News
Feb 25, 2021
Mortality rises among public when health workers get sick in an outbreak
When healthcare workers become ill during a disease outbreak, overall case counts and mortality rates may significantly increase, according to a new model created by researchers at Penn State. The findings may help to improve interventions that aim to mitigate the effects of outbreaks such as COVID-19.
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Feb 25, 2021
Lethal house lures help reduce incidence of malaria in children
A new type of housing modification can reduce malaria incidence among children by around 40-50%, according to an international team of researchers. The intervention uses window screening, together with PVC tubes fitted with insecticide-laced screens and installed under the eaves of homes, as a novel method of killing malaria mosquitoes as they attempt to enter the house.
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Feb 25, 2021
InsectEye team, which includes IBC Fellow Mathis, is selected to compete in Nittany AI Challenge!
Twenty Penn State teams with students from seven different colleges and six campuses, including for the first time Penn State World Campus, will each be awarded $500 to compete in the Prototype Phase of the 2021 Nittany AI Challenge.
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Feb 23, 2021
Researchers discover potential therapeutic targets on SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted considerable investigation into how the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein attaches to a human cell during the infection process, as this knowledge is useful in designing vaccines and therapeutics. Now, a team of scientists has discovered additional locations on the Spike protein that may not only help to explain how certain mutations make emerging variants more infectious but also could be used as additional targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Feb 23, 2021
COVID vaccine questions to be answered on WPSU’s ‘Conversations Live’ on Feb. 25
Central Pennsylvanians can have their COVID-19 vaccine questions answered live during the next broadcast of WPSU’s “Conversations Live” at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25.
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Feb 18, 2021
Unique study of isolated bobcat population confirms accuracy of extinction model
The reintroduction of 32 bobcats to an island off the coast of Georgia more than three decades ago created an ideal experiment to examine the accuracy of a genetic-modeling technique that predicts extinction of isolated wildlife populations.
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Feb 17, 2021
Silencing the alarm
An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.
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Feb 16, 2021
Three from Eberly College of Science awarded 2021 Sloan Research Fellowships
Three faculty members from the Eberly College of Science have been honored with 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships in recognition of their research accomplishments. The new Sloan fellows include Maria del Carmen Carmona Benitez, assistant professor of physics; Joseph Cotruvo Jr., Louis Martarano Career Development Professor of Chemistry; and Elizabeth Elacqua, assistant professor of chemistry.
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Feb 15, 2021
MCIBS Chair Melissa Rolls Wins Leadership Award
Melissa Rolls, who is also the Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Director of the Center for Cellular Dynamics, has been recognized for outstanding leadership of the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences graduate program.
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Feb 10, 2021
Baby food product names may not accurately reflect ingredient amounts
The descriptions on the fronts of infant and toddler food packages may not accurately reflect the actual ingredient amounts, according to new research. The team found that vegetables in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “dark green” category were very likely to appear in the product name, but their average order in the ingredient list was close to fourth.
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