Latest News

October 14, 2021

After a fascinating and productive scientific career, Penn State professor Marilyn Roossinck, a trailblazing researcher in virology, has announced her decision to retire.

October 12, 2021

A novel camera system using active lighting devised by Penn State researchers may be a crucial step in developing machine vision systems that allow robotic devices to more clearly "see" the agricultural targets with which they will react.

October 4, 2021

To enhance the early detection of novel infectious bacteria that could cause outbreaks of infectious diseases, a team of researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will sequence the genomes of 700 Bacilli bacteria — near relatives of the biothreat pathogen that causes anthrax — in a study intended to enhance the early detection of novel infectious bacteria that could cause outbreaks of infectious disease and public health emergencies.

October 1, 2021

Plant pathologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences are keeping a watchful eye on a corn disease new to Pennsylvania that has the potential to cause significant yield loss and reduce grain quality.

September 29, 2021

Researchers at Penn State have created a novel framework that can predict with reasonable accuracy the amino-acid changes in the virus’ spike protein that may improve its binding to human cells and confer increased infectivity to the virus. The tool could enable the computational surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and provide advance warning of potentially dangerous variants with an even higher binding affinity potential. This can aid in the early implementation of public health measures to prevent the virus’ spread and perhaps even may inform vaccine booster formulations.

September 29, 2021

A panel of judges named InsectEye and AI-powered Recycling the winning teams in the 2021 Nittany AI Challenge. The teams will receive a combined total of $25,000 in funding to continue moving their solutions forward.

September 29, 2021

Research guided by a plant pathologist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences suggests that machine-learning algorithms that are programmed to recognize changing weather patterns could show producers and agricultural managers how to increase soybean and corn yields in the United States.

September 28, 2021

A nearly $4 million grant awarded to Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will support an interdisciplinary, multi-university team of researchers as they investigate technologies designed to address labor shortages on mushroom farms.

September 28, 2021

Starting decades ago as fashionable, high-value gourmet greens, today microgreens have gained popularity among consumers for their nutritional profile and high content of antioxidant compounds. Now, a new study suggests that the tiny plants have the potential to help provide global nutrition security.

September 16, 2021

Researchers from several disciplines across Penn State are spearheading an NSF-funded program for underrepresented U.S. undergraduate students to research extreme weather events and climate change in Peru.

September 14, 2021

Tree felling — whether by professional loggers in a forest setting or by landscapers in urban and rural landscapes — is the most dangerous job in what are two of the most dangerous industries, according to Penn State researchers who conducted a new study of associated deaths.

September 14, 2021

At a time when many municipalities are seeking to control urban stormwater by investing heavily in green infrastructure — such as water-quality ponds, infiltration basins, porous pavement and riparian plantings — a new study suggests that these expensive efforts may not have much of an impact.

September 10, 2021

Bridges are increasingly critical for remote communities in rural Alaska, where global warming is causing rivers to freeze later, thaw earlier and form thinner ice. With a new grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Penn State plan to investigate the importance of bridges for the well-being of remote Alaskan communities and develop a protocol for these and other communities to fund, construct, monitor and maintain bridges.

September 9, 2021

Two entomologists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will receive prestigious awards from the Entomological Society of America during its 2021 annual meeting Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. Kelli Hoover, professor of entomology, was elected as a fellow of the society, and Flor Acevedo, assistant professor of entomology, will receive the society's Early Career Professional Research Award.

September 9, 2021

The effects of monsoon rainfall on food insecurity in Nepal vary by earthquake exposure, with regions that experienced both heavy earthquake shaking and abundant rainfall more likely to have an inadequate supply of nutritious food, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

September 7, 2021

The Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center will host the Lancaster-Lebanon Watershed Forum and Science Symposium on Nov. 19 and 20. Researchers, scientists and educators are invited to submit proposals for the first day of the event.

August 24, 2021

Depending on how it occurs, the development of cellular agriculture has the potential to either accelerate socioeconomic inequality or provide beneficial alternatives to the status quo. That’s the conclusion of a new study led by Penn State researchers.

August 23, 2021

Within the next few years, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus becomes endemic in the global population, COVID-19 may behave like other common-cold coronaviruses, affecting mostly young children who have not yet been vaccinated or exposed to the virus, according to new modeling results. Because COVID-19 severity is generally lower among children, the overall burden from this disease is expected to decline.

August 23, 2021

Farmers using no-till production — in which soil never or rarely is plowed or disturbed — can reduce herbicide use and still maintain crop yields by implementing integrated weed-management methods, according to a new study conducted by Penn State researchers.

August 19, 2021

There is good and bad news about ginseng collection and production in Pennsylvania, and likely much of Appalachia, according to a new study conducted by Penn State researchers.

August 16, 2021

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.

August 10, 2021

David Hughes, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security and professor of entomology and biology, has been named to Fast Company's list of "The Most Creative People in Business, 2021" for his innovative and impactful PlantVillage project.

August 2, 2021

The application of manure after the growth and demise of legume cover crops in rotations is a recipe to increase nitrous oxide releases during ensuing corn growth, according to a team of Penn State researchers who conducted a new study. They suggest that innovative management strategies are needed to reduce these emissions.

July 28, 2021

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.

July 22, 2021

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.

July 16, 2021

A variety of research and educational programs related to agriculture and natural resources will be in the spotlight on several tours to be offered during Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 10-12 at Rock Springs.

July 14, 2021

Burnout. It is a syndrome that is said to afflict humans who feel chronic stress. But after conducting a novel study using trail cameras showing the interactions between white-tailed deer fawns and predators, a Penn State researcher suggests that prey animals feel it, too.

July 7, 2021

For more than a century, researchers at Penn State's Fruit Research and Extension Center have studied the science undergirding the production of tree fruits and shared this newfound knowledge with producers to help ensure an abundant supply of nutritious, affordable fruit products for Pennsylvanians. The state Historical and Museum Commission now has recognized this legacy of research and education with the placement of a new Pennsylvania Historical Marker at the facility in Biglerville, Adams County.

July 1, 2021

The fast-moving decline and extinction of many species of detritivores — organisms that break down and remove dead plant and animal matter — may have dire consequences, an international team of scientists suggests in a new study.

June 30, 2021

Research conducted by scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has led to the creation of an online tool that can help predict seasonal egg hatch for spotted lanternflies.