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Leadership teams from Gamma Biosciences and BioMagnetic Solutions visit Penn State, November 2021

Biotech company selects Innovation Park for expansion

What omicron's fast spread could mean for the U.S. – and the world

Leonid Berlyand, professor of mathematics at Penn State, a member the Penn State Materials Research Institute, and co-director of the Center for Mathematics of Living and Mimetic Matter at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Credit: Penn State.

Mathematics professor receives Humboldt Research Award

The Rise of COVID-19 Vaccines for Animals

A claim that viruses and other pathogens always evolve to become less lethal is false

Animal health experts: US ag needs to be prepared for disease outbreaks

Omicron variant’s unusual mutations could mean it spread from an animal, scientists suggest

Omicron's 'wacko' combination of mutations has scientists split over whether it developed in humans or animals

Take Note: COVID-19 modeling expert and Penn State professor on the Omicron variant and how modeling works

Iowa deer are being infected with COVID. What does it mean for hunters?

The omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2, which has now been detected in the U.S., has been listed as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organization, which has stated that the overall global risk related to the variant is ‘very high.’ According to Matthew Ferrari, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Penn State, omicron contains more mutations in more locations of the genome than any of the previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, and some of these mutations are in parts of the virus that may affect the virus’s transmissibility and ability to evade the immune system. However, he says, there is no evidence yet that the severity of disease that omicron causes is any worse than delta.

Should I be worried about the new omicron coronavirus variant?

Foraging for food connects you to nature – but do your homework before you eat

Dr. Fauci, former president Obama visit DC elementary school to encourage vaccinations

Researchers found that the same type of antibody can neutralize Zika and dengue viruses in two different ways — one where it binds to the virus and deactivates it (left), which is the traditional way we think about antibody activity, and the other where it burrows in and distorts the virus (right). Credit: Ganesh Anand, Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Distortion: Researchers discover new strategy for antibodies to disable viruses

Will omicron – the new coronavirus variant of concern – be more contagious than delta? A virus evolution expert explains what researchers know and what they don’t

Omicron Needs 3 Evolutionary Surprises to Wreak Havoc

Upcoming workshop series on using data science for ecological applications

Vaccine Makers Already Testing Their Shots Against Omicron Variant

Will Covid variant omicron need a new vaccine? Time and data will tell

Why You Always Have Room for Pie

Researchers tested blood plasma samples for antibodies against 11 strains of human influenza A to assess the exposure of their study population to the virus.  Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

New technique better assesses exposure of a population to a virus

Kenan Ünlü, Jean Paul Allain and Justin Schwartz, along with other representatives from Penn State and nuclear industry, ceremoniously broke ground on the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor expansion on Oct. 21. Credit: Penn State/Kelby Hochreither. All Rights Reserved.

Penn State Breazeale Reactor expands in size and in opportunities

More than a million people in the US may not have regained sense of smell months after Covid-19 infection, study estimates

Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

New tool weighs costs and benefits of managing evolution of pathogens and pests