News

Newly discovered carbon may yield clues to ancient Mars

NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, and since then has roamed Gale Crater taking samples and sending the results back home for researchers to interpret. Analysis of carbon isotopes in sediment samples taken from half a dozen exposed locations, including an exposed cliff, leave researchers with three plausible explanations for the carbon's origin — cosmic dust, ultraviolet degradation of carbon dioxide, or ultraviolet degradation of biologically produced methane.

Entomologists to study how climate change may influence pollinator stressors

A Penn State-led team of researchers will use a newly awarded $682,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to examine how climate change may influence and interact with various stressors that affect the health of pollinators.

Core facilities director brings more than technical advice to research

Directors of the core facilities at Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences are more than expert technicians — they are also researchers in their own right. And though their unique contributions are not always consistently recognized within the broader community, faculty researchers who work in the core facilities are well aware of these unsung heroes' many impressive insights.

Researchers use satellites to monitor bat habitat and study virus spillover

Over the last year and a half, the word "remote" has come to dominate a large portion of our collective consciousness. We’ve had to work remotely, learn remotely, and even socialize remotely. But before the pandemic, because of the nature of their research, remote was already a part of the daily lexicon of some Penn State researchers.

New approach can help identify young children most at risk for obesity

Newly developed risk scores synthesize genetic information into an easy-to-interpret metric that could help clinicians identify young children most at risk of developing obesity.

COVID-19 case trajectories may be predicted by surveying communities

The public’s willingness to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations correlates with COVID-19 case projections in zip codes where those surveyed about their intended behaviors live, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

Okafor receives 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER Award

C. Denise Okafor, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been honored with a Faculty Early Career Development award from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The award is the NSF’s most prestigious honor in support of early-career faculty members who have the potential to serve as academic role models.

David Hughes makes Newsweek’s inaugural list of 'America’s Greatest Disruptors'

David Hughes—professor of biology and entomology, Huck chair in global food security, and founder of PlantVillage—has been named to a list of leading "disruptors" as a "planet protector" by the magazine Newsweek.

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

Biotech company selects Innovation Park for expansion

Penn State will welcome a new biotech company, BioMagnetic Solutions, to Innovation Park. BioMagnetic Solutions is a portfolio company of Gamma Biosciences, a global life sciences company serving the advanced therapy market.

Mathematics professor receives Humboldt Research Award

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, has been awarded a Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany.