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Colorized transmission electron micrograph showing H1N1 influenza virus particles. Surface proteins on the virus particles are shown in black. A study led by Penn State scientists demonstrates a way to stop the influenza virus from leaping from one host to the next while continuing to keep the virus from replicating inside the host. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). All Rights Reserved.

March 13, 2026

Targeting two flu proteins sharply reduces airborne spread
'Brain awareness week' informs public and spotlights neuroscience expertise

March 13, 2026

'Brain awareness week' informs public and spotlights neuroscience expertise
Observing the research team's new class of aerogel-based biomaterial under a microscope reveals a porous, oxygen-rich structure designed to help nutrients move easily through tissue. Credit: Provided by Amir Sheikhi / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

March 10, 2026

Q&A: Gassing up bioengineered materials for wound healing
Q&A: What factors influence likelihood and severity of Ebola outbreaks?

March 10, 2026

Q&A: What factors influence likelihood and severity of Ebola outbreaks?
Credit: Michael Owen / Penn State. Creative Commons

March 05, 2026

Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters — March 5
The College of Information Sciences and Technology named Sharon Huang, Guoray Cai and Dongwon Lee to lead the college's first academic departments. Credit: Cole Handerhan / Penn State. Creative Commons

March 05, 2026

IST names Cai, Huang and Lee to lead college’s first academic departments
Camelia Kantor, right, associate director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Marian Dorcas Quain, deputy director-general of Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research presenting at the inaugural Penn State and Ghana Symposium: The Power of Partnership. Credit: Keith Hickey / Penn State. Creative Commons

March 05, 2026

Inaugural Penn State-Ghana Seed Grant Program awardees announced
The Huck Seed Grant Program is now accepting proposals for the 2026-27 funding cycle to support innovative, collaborative research across strategic priorities in plant science, environmental health, AI-driven biological discovery, regenerative engineering, and biomechanics and biorobotics. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

March 04, 2026

2026-27 Huck Seed Grant Program opens call for proposals
Researcher in lab coat working at lab bench with mutichannel pipette

February 27, 2026

Protein regulator of sugars and fats may work with an unexpected parter — itself
Participants at the “The Art of Chocolate: A Guided Tasting Experience,” held on Feb. 14, were guided through how professionals evaluate chocolate — including snap, sheen, aroma, the initial taste, and how it develops and resolves. Credit: Sara Usnick / Penn State. Creative Commons

February 25, 2026

The 'Spirit of Chocolate' celebrates chocolate as both science and story
Q&A: How can microbiome science solve problems in agriculture?

February 25, 2026

Q&A: How can microbiome science solve problems in agriculture?
Ag sciences professor elected fellow in American Academy of Microbiology

February 24, 2026

Ag sciences professor elected fellow in American Academy of Microbiology
Fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

February 24, 2026

Huck associate director elected fellow in American Academy of Microbiology
The researchers engineered synthetic DNA and integrated it with a semiconducting material to increase the storage capacity of advanced materials. Here, the internal two-dimensional structures of the synthetic DNA is visible via optical microscopy. Credit: Provided by the researchers. All Rights Reserved.

February 24, 2026

Borrowing from biology to power next-gen data storage
Using an advanced imaging technology, known as cryogenic electron microscopy, a team at Penn State developed a deeper understanding of a material that had previously confused researchers. Credit: Ty Tkacik / Penn State. Creative Commons

February 20, 2026

Stretchy plastics conduct electricity via tiny, whisker-like fibers
scientist working with materials in a vented hood area

February 18, 2026

Plant-based material offers sustainable method of recovering rare earth element
Nittany Lion Shrine

February 17, 2026

Penn State names 14 new distinguished professors for 2026
Denise Okafor, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of chemistry and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biophysics sitting behind a laptop

February 17, 2026

Penn State biochemist Denise Okafor awarded 2026 Sloan Research Fellowship
Old Main building with pillars and snow

February 16, 2026

Penn State town hall addresses factors affecting research
'BioMachine,' a large-scale multimedia art installation bringing together science, research and creative expression to explore the role of viruses in everyday life, has been installed for a long-term engagement at Penn State Harrisburg.

February 16, 2026

Huck SciArt team’s ‘BioMachine’ installed at Penn State Harrisburg
Sour grapes? Taste, experience of sour foods depends on individual consumer

February 12, 2026

Sour grapes? Taste, experience of sour foods depends on individual consumer
The Penn State research team used advanced super‑resolution microscopy, a type of imaging technique that can peer into cells at the nanoscale — about 10,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair — to study neurons grown in petri dishes in the lab. Credit: Jaydyn Isiminger / Penn State. Creative Commons

February 11, 2026

Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s
A triptych of microscope images that shows the binding of a host defense peptide, named MAD1-RI, to the membrane of tuberculosis pathogens, leading to destruction of the bacterial cell wall and death. Credit: Scott Medina / Penn State. Creative Commons

February 11, 2026

Flipping and reversing mini-proteins could improve disease treatment
Foods rich in whole grains and fiber — like whole-grain bread, fruits and vegetables — can support digestive and liver health, according to Vishal Singh, associate professor of nutritional sciences. His most recent study in mice found that high-fat diets could be particularly harmful. Credit: Aaron Wagner / Penn State. Creative Commons

February 10, 2026

Too many saturated fats may be more harmful than too many refined carbohydrates