News
Jun 27, 2022
Jared Ali named Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology
Jared Ali, associate professor of entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
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Jun 27, 2022
Suicide vulnerability index, machine learning model help predict counties’ risk
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, but the models that have been used to predict suicide rates weight risk factors equally and rely on data for large geographic areas, limiting the precision of the predictions, according to Penn State researchers.
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Jun 23, 2022
Penn State unit partner projects highlight awareness, importance of pollinators
Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research and the Insect Biodiversity Center, both at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and the Department of Graphic Design at the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture have formed a partnership, funded by the Apes Valentes Program, to develop, design and produce materials to help increase awareness of pollinator biodiversity, the importance of pollinators to food security and ecosystem health, and strategies that can be used to support pollinators in urban, agricultural and natural landscapes.
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Jun 23, 2022
Secrets of reptile and amphibian aging revealed
At 190 years old, Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise recently made news for being the “oldest living land animal in the world.” Although, anecdotal evidence like this exists that some species of turtles and other ectotherms — or ‘cold-blooded’ animals — live a long time, evidence is spotty and mostly focused on animals living in zoos or a few individuals living in the wild.
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Jun 23, 2022
Neuroscience grad student awarded grant to study adolescent binge drinking
Avery Sicher, a graduate student in the neuroscience program at Penn State's Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, has received a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support her continued research. Sicher is one of few Huck students to receive this recognition.
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Jun 22, 2022
Alumnus and professor named new head of biomedical engineering
When Dan Hayes graduated from the Penn State Eberly College of Science with a bachelor’s degree in science in 1997, the Department of Biomedical Engineering was still three years away from forming. Now, Hayes will lead the Department of Biomedical Engineering. His tenure as department head begins July 1.
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Jun 13, 2022
Climate-associated genetic switches found in plants
Genetic variants that can act as switches directing structural changes in the RNA molecules that code for proteins in plants have been experimentally validated in plants for the first time. The changes to RNA structure can affect the molecule’s stability, how it interacts with other molecules, and how efficiently it can be translated into protein — all of which can impact its function and the traits of the plant.
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Jun 13, 2022
Study predicts cancer cases, deaths in Africa could double by 2040
Cancer cases and deaths are expected to double in Africa during the next two decades, according to findings from a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers. The study also reveals that the region lacks sufficient health care resources and infrastructure to handle the growing cancer burden.
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Jun 06, 2022
Penn State Extension publication offers guidance on managing spotted lanternfly
A new publication from Penn State Extension is a must-read for those who want the latest information about the spotted lanternfly. Authored by scientists and extension educators in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, the Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide features comprehensive information, illustrations, charts and photos on the pest’s biology, behavior, plant damage and management, as well as a brief overview of ongoing research.
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Jun 06, 2022
Scientists devise method to help prevent hospital infections
On any given day, one in 31 hospital patients is diagnosed with an infection that developed as a result of care during their hospital stay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical devices such as catheters, stents, heart valves and pacemakers, whose surfaces can become covered with harmful bacterial films, account for about a quarter of such infections. To help prevent such infections, a research team led by Penn State and the University of California, Los Angeles, developed a novel surface treatment for these devices.
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