News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

To recognize Penn State for its impactful cacao and chocolate research, the government of Ecuador gifted a replica of an ancient ceramic vessel containing remnants of cacao dating back 5,300 years. Present at the ceremony were, from left, Monica Sanchez, minister of the foreign service, Ecuador; Soledad Peña, office of deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Ecuador; Cristian Espinosa, ambassador of Ecuador in the United States; Mark Gultinan, professor of plant molecular biology and director of the Penn State Plant Institute; Siela Maximova, research professor of biotechnology and director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Penn State Global; Mariuxi Cárdenas Rodas, cultural and educational attaché; and Deanna Behring, assistant dean and director, Ag Sciences Global. Credit: Daryl Branford. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 22, 2024

Penn State receives replica of historic ceramic vessel from Ecuador government

In recognition of Penn State’s impactful contributions to cacao and chocolate research, the government of Ecuador presented the University and its College of Agricultural Sciences with a replica of an ancient ceramic vessel.

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Igor Aronson, Huck Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Mathematics, and his co-principal investigator Erwin Frey, professor of physics at Ludwin-Maximilians Universität in Munich, Germany, received a $1,058,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation to advance this research by considering different populations of agents, how they evolve and the different characteristics of such agents. The research team is focused on understanding how simple interactions between microrobots lead to complex, or intelligent-like behavior such as threat detection, disassembling and reorganizing on signal, and shape retention. Credit: Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 22, 2024

Q&A: How does ‘collective intelligence’ emerge among tiny robots?

Researcher awarded $1.05M to study the emergence of collective intelligence among simple microrobots.

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Anyone interested in managing weight while eating satisfying and nutritious foods can learn about a science-based way to accomplish those goals by attending a six-part Penn State Extension webinar series, “The Volumetrics Weigh of Life: Weight Management Plan." Credit: The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet by Barbara Rolls. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 20, 2024

With the new year, establish new healthy habits with Volumetrics series

Anyone interested in managing weight while eating satisfying and nutritious foods can learn about a science-based way to accomplish those goals by attending a six-part Penn State Extension series, “The Volumetrics Weigh of Life: Weight Management Plan.”

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New research shows that binge drinking in early adult mice can lead to long-lasting and potentially permanent dysregulation in the brain. The researchers used patch-clamp electrophysiology, shown here, to understand how signaling in the brain was impacted by alcohol after a long period of abstinence. Credit: Kelby Hochreither / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 19, 2024

Early adult binge drinking has lasting impact on aging brain in mice

Binge drinking in early adults can lead to long-lasting and potentially permanent dysregulation in the brain, according to a new study in mice, led by researchers at Penn State.

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A study led by researchers at Penn State analyzed data from 430 rivers across the U.S. and found that phosphorus loss from agricultural lands has increased over the past four decades, despite efforts to reduce it. This loss of phosphorus can potentially lead to decreased crop yields, which can possibly drive up the cost of food, the researchers explained. Credit: Tyler Groh / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 18, 2024

American soil losing more crop nutrients due to heavier rainstorms, study shows

Loss of phosphorus from agricultural lands is increasing due to heavier storms, potentially threatening crop growth, according to team led by researchers at Penn State.

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Credit: Anne Marie Vardo-Zalik. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 15, 2024

York professor helps students engage in ecology research in California

Associate Professor of Biology Anne Vardo-Zalik travels to the Hopland region of California every two years to conduct ecology research.

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Early career researchers from 14 countries and five continents joined together to conduct research at the Dickinson College Farm in Carlisle. They were broken into four research groups based on the water-energy-food nexus paradigm: soil health, waste management, renewable fuels, and livestock and water quality. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 15, 2024

Penn State water-energy-food nexus project takes a global approach

Young water-energy-food nexus researchers from 14 countries join in summer research workshop.

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Nov 14, 2024

Q&A: How do microbiomes influence the study of life?

Microorganisms — bacteria, viruses and other tiny life forms — may drive biological variation in visible life as much, if not more, than genetic mutations, creating new lineages and even new species of animals and plants, according to Seth Bordenstein, director of Penn State’s One Health Microbiome Center within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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Nov 13, 2024

Neuroscience student wins National Research Service Award fellowship

Chad Brunswick, a Ph.D candidate in the Huck Institutes’ intercollege graduate degree program in Neuroscience, has been awarded a prestigious National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute on Aging, one of the constituent institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Nov 13, 2024

Three Penn State researchers awarded scientific grants from Kaufman Foundation

The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation — a supporting organization of The Pittsburgh Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life in the Pittsburgh region — has selected three Penn State researchers to receive scientific research grants. The foundation awards grants to scientists at institutes of higher learning in Pennsylvania who are conducting innovative, fundamental scientific research in the fields of biology, chemistry and physics.

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