1. Home
  2. News

News

Explore the discoveries and breakthroughs advancing the life sciences

Find By:

Microbiome Center 2022 News Collage

December 22, 2022

2022 Top 10 Most Popular Microbiome Center News Articles
Researchers test soil health indicators in a plot at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

December 22, 2022

Some no-till crop rotations on dairy farms could benefit from strategic tillage
Chronic inflammation throughout the body may prevent mammary glands from absorbing the fatty acids needed to produce breastmilk, according to new research. Credit: Getty Images - Portra. All Rights Reserved.

December 21, 2022

Chronic inflammation may lead to low milk production in breastfeeding moms
Credit: Daniel Lesher / Penn State. Creative Commons

December 19, 2022

New 'Life From All Angles' video highlights Lance Lian’s stem cell research
Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu, Rachel Herschlag and Terry Torres Cruz, left to right, were the recipients of the Indigo Agriculture Graduate Fellowship at the Penn State Microbiome Center. All three students are members of the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology. Credit: Images provided. All Rights Reserved.

December 19, 2022

Indigo Ag creates fellowship to further efforts of Penn State Microbiome Center

December 14, 2022

Nuclear energy expert talks about historic fusion reaction breakthrough
The researchers found that when the fungus colonized corn, the plants were less vulnerable to the effects of another fungus that causes southern corn leaf blight. Credit: Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

December 14, 2022

Corn-colonizing fungus may help the crop repel disease, grow larger
Researchers in the Form and Matter (ForMat) Lab within the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing are cultivating mycelium-based composite samples in the Mushroom Research Center at Penn State to determine their acoustic absorption abilities as well as their mechanical properties to assess their use in building applications. Credit: Natalie Walter. All Rights Reserved.

December 13, 2022

New grant looks to biomaterials to help reduce construction waste
In this computer model, conceived by researchers from Penn State and Ludwig-Maximillian University, communications by small, self-propelled agents led to intelligent-like collective behavior. The simulation shows snapshots in time and displays droplet ripening, vortex-controlled aggregation and the merging of vortices. Credit: Courtesy Igor Aronson. All Rights Reserved.

December 12, 2022

Model shows how intelligent-like behavior can emerge from non-living agents
Scientists at Penn State recently published research on the impact of spotted lanternfly feeding on important ornamental and forest trees. Credit: Brian Walsh / Penn State. Creative Commons

December 12, 2022

Study examines feeding damage caused by spotted lanternflies on young maples
A three-dimensional image of stomatal guard cells segmented by 3D CellNet. A new computational pipeline for analyzing three-dimensional imaging data can help biologists more accurately and quickly see how the cells in a plant’s leaves respond to the environment and identify plants that more efficiently use water, according to Penn State researchers. Credit: Original microscopic image courtesy of Laboratory of Charles T. Anderson. Segmented image courtesy of James Z. Wang Research Group / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

December 09, 2022

Novel 3D imaging model may show path to more water-efficient plants
When applied to a houseplant, a stretchy triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) sensor can detect an intruder passing through by sensing the wind the person creates. The sensor can then sound an alarm system or turn lights on in the house to deter the intruder. The combination of materials allows for the TENG sensor to deform and stretch as the plant leaf grows. Credit: Provided by Huanyu "Larry" Cheng . All Rights Reserved.

December 09, 2022

Combination of two materials creates high-performance, stretchy nanogenerator
Credit: Materials Research Institute. All Rights Reserved.

December 09, 2022

Materials Research Institute accepting proposals for two seed grant projects
Justin Schwartz, Madhavan Swaminathan and Douglas Werner will be inducted as fellows of the National Association of Inventors on June 27, 2023. Credit: Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

December 08, 2022

National Academy of Inventors names three Penn Staters as 2022 fellows

December 07, 2022

Drinking three glasses of wine a week could be in your DNA: The amount of alcohol you get through is 'significantly' influenced by your genes, study finds
Penn State College of Medicine researchers co-led a large genetic study that identified more than 2,300 genes predicting alcohol and tobacco use. They said that many of these genes were similar among people with diverse ancestries. Credit: Getty Images | alejandrophotography. All Rights Reserved.

December 07, 2022

Many genes linked to alcohol and tobacco use are shared among diverse ancestries
Plants expressing the parsimonious root phenotype actually grow fewer roots, ensuring that the few roots that are produced have adequate resources to grow deep into the soil, which is especially important under drought stress. The graphic above shows simulated roots in corn-growing locations Boone County, Iowa, U.S., and Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

December 07, 2022

Study shows ‘steep, cheap and deep’ roots help corn plants deal with drought
A group of pastoralists and Morans from Kor in Marsabit, Kenya, who are being employed to remove weeds and improve the land through the application of biochar. Standing with PlantVillage Dream Team members, from right, are Rashid Buroya (in blue overalls), Fofen Lawrence and John Mayieka, with Dream Team lead Melodine Jeptoo in the front. Credit: PlantVillage. All Rights Reserved.

December 07, 2022

PlantVillage Warrior View awarded $2 million from Google to fight climate change
Penn State is leading the Post-Industrial Midwest and Appalachia Nuclear Alliance to explore augmenting sustainable energy approaches with micro nuclear reactors, which are small enough to transport on a truck. Credit: Illustration by Kate Myers/Penn State. . All Rights Reserved.

December 07, 2022

From Rust Belt to Green Belt: Penn State leads nuclear research alliance
New research shows that eating prunes daily may help people retain bone density. Credit: Getty Images - milorad kravic. All Rights Reserved.

December 06, 2022

Prunes may help prevent bone loss and preserve bone strength
Researchers examined the oral microbiomes of Indigenous Australians and found unique types of microbes, which may contribute to a higher burden of chronic diseases. Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

December 06, 2022

Indigenous Australians’ unique oral microbiomes may add to chronic disease load
New modeling shows how synonymous mutations that change the DNA sequence of a gene, but not the sequence of the encoded protein can impact protein production and function by changing the rate of protein synthesis. Top: illustration of a new class of protein misfolding called a non-covalent lasso entanglement that can result from changes to the rate of protein synthesis caused by synonymous mutations. Bottom: structure of a protein showing its native state and misfolded state with non-covalent lasso entanglement. Credit: Yang Jiang, Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

December 05, 2022

Why synonymous mutations are not always silent

December 03, 2022

Faye Flam: The real reasons your family is sick right now
Adding peanuts and herbs and spices to the American Diet can increase the abundance of gut bacteria associated with better health, according to new research. Credit: Isai Dzib, Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

December 02, 2022

Peanuts and herbs and spices may positively impact gut microbiome