News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

By extending egg production in broiler breeder hens, farmers may be able to reduce flock turnover, improve animal welfare and increase efficiency, according to researchers at Penn State. Credit: Hispanolistic/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

May 07, 2025

Common diabetes drug helps chickens lay more eggs

Metformin, a drug commonly prescribed to humans, could be a game-changer for farms and food production, researchers said.

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The lightweight and flexible electrode, which looks like a strand of hair, attaches directly to the scalp and delivers stable, high-quality recordings of the brain’s signals. Credit: Courtesy of the Zhou Lab / Penn State. Creative Commons

May 02, 2025

The future of brain activity monitoring may look like a strand of hair

A new hairlike electrode makes long-term, high-quality EEG monitoring less cumbersome and inconspicuous.

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Treponema pallidum, represented in this illustration as purple corkscrews, is the bacterium that gives rise to syphilis. Credit: Illustration by quantic69/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

May 01, 2025

$2.7M NIH grant to fund first comprehensive syphilis test

In collaboration with his clinical partners at Penn State Health, Carle Foundation Hospital and University of Alabama Birmingham, Dipanjan Pan aims to develop a one-step confirmatory laboratory test that can definitively diagnose active syphilis infection within 10 minutes.

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Brandon Mabey, a first-year student at Penn State Scranton, and Emma Sokaloski, a second-year student at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, worked with Luciana Caporaletti, lecturer in biology at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, on a research project presented at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science's annual meeting. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

May 01, 2025

Students, faculty find evidence of beech leaf disease in two state parks

Penn State Wilkes-Barre student and lecturer and Penn State Scranton student present research poster during Pennsylvania Academy of Science meeting.

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Researchers found an approximate two-minute difference in the 5K time trials between runners with insufficient energy intake and runners with sufficient energy intake. Credit: Marian Vejcik/Getty Images; edited by Dennis Maney  . All Rights Reserved.

Apr 30, 2025

Energy deficiency impacts collegiate running performance

New study from researchers in the Penn State Department of Kinesiology is first to measure how preseason energy levels can predict athlete performance.

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Apr 30, 2025

Celebrating James Marden: A Decade of Impact and a Lifetime of Achievement

After a decade of exceptional service to the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and a distinguished academic career spanning four decades, James Marden, professor of biology and associate director of operations, will retire from Penn State at the end of June 2025.

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Apr 29, 2025

Heather Hines named interim director of the Center for Pollinator Research and the Insect Biodiversity Center

Heather Hines, Associate Professor of Biology and Entomology, has been named Interim Director of the Center for Pollinator Research (CPR) and the Insect Biodiversity Center (IBC). Hines is succeeding Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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Apr 29, 2025

HGSAC prepares for largest Life Sciences Symposium yet

The Life Sciences Symposium, organized by the Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee (HGSAC), is set to showcase student research on May 23.

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A survey of fruit growers last year revealed that 95% were eager to explore drone spraying technology, citing increased efficiency, labor savings and improved soil health as key benefits. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Apr 25, 2025

Are drones the future of tree fruit production? Researchers investigate

A team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is addressing the growing interest among tree fruit growers in Pennsylvania and the Northeast in adopting drone-based spraying systems for high-density apple and peach orchards.

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This study is the first to scientifically document use of ghost pipe in North America, along with the growing influence of social media and the internet on how and why people are turning to ghost pipe as a medicinal plant. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Apr 25, 2025

Traditional forest medicinal plant ghost pipe used differently today

Driven by the internet and social media, consumption of a strange white plant known as ghost pipe is enjoying a resurgence — but with a twist.

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