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A simple treatment using four small molecules converts human astrocytes – a common type of cells in the nervous system – into new neurons, which develop complex structures after 4 months, as pictured. Credit: Gong Chen Lab, Penn State

Feb 07, 2019

Simple drug combination creates new neurons from neighboring cells

A simple drug cocktail that converts cells neighboring damaged neurons into functional new neurons could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries. A team of researchers at Penn State identified a set of four, or even three, molecules that could convert glial cells—which normally provide support and insulation for neurons—into new neurons.

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Norman Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, leads a panel discussion with Penn State Professor Martin Pietrucha; Mathew Burrows, director of the Scowcroft Center’s Foresight, Strategy and Risks Initiative; and Penn State Professor Ellen Laipson in the Great Hall of the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C.IMAGE: PENN STATE

Feb 05, 2019

College of Engineering and Atlantic Council host workshop on strategic foresight

The College of Engineering partnered with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security to host a three-day workshop, a joint initiative to understand the evolving interactions between technology and our economic, political and social institutions, in spring 2018.

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Membraneless protocells — called complex coacervates — can bring together molecules of RNA, allowing the RNAs to perform certain reactions, an important step in the origin of life on Earth. The Image shows droplets of complex coacervates as seen under a microscope. The inset shows RNA molecules (cyan) are highly concentrated inside the droplets compared to the surrounding (dark). At roughly 2-5 micrometers in diameter, the droplets are about 14-35 times thinner than human hair. IMAGE: BEVILACQUA LABORATORY, PENN STATE

Jan 31, 2019

Membraneless protocells could provide clues to formation of early life

Membraneless assemblies of positively- and negatively-charged molecules can bring together RNA molecules in dense liquid droplets, allowing the RNAs to participate in fundamental chemical reactions. These assemblies, called “complex coacervates,” also enhance the ability of some RNA molecules themselves to act as enzymes — molecules that drive chemical reactions.

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Melik Demirel, professor of engineering science and mechanics and director, Center for Research on Advanced Fiber TechnologiesIMAGE: PENN STATE

Jan 30, 2019

Melik Demirel named Huck Chair in Biomimetic Materials

Melik C. Demirel, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, was recently named Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Biomimetic Materials by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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Dr. Melissa Rolls with current and prospective graduate students

Jan 25, 2019

Prospective Grad Students Get A Taste of Life at Penn State

Students interested in the Bioinformatics and Genomics; Plant Biology; Neuroscience; and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences graduate programs were given a warm welcome on a snowy weekend.

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Sean B. Carroll, vice president of science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will deliver a 2019 Darwin Day Lecture at Penn State. IMAGE: PHOTO PROVIDED BY PENN STATE CENTER FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY

Jan 25, 2019

Sean B. Carroll to deliver 2019 Darwin Day Lecture

Sean B. Carroll, vice president of science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), will deliver the 2019 Darwin Day Lecture titled “The Serengeti Rules: The Regulation and Restoration of Biodiversity” at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8 in 101 Thomas Building. Carroll’s lecture will be followed by a reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Commons on the third floor of the Millennium Science Complex. Both events are free and open to the public.

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A new method by researchers at Penn State uses ultraviolet light and small amounts of gold or titanium dioxide nanoparticles to gather larger particles of interest at the point of light. This method was used to gather polystyrene particles, which form a well-packed structure called a colloid crystal, as depicted in this image. IMAGE: SEN LAB, PENN STATE

Jan 22, 2019

New method uses ultraviolet light to control fluid flow and organize particles

A new, simple and inexpensive method that uses ultraviolet light to control particle motion and assembly within liquids could improve drug delivery, chemical sensors and fluid pumps. The method encourages particles — from plastic microbeads, to bacterial spores, to pollutants — to gather and organize at a specific location within a liquid and, if desired, to move to new locations.

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A new study by Penn State researchers reveals that lizard with ancestors who were frequently exposed to stressful encounters with invasive fire ants have an improved immune response to stress. Photo credit: Gail McCormick, Penn State

Jan 21, 2019

Having stressed out ancestors improves immune response to stress

Having ancestors who were frequently exposed to stressors can improve one's own immune response to stressors, according to Penn State researchers who studied fence lizards and their stress response. The results suggest that family history should be considered to predict or understand the health implications of stress.

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A recent art exhibition in downtown State College featured 18 works by Penn State scientists. IMAGE: PENN STATE

Jan 16, 2019

Discovering the beauty of living cells: Science meets coffeeshop art

A December exhibition at Webster's Bookstore Cafe titled “The Art of Cell Biology,” featured 18 pieces of science-based artwork produced by Penn State research,

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Differences in geographic origin of a person’s mitochondrial and nuclear genomes due to admixture can affect function of mitochondria, energy-generating organelles located inside cells that have their own separate genome. A new study reveals that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number decreases with increasing “mito-nuclear” dissimilarity in geographic origins of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes (e.g. as the proportion of nuclear DNA from population 1 decrease). IMAGE: ARSLAN ZAIDI, PENN STATE

Jan 14, 2019

Differences in genes’ geographic origin influence mitochondrial function

Differences in the geographic origin of genes may affect the function of human mitochondria — energy-generating organelles inside of cells — according to a new study. Mitochondria have their own genome, separate from the nuclear genome contained in the nucleus of the cell, and both genomes harbor genes integral to energy production by mitochondria. The study explores whether these “mito-nuclear” interactions, which are fine-tuned by natural selection over deep evolutionary time, could be altered when genes of different geographic origins are brought together within a genome.

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