News

D.J. McNeil, postdoctoral fellow in entomology, listened to the nocturnal "songs" of crickets and katydids (shown here) to map their populations across a variety of habitats in central Pennsylvania.

Researchers hear more crickets and katydids 'singing in the suburbs'

The songs that crickets and katydids sing at night to attract mates can help in monitoring and mapping their populations, according to Penn State researchers, whose study of Orthoptera species in central Pennsylvania also shed light on these insects' habitat preferences.

Assistant professor intends to bridge gap between humans and robots

Katie Fitzsimons will join the Penn State College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) as an assistant professor in January 2021. Through her research, Fitzsimons plans to advance robotics, powered by a greater understanding of human motion and behavior.

Bacteria virus combo may be cause of neonatal brain infections in Uganda

A newly identified bacteria and a common virus may be the underlying cause of infection-induced hydrocephalus in Uganda, according to an international team of researchers.

Mapping a trail of chemical reactions, Howard Hughes Investigator Squire Booker shows how one group of enzymes helps us stay healthy

Mapping a trail of chemical reactions, Howard Hughes Investigator Squire Booker shows how one group of enzymes helps us stay healthy

Coral’s resilience to warming may depend on iron

How well corals respond to climate change could depend in part on the already scarce amount of iron available in their environment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.

Four student teams use AI for good to win 2020 Nittany AI Challenge

Nyansapo, OpenVessel, AI Guide and Cyclone are the winners of the 2020 Nittany AI Challenge. Each of the student teams created a minimum viable product (MVP) using artificial intelligence (AI) for good and were selected by a panel of judges to share a pool of $25,000 to continue to move their solutions forward.

Scientists take a step toward understanding 'jumping genes' effect on the genome

Using state-of-the-art statistical methods, a team of researchers said they may have taken a leap closer to understanding a class of jumping genes, sequences that move to different locations in the human genome, which is the body’s complete set of DNA.

Public health preparedness master's students take on COVID-19-related projects

When COVID-19 gained pandemic status in the spring, students in health-related fields across the country saw topics from  their courses and training become a reality.

Team wins grant to develop nitrogen fertilizer decision tool for organic farmers

Penn State researchers have received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to perfect a tool they developed to help organic corn producers decide how much nitrogen — as fertilizer or manure — to apply to their crop fields.

Penn State Microbiome Center elects new executive committee

The Penn State Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences recently elected six new members to join its executive committee. The new members, along with 11 others who remained on the committee, started their two-year term in July.