News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Membraneless protocells — called complex coacervates — can bring together molecules of RNA, allowing the RNAs to perform certain reactions, an important step in the origin of life on Earth. The Image shows droplets of complex coacervates as seen under a microscope. The inset shows RNA molecules (cyan) are highly concentrated inside the droplets compared to the surrounding (dark). At roughly 2-5 micrometers in diameter, the droplets are about 14-35 times thinner than human hair. IMAGE: BEVILACQUA LABORATORY, PENN STATE

Jan 31, 2019

Membraneless protocells could provide clues to formation of early life

Membraneless assemblies of positively- and negatively-charged molecules can bring together RNA molecules in dense liquid droplets, allowing the RNAs to participate in fundamental chemical reactions. These assemblies, called “complex coacervates,” also enhance the ability of some RNA molecules themselves to act as enzymes — molecules that drive chemical reactions.

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Melik Demirel, professor of engineering science and mechanics and director, Center for Research on Advanced Fiber TechnologiesIMAGE: PENN STATE

Jan 30, 2019

Melik Demirel named Huck Chair in Biomimetic Materials

Melik C. Demirel, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, was recently named Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Biomimetic Materials by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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Dr. Melissa Rolls with current and prospective graduate students

Jan 25, 2019

Prospective Grad Students Get A Taste of Life at Penn State

Students interested in the Bioinformatics and Genomics; Plant Biology; Neuroscience; and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences graduate programs were given a warm welcome on a snowy weekend.

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Sean B. Carroll, vice president of science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will deliver a 2019 Darwin Day Lecture at Penn State. IMAGE: PHOTO PROVIDED BY PENN STATE CENTER FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY

Jan 25, 2019

Sean B. Carroll to deliver 2019 Darwin Day Lecture

Sean B. Carroll, vice president of science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), will deliver the 2019 Darwin Day Lecture titled “The Serengeti Rules: The Regulation and Restoration of Biodiversity” at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8 in 101 Thomas Building. Carroll’s lecture will be followed by a reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Commons on the third floor of the Millennium Science Complex. Both events are free and open to the public.

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A new method by researchers at Penn State uses ultraviolet light and small amounts of gold or titanium dioxide nanoparticles to gather larger particles of interest at the point of light. This method was used to gather polystyrene particles, which form a well-packed structure called a colloid crystal, as depicted in this image. IMAGE: SEN LAB, PENN STATE

Jan 22, 2019

New method uses ultraviolet light to control fluid flow and organize particles

A new, simple and inexpensive method that uses ultraviolet light to control particle motion and assembly within liquids could improve drug delivery, chemical sensors and fluid pumps. The method encourages particles — from plastic microbeads, to bacterial spores, to pollutants — to gather and organize at a specific location within a liquid and, if desired, to move to new locations.

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A new study by Penn State researchers reveals that lizard with ancestors who were frequently exposed to stressful encounters with invasive fire ants have an improved immune response to stress. Photo credit: Gail McCormick, Penn State

Jan 21, 2019

Having stressed out ancestors improves immune response to stress

Having ancestors who were frequently exposed to stressors can improve one's own immune response to stressors, according to Penn State researchers who studied fence lizards and their stress response. The results suggest that family history should be considered to predict or understand the health implications of stress.

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A recent art exhibition in downtown State College featured 18 works by Penn State scientists. IMAGE: PENN STATE

Jan 16, 2019

Discovering the beauty of living cells: Science meets coffeeshop art

A December exhibition at Webster's Bookstore Cafe titled “The Art of Cell Biology,” featured 18 pieces of science-based artwork produced by Penn State research,

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Differences in geographic origin of a person’s mitochondrial and nuclear genomes due to admixture can affect function of mitochondria, energy-generating organelles located inside cells that have their own separate genome. A new study reveals that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number decreases with increasing “mito-nuclear” dissimilarity in geographic origins of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes (e.g. as the proportion of nuclear DNA from population 1 decrease). IMAGE: ARSLAN ZAIDI, PENN STATE

Jan 14, 2019

Differences in genes’ geographic origin influence mitochondrial function

Differences in the geographic origin of genes may affect the function of human mitochondria — energy-generating organelles inside of cells — according to a new study. Mitochondria have their own genome, separate from the nuclear genome contained in the nucleus of the cell, and both genomes harbor genes integral to energy production by mitochondria. The study explores whether these “mito-nuclear” interactions, which are fine-tuned by natural selection over deep evolutionary time, could be altered when genes of different geographic origins are brought together within a genome.

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This image shows a cell infected with Zika virus (green). The red is heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), which appears to play a role in enabling Zika infection of host cells. IMAGE: RASGON LABORATORY / PENN STATE

Jan 14, 2019

Cellular protein a target for Zika control

A cellular protein that interacts with invading viruses appears to help enable the infection process of the Zika virus, according to an international team of researchers who suggest this protein could be a key target in developing new therapies to prevent or treat Zika virus infection.

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Peter Hudson, Willaman Professor of Biology in the Eberly College of Science, will be featured at the annual Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture on Jan. 28 at Palmer Lipcon Auditorium.IMAGE: PATRICK MANSELL

Jan 10, 2019

Peter Hudson to deliver 2019 Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture

Peter Hudson, Willaman Professor of Biology in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, will present “One Health, One Planet: Building Global Health Security Against Infectious Diseases” as part of the 24th annual Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, in the Palmer Musuem of Art's Palmer Lipcon Auditorium.

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