News
Aug 16, 2021
Study of structural variants in cacao genomes yields clues about plant diversity
An exhaustive and painstaking comparison of the genomes of multiple strains of the cacao tree by a team of researchers has provided insights into the role genomic structural variants play in the regulation of gene expression and chromosome evolution, giving rise to the differences within populations of the plant.
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Aug 10, 2021
Global food security professor named to 'Most Creative People in Business' list
Entomologist David Hughes has been named to Fast Company's 2021 list for his innovative, impactful PlantVillage project.
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Aug 05, 2021
PlantVillage University Seminar Summary - Dr. James Legg and Cassava Viruses
PSU IBC graduate student fellow Kwadwo Amoah shares some of the research of Dr. James Legg from IITA-Tanzania. Dr. Legg's full lecture on vector-borne diseases of cassava can be viewed on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd7S2BLNHro
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Jul 29, 2021
Researchers film human viruses in liquid droplets at near-atomic detail
A research team led by Deb Kelly, Huck Chair in Molecular Biophysics and professor of biomedical engineering at Penn State, has used advanced electron microscopy (EM) technology to see how human viruses move in high resolution in a near-native environment. The visualization technique could lead to improved understanding of how vaccine candidates and treatments behave and function as they interact with target cells, Kelly said.
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Jul 29, 2021
Novel method of imaging silicon anode degradation may lead to better batteries
A novel method of characterizing the structural and chemical evolution of silicon and a thin layer that governs battery stability may help resolve issues that prevent using silicon for high-capacity batteries, according to a group of researchers.
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Jul 28, 2021
Researchers identify a gene that regulates the angle of root growth in corn
The discovery of a gene that regulates the angle of root growth in corn is a new tool to enable the breeding of deeper-rooting crops with enhanced ability to take up nitrogen, according to an international team of researchers, led by Penn State.
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Jul 27, 2021
Agroforestry for Food Security and Climate Change in Africa
PSU IBC graduate student fellow Kwadwo Amoah shares some of the research of Dr. Phokele Maponya from the Agricultural Research Council in Pretoria, South Africa. Dr. Maponya's full lecture on agroforestry practices in Africa can be viewed on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEBeUBbCRks
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Jul 27, 2021
Business Bootcamp marks restart of in-person graduate training
After 17 months of pandemic-necessitated online instruction, something resembling normalcy returned to the Huck as grad students were exposed to new career opportunities by the July 18-22 Business of Science bootcamp.
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Jul 26, 2021
From waste to wear: How squid may be key to material revolution
With elongated bodies, large eyes and a combination of arms and tentacles, squid appear alien. In reality, they are one of the oldest classes of animals on the planet. Squid evolved during the Jurassic period and now appear in every ocean around the world. Now, nearly two and a half millennia later, squid may be the answer to a modern dilemma — plastic pollution.
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Jul 22, 2021
Global warming may limit spread of dengue fever, new research finds
Infection with dengue virus makes mosquitoes more sensitive to warmer temperatures, according to new research led by Penn State researchers. The team also found that infection with the bacterium Wolbachia, which has recently been used to control viral infections in mosquitoes, also increases the thermal sensitivity of the insects.
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