News
Sep 23, 2019
Virus may jump species through 'rock-and-roll' motion with receptors
Like a janitor thumbing through a keychain to find just the right key to open a lock, the "rock-and-roll" motion of the canine parvovirus during the binding process may help explain how the virus can find the spot on a receptor to infect not just dogs, but multiple species, according to an international team of researchers.
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Sep 23, 2019
New AI app predicts climate change stress for farmers in Africa
A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool available for free in a smartphone app can predict near-term crop productivity for farmers in Africa and may help them protect their staple crops — such as maize, cassava and beans — in the face of climate warming, according to Penn State researchers.
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Sep 20, 2019
Sleep deprivation may lead to slower metabolism, weight gain
Restricting sleep for just several days alters how we metabolize fats and changes how satisfied we are by a meal, according to new research conducted at Penn State and published in the Journal of Lipid Research.
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Sep 18, 2019
New tool in fight against malaria
Redesigning molecules originally developed to treat the skin disease psoriasis could lead to an effective new drug against malaria, according to an international team of researchers.
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Sep 17, 2019
Research suggests how environmental toxin produced by algae may lead to ALS
Can a computer be used to explain why an environmental toxin might lead to neurodegenerative disease? According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, a computer generated-simulation allowed them to see how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater might cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
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Sep 17, 2019
Francesca Chiaromonte named Huck Chair in Statistics for the Life Sciences
Francesca Chiaromonte, professor of statistics at Penn State, was recently named Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Statistics by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
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Sep 16, 2019
Novel use of laser technology reveals interactions between roots, soil organisms
A novel use of a custom laser system — developed in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences eight years ago — allows researchers to see how soil organisms affect plant roots.
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Sep 11, 2019
Gene therapy helps functional recovery after stroke
A new gene therapy turns glial cells—abundant support cells in the brain—into neurons, repairing damage that results from stroke and significantly improving motor function in mice.
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Sep 10, 2019
New DAWG Chews On Microbiome Datasets
Mara Cloutier is passionate about researching microbiomes and opening up this rapidly expanding field of study to others through the Data Analysis Working Group.
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Sep 10, 2019
Mechanical engineering professor to forge frontier of biomolecular computing
Joseph Najem has joined the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering as an assistant professor, where he will continue his work researching and developing multifunctional biomolecular materials.
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