News
Jun 23, 2020
Sunnier but riskier
Conservation efforts that open up the canopy of overgrown habitat for threatened timber rattlesnakes — whose venom is used in anticoagulants and other medical treatments — are beneficial to snakes but could come at a cost, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State and the University of Scranton.
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Jun 22, 2020
Victoria Braithwaite to be memorialized with new ecology research award
Penn State's ecology community will memorialize beloved faculty member Victoria Braithwaite with new research excellence award named in her honor
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Jun 16, 2020
Penn State Extension webinars focus on bee biology, ecology and management
An eight-part webinar series developed by Penn State Extension aims to teach people all about bees, discussing topics as diverse as colony survival, queen bee rearing and transforming one’s garden into a pollinator-friendly habitat.
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Jun 15, 2020
Tuberculosis spread from animals to humans greater than previously thought
The number of human tuberculosis (TB) cases that are due to transmission from animals, as opposed to human-to-human transmission, may be much higher than previously estimated, according to an international team of researchers. The results could have implications for epidemiological studies and public health interventions.
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Jun 10, 2020
Researchers aim to help cities prioritize interventions for public transit
Researchers at Penn State aim to help minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread by identifying specific subway stations in which intervention resources — such as setting up testing sites, allocating additional personnel to disinfect frequently touched surfaces in subway stations, and distributing masks and hand sanitizer — could be of greatest benefit.
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Jun 10, 2020
Bedrock type under forests greatly affects tree growth, species, carbon storage
A forest's ability to store carbon depends significantly on the bedrock beneath, according to Penn State researchers who studied forest productivity, composition and associated physical characteristics of rocks in the Appalachian ridge and Valley Region of Pennsylvania.
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Jun 09, 2020
Human presence weakens social relationships of wild giraffes
Living in close proximity to human settlements disturbs giraffe social networks, with animals having weaker bonds and fewer interactions with other giraffes, according to a new study by a team including a Penn State biologist.
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Jun 08, 2020
Research team to study food resilience in the face of catastrophic global events
An interdisciplinary team of Penn State professors has received $3 million from Open Philanthropy to study food resilience in the face of potentially catastrophic global events.
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Jun 05, 2020
The Penn State Ecology Community is Committed to Combatting Racism and Injustice
The leadership of the Penn State Ecology community wishes to express solidarity with marginalized members of our society, and has prepared the following statement of support to all those who struggle against systemic injustices. We can and must do better.
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Jun 04, 2020
Self-assembling, biomimetic composites possess unusual electrical properties
Sometimes, breaking rules is not a bad thing. Especially when the rules are apparent laws of nature that apply in bulk material, but other forces appear in the nanoscale.
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