News

Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression

Hairless skin first evolved in humans as a way to keep cool " and then turned into a canvas to help them look cool, according to Nina Jablonski.

Modern life may cause sun exposure, skin pigmentation mismatch

As people move more often and become more urbanized, skin color " an adaptation that took hundreds of thousands of years to develop in humans " may lose some of its evolutionary advantage, according to Nina Jablonski.

Wild plants are infected with many viruses and still thrive

Researchers have studied viruses as agents of disease in humans, domestic animals, and plants, but a study of plant viruses in the wild may point to a more cooperative, benevolent role of the microbe, according to Marilyn Roossinck.

Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility is putting tobacco settlement funds to innovative good use

For researchers at Penn State interested in biological mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, the Facility's newest mass spectrometer " the Thermo LTQ Orbitrap Velos " has become the instrument of choice.

Computer modeling breaks new ground in study of root architecture

The United Nations estimates that one in every seven people around the world is hungry; fortunately, Jonathan Lynch and Kathleen Brown are getting to the root of this problem using Information Technology (IT).

Social media abuzz about how to breed super queen bees

While honey bee populations dwindle across the globe, Christina Grozinger and other Penn State researchers aim to use communication technologies to spread revolutionary beekeeping techniques that will help offset the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

Physiology IGDP students win awards for research and scholarship

Theresa Carr and Brenna Hill have been selected, respectively, as recipients of the Alumni Association Dissertation Award and the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award

Penn State and the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology receive one of five new grants from the World Health Organization's TDR program

The grant from the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) will fund 3 years of research on the impact of climate and land-use changes on trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and malaria dynamics in Tanzania's semi-arid Maasai Steppe region.

Graduate students sought for CarbonEARTH fellowships

The program is seeking exceptional graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for several $2,500/month National Science Foundation (NSF) GK-12 Fellowships, beginning Aug. 1, 2013.

Daniel Hagen selected to serve on Penn State's Presidential Search and Screen Committee

Dr. Hagen is one of 18 individuals recently selected to help find Penn State's next president.