News
Aug 21, 2024
Honey bees may play role in spreading viruses to wild bumble bees
Honey bees may play a role in increasing virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to researchers at Penn State who analyzed seasonal trends of parasite and virus transmission in bees.
Full Article
Aug 19, 2024
Penn State students awarded USDA pre-doctoral fellowships for research
A Plant Biology trainee was among the ten Penn State graduate students awarded predoctoral fellowships by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Full Article
Aug 15, 2024
Penn State awards five new seed grants to support inter-institutional research
Five new research collaborations between Penn State and minority-serving institutions selected to receive seed funding via the Inter-Institutional Partnerships for Diversifying Research program.
Full Article
Aug 14, 2024
Early life exposure to common chemical permanently disrupts gut microbiome
Early life exposure to "forever chemicals" in the environment permanently disrupts the gut microbiome in mice, contributing to the development of metabolic disease in later life, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The results suggest that human exposure to these chemicals during early childhood may be contributing to the recent epidemic of metabolic disorders, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes among adults.
Full Article
Aug 13, 2024
Less sleep and later bedtime in childhood linked to future substance use
A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study led by a team of Penn State researchers found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence.
Full Article
Aug 13, 2024
NCEMS aims to ‘build a nationwide community' and address research barriers
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) at Penn State “will “bring scientists together from different disciplines to integrate diverse data sets to answer transformative scientific questions,” according to Justin Petucci, associate director of NCEMS and Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers' (RISE) artificial intelligence and machine learning team lead.
Full Article
Aug 12, 2024
Rewriting the evolutionary history of critical components of the nervous system
A new study has rewritten the conventionally understood evolutionary history of certain proteins critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. The study, led by Penn State researchers, shows that the well-studied family of proteins — potassium ion channels in the Shaker family — were present in microscopic single cell organisms well before the common ancestor of all animals.
Full Article
Aug 09, 2024
Memory problems in old age linked to a key enzyme, study in mice finds
A team of researchers from Penn State has identified an enzyme that contributes to age-related impairments in memory updating. When blocked, older mice were better able to incorporate new information and performed similarly to their younger counterparts. The researchers said the findings may lead to the development of potential therapeutic targets for improving cognitive flexibility in old age.
Full Article
Aug 09, 2024
Ecology Student Wins Award from Phycological Society of America
Caleb Butler, an Ecology graduate student working in Todd LaJeunesse's lab, won an award for their presentation at a Seattle-based meeting of the Phycological Society of America.
Full Article
Aug 07, 2024
Biomedical engineer to use $2M NIH grant to improve human tissue repair
A team of Penn State researchers led by Wang was recently awarded a four-year, $2.02 million National Institutes of Health grant to explore how to safely add growth factors to collagen used by doctors for tissue repair.
Full Article