News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

A study conducted by Penn State entomologists evaluated the effectiveness of various insects in potentially controlling spotted lanternfly populations. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 17, 2025

Natural insect predators may serve as allies in spotted lanternfly battle

Insect predators found in the United States could help keep spotted lanternfly populations in check while potentially reducing reliance on chemical control methods, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Penn State.

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‘Microbial Me’ brings the invisible world of microbes through visual art, showcasing the ecosystems on our skin through a series of agar sculptures displaying bacteria. By casting her own face and swabbing the bacteria, Monsoon encourages viewers to reflect on the microorganisms present on their own skin. Credit: Mellissa Monsoon. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 17, 2025

BioArtist Mellissa Monsoon to present 'Collaborating with Microbes'

The One Health Microbiome Center and College of Arts and Architecture are co-hosting three events as part of a multi-year SciArt collaboration.

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Aditya Sapre, a doctoral student studying chemical engineering, participates in the 2024 Three Minute Thesis competition. Sapre would go on to take home first place at the Penn State competition last spring. Credit: Jillian Wesner / Fox Graduate School at Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 17, 2025

Stage set for final round of Three Minute Thesis competition on March 29

Graduate students at Penn State will put their communication skills to the test in the final round of the University’s second annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The event, hosted by the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, and will be livestreamed from the Nittany Lion Inn. The competition is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

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Mar 15, 2025

Ag Sciences research institute SAFES funds projects addressing critical issues

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, through its Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, known as SAFES, announced funding awards to accelerate the advancement of its Critical Issues Initiatives. These initiatives serve as the college’s impact hubs, addressing urgent and high-impact challenges through targeted efforts and innovative projects.

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On March 25, Erika Ganda, an assistant professor in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, will discuss via Zoom how microbes in animals, people and the environment are interconnected through a concept known as “One Health.” The lecture is part of the Penn State Alumni Association's Virtual Speaker Series. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 14, 2025

Virtual lecture to explore the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems

On March 25, Erika Ganda, an assistant professor in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, will discuss via Zoom how microbes in animals, people and the environment are interconnected through a concept known as “One Health.” The lecture is part of the Penn State Alumni Association's Virtual Speaker Series.

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A new study has described a potential mechanism that could help explain why some proteins refold in a different pattern than expected. The research showed that a type of misfolding, called non-covalent lasso entanglement, in which the proteins incorrectly intertwine their segments, can occur and create a barrier to the normal folding process. The image shows the native folded structure of the protein phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) on the left and one of the misfolded PGK structures predicted in this study on the right, with the entangled regions highlighted in red and blue. Credit: Provided by Yang Jiang / Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 14, 2025

Protein accidentally lassos itself, helping explain unusual refolding behavior

New study demonstrates a potential protein misfolding mechanism that could solve a decades-old mystery of why some proteins refold in a different pattern than expected.

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Movement of Zika virus through a tunneling nanotube formed between two cells. An imaging technique called immunofluorescence assay shows the co-localization of viral structural proteins, the capsid protein in red and envelope protein in green, indicative of virus particles in the tunneling nanotube. Credit: Provided by the Jose Lab / Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 14, 2025

Tunnel-building virus: How Zika transmits from mother to fetus

A team of researchers from Penn State and Baylor College of Medicine found that the Zika virus builds tiny tunnels, called tunneling nanotubes, to stealthily transport material needed to infect nearby cells, including in placental cells.

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Nazifa Tabassum, left, and Katie Yan will speak at ENVISION: STEM Career Day Supporting Young Women on March 29. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 13, 2025

Graduate students to present their journeys in science

Graduate students Nazifa Tabassum and Katie Yan are this year's I AM STEM contest winners. They will serve at this year's keynote speakers for ENVISION on Saturday, March 29, where they will share their experiences in STEM and provide advice to middle school and high school students eager to get involved as scientists.

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Brook trout, an iconic coldwater fish species native to streams and lakes in the eastern United States and Canada, begin to experience declines in growth rate in water above 61 degrees Fahrenheit and acute heat stress above 68 degrees Fahrenheit. In this study, researchers caught, sampled and released fish in four streams in Pennsylvania. Credit: Jason Keagy/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 13, 2025

Threatened by warming waters, brook trout may be able to adapt to hotter weather

Heatwaves appear to trigger heritable gene expression changes that may help make the fish more tolerant of thermal stress, researchers report in novel study.

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Mar 10, 2025

Plant biologist awarded the Masatoshi Nei Innovation Prize in Biology

Sarah Assmann, Waller Professor of Plant Biology at Penn State, has been awarded the Masatoshi Nei Innovation Prize in Biology. The award was established through a generous gift from Masatoshi Nei, professor emeritus of biology at Penn State; Laura Carnell, professor of biology at Temple University; and Nei’s wife, Nobuko Nei. The prize is intended to recognize a preeminent scientist who is on the faculty at Penn State, is an innovator in their field, and has achieved outstanding scientific research and leadership in the biological sciences.

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