News

Aug 06, 2013

Gong Chen selected as holder of the Verne M. Willaman Chair in the Life Sciences

Gong Chen, a professor of biology at Penn State, has been appointed as Holder of the Verne M. Willaman Chair in the Life Sciences effective July 1, 2013 in recognition of his national and international reputation for excellence in research and teaching.

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Aug 01, 2013

What ants can teach us about agriculture

David Hughes and other researchers discuss parasites and food security

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Jul 29, 2013

Huck Institutes seek new Associate Directors for positions in science leadership

The Huck Institutes wish to appoint a series of new Associate Directors to work with the management team and help in developing new initiatives.

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Jul 25, 2013

Unique pathogen requires a novel approach to studying virulence

Huck Institutes researcher Moriah Szpara takes an interdisciplinary tack in her work -- using tools from neurobiology, virology, bioinformatics, and comparative genomics to find keys to a cure for human herpesvirus.

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Jul 21, 2013

Even zombies need an agent

While unraveling a dramatic case of mind control, biologist David Hughes brought the real science behind zombies to the big-screen Hollywood blockbuster "World War Z."

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Jul 08, 2013

Video data-sharing library for developmental science established

In the largest project of its kind, Databrary an open-source, web-based video-data-sharing library sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health is being created by an interdisciplinary team of scientists that includes Huck Institutes affiliate Rick Gilmore.

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Jun 16, 2013

Rescuing honey bee hives

Honey bee colonies are collapsing in record numbers, and Penn State entomologists -- including Huck Institutes affiliate Christina Grozinger -- are leading the pack of researchers scrambling to figure out why.

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Jun 05, 2013

Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and autism now can be studied with mature brain cells reprogrammed from skin cells

A research team led by Huck Institutes affiliate Gong Chen has developed a new method for obtaining mature neurons from reprogrammed skin cells, allowing difficult-to-study diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and autism to be probed more safely and effectively.

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Jun 02, 2013

David Hughes consulted in production of post-apocalyptic video game "The Last of Us"

Sony and video game developer Naughty Dog have consulted Huck Institutes affiliate David Hughes in making their new PlayStation game "The Last of Us," set in a post-apocalyptic world brought on by a Cordyceps-type fungus pandemic.

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May 21, 2013

Mosquito behavior may be immune response, not parasite manipulation

What appears to be parasite manipulation may simply be part of malaria-carrying mosquitoes' immune response, according to a group of Penn State entomologists including Huck Institutes affiliates Lauren Cator, Simon Blanford, Courtney Murdock, Tom Baker, Andrew Read, and Matt Thomas.

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