News

Rescue of Alzheimer's memory deficit achieved by reducing 'excessive inhibition'

A new drug target to fight Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by a research team led by Gong Chen, a Professor of Biology and the Verne M. Willaman Chair in Life Sciences at Penn State University.

Neural reward response may demonstrate why quitting smoking is harder for some

Researchers including Stephen J. Wilson and Patricia Grigson have now identified an aspect of brain activity that helps to predict the effectiveness of a reward-based strategy as motivation to quit smoking.

Until death do us part: genetics reveal that threatened reef corals and their symbiotic algae live together but evolve independently

New research reveals that Caribbean corals and the algae that inhabit them form a remarkably stable relationship new knowledge that can serve as an important tool in preserving and restoring vital reef-building corals.

Probing Question: Could polio make a comeback?

Melissa Beattie Moss talks with Craig Cameron about the possibility of another polio epidemic.

Zinc deficiency before conception disrupts fetal development

Female mice deprived of dietary zinc for a relatively short time before conception experienced fertility and pregnancy problems and had smaller, less-developed fetuses than mice that ingested zinc during the same times, according to Penn State researchers including Francisco Diaz and Thomas Neuberger.

Climate change, other factors may reshape central Appalachian forests

Studying the forest as a whole is key to understanding the impact of climate change, according to Margot Kaye.

Providing digital PCR in a core facility, demonstrating pathogen applications

Deb Grove, Director of Genetic Analysis at the Genomics Core Facility, discusses digital PCR and demonstrates pathogen-related applications.

Oil and gas development homogenizing core-forest bird communities

Conventional oil and gas development in northern Pennsylvania altered bird communities, and the current massive build-out of shale-gas infrastructure may accelerate these changes, according to Penn State researchers including Margaret Brittingham.

$1.8M NIH grant will support study of nervous system's underlying communications

Mohammad Reza Abidian has received a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's Institute for Neurological Disorders (NINDS).

Huck-ICS Cyberhealth Innovation Seed Funds: Data to Insight / Data to Innovation (D2I2)

The Huck Institutes and the Institute for CyberScience (ICS), through the cooperation of the Tobacco CURE fund, are seeking applications to fund a series of seed grants for researchers who wish to explore data sets and obtain insights or solutions to key issues in the Life Sciences.