1. Home
  2. News

News

Explore the discoveries and breakthroughs advancing the life sciences

Find By:

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
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
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
Researchers found that in 2021, a record high of nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose, with 25 million children missing their first dose and an additional 14.7 million children missing their second dose. Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

December 01, 2022

Nearly 40 million children are dangerously susceptible as measles threat grows
A Penn State expert shares projections of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths from Round 16 of the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub. Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

December 01, 2022

Q&A: What can we expect from COVID-19 this winter?
People at a TaMIS meeting, seated around a table

November 30, 2022

Huck Grad Students Work Towards Inclusion
In addition to inducing a calming effect, carbon dioxide also can trigger a range of other physiological responses in bumble bees, according to a Penn State researcher. Credit: Eduardo Goody on Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

November 30, 2022

New clues about how carbon dioxide affects bumble bee reproduction

November 29, 2022

Meet the Penn State deans: Tracy Langkilde talks cats, nature — and Vegemite vs. peanut butter
In the research, 56 white leghorn hens were allocated to a series of dietary treatment groups receiving graded levels of the microalgae oil supplement for 28 days. By the end of the study, more than half of the birds receiving the highest level of supplementation entirely stopped laying eggs. Credit: GettyImages-wikoski. All Rights Reserved.

November 29, 2022

Too much of a good thing: Over-supplementation of chickens' diet backfires
Muscle wasting affects approximately 80% of cancer patients. Researchers at Penn State are investigating why this happens with a goal of informing the development of treatments. Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

November 29, 2022

Muscle wasting severity linked to type, size and location of tumor in mice

November 24, 2022

Possibility of a “Tripledemic”? What Do the Experts Say and What Can Be Done?

November 24, 2022

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy May Increase ADHD-Like Symptoms In Children
Credit: Dan Lesher / Penn State. Creative Commons

November 22, 2022

New 'Life From All Angles' video features Sally Mackenzie’s epigenetics research