beyond bulk gene expression.

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Dec 16, 2020

Some neurons target tiny cerebral blood vessel dilation

Neurons control blood flow in tiny vessels in the brain, but researchers know little about this relationship. Now a team of Penn State engineers has found a connection between nitric oxide expressing neurons and changes in arterial diameters in mice, which may shed light on brain function and aging.

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New research reveals that, contrary to current perceptions and forest management strategies, wildfires may be beneficial to populations of spotted owls, including those of the subspecies of California spotted owls pictured here. (IMAGE: John S. Senser, U.S. Forest Service)

Dec 10, 2020

Could spotted owls benefit from forest fires?

It may seem counterintuitive, but forest fires are actually beneficial to spotted owls, according to Penn State biologist Derek Lee.

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The Collaborative Informatics and Neuroimaging Suite Toolkit for Anonymous Computation (COINSTAC) platform is a peer to peer system that operates to make data available for analysis, while protecting anonymity and privacy. COINSTAC makes possible virtual sharing and analyses with identified collaborators in the absence of moving any data. Collaboration and data sharing are done through forming temporary virtual clusters of studies performing automatically generated local computation on their respective data and aggregating statistics. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Frank Hillary)

Dec 10, 2020

Psychology professor receives grant to 'harmonize' brain injury data

A provisional grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health, will help Penn State professor of psychology, Frank Hillary, and 37 co-investigators from all over the world promote brain injury data sharing worldwide in the hopes of advancing science and improving patient outcomes.

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