Latest News

March 29, 2023

The Penn State Microbiome Center, in coordination with the lab of David Koslicki, is offering free access to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes to all Penn State faculty, staff and students.

March 27, 2023

Microbes may be tiny, but they play a big role in shaping the world. Seth Bordenstein, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Microbiome Sciences and professor of biology and entomology at Penn State, will offer insights into his research on microbiomes and their impact on the world in his talk, “Why We Look Down (To the Microbes) For Wonder, Impact and Discovery,” on March 31.

March 23, 2023

U.S. college students’ knowledge of bees focuses primarily on honey bees and pollination services, according to Penn State researchers, who said findings from their recent study could help in designing campaigns to generate support for protecting threatened pollinators.

March 23, 2023

North American ground beetles play important roles in agriculture. Their response to climate change will largely depend on species traits and habitats and could have significant implications for conservation efforts, according to new research led by Penn State.

March 22, 2023

A novel study by a Penn State-led research team suggests that “manureshed” management in the Susquehanna River basin could make a big difference in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.

March 20, 2023

Over spring break, a group of 14 Penn State faculty visited the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education to explore opportunities to develop long-term collaborative research, education and outreach projects. The multidisciplinary group included faculty from the College of Agricultural Sciences, Eberly College of Science, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, and School of International Affairs.

March 19, 2023

Concrete is as ubiquitous in cities as it is impervious. Amid worsening storms due to climate change, it only deflects runoff toward the drain, threatening sewer capacities. Lauren McPhillips is partnering with researchers across the commonwealth to engineer stormwater solutions using nature to replace hard surfaces and help control the flow.

March 16, 2023

A new discovery, reported today in a global study that encompassed more than a decade of research, could lead to the breeding of corn crops that can withstand drought and low-nitrogen soil conditions and ultimately ease global food insecurity, according to a Penn State-led team of international researchers. 

March 10, 2023

A new interactive “carbon calculator” tool can help dairy farmers see sustainability principles in action and improve farm management decisions related to climate change. The carbon calculator expands on the existing “virtual farm” website developed by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension, in partnership with several universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an industry partner, the Dairy Innovation Center, and the creative services team at WPSU.  

March 9, 2023

Neonicotinoid insecticides used to control spotted lanternflies have the potential to harm pollinators, but the degree of risk depends on multiple factors, such as application timing, type of neonicotinoid, the species of tree being treated and pollinator species sensitivity, according to entomologists at Penn State.

March 8, 2023

With a four-year, $2.3 million National Institutes of Health grant, Penn State researchers aim to create a completely non-invasive, tunable method for treating tendinopathies with focused ultrasound.

March 7, 2023

Habitat split limits movement of organisms between environments. According to new research, this environmental fragmentation impacts amphibian disease immunity, likely due to changes in the composition of skin microbial communities, disruptions to normal immune system development, and increased stress.

March 7, 2023

For family members unexpectedly taking care of a relative’s child during the opioid crisis, it can be difficult to navigate the legal waters of assuming custody. The process may be easier — and come with more support — if these caregivers have personal connections to local resource institutions, according to a study conducted by a Penn State faculty member.

March 6, 2023

To help better understand and support healthy soil function, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has an advanced characterization facility — the Soil Research Cluster Lab — under the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

March 2, 2023

Representatives from Penn State, Meru University of Science and Technology, and Meru County in Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony in Kenya to formally commence their new partnership. This collaboration also will involve the Technical University of Denmark.

March 1, 2023

As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, turn that tartness into little translucent balls in which to grow your young.” At least, that’s how the saying goes for a tiny insect called a cynipid wasp, whose larvae were recently discovered inducing plant growths called galls that contained acidity levels akin to lemons.

February 27, 2023

A new set of quantitative models that incorporates pH into the metabolic theory of ecology has been developed by an international team that includes Penn State Assistant Professor of Plant Science Francisco Dini-Andreote. The work is included in a new paper published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

February 27, 2023

A Polystoechotes punctata, or giant lacewing, plucked from the façade of an Arkansas Walmart by Penn State faculty member Michael Skvarla, is the first of its kind recorded in eastern North America in over 50 years — and the first record of the species ever in the state.  

February 24, 2023

It is widely believed that when foods undergo processing, their health benefits are reduced. But that is not true for cocoa, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers, who conducted a new study using a mouse model.

February 24, 2023

Workers tasked with moving products in the immense U.S. food system are at a high risk of serious injury, according to a new Penn State-led study, and pandemic-caused, supply-chain problems have worsened the situation, researchers suggest.

February 22, 2023

Post-9/11 veterans who actively participate in veteran centers and veteran-student organizations as they pursue education after military service are significantly more likely to do better in school than those who remain socially isolated, according to Penn State research.  

February 16, 2023

Managers of public forests in Pennsylvania have been using controlled burns to manage state-owned tracts to promote tree species such as oak, reduce the growth of invasive plant species and even reduce tick populations, for more than a decade. Now a study by Penn State researchers indicates that owners of private forest land in the state would like to use prescribed fire to manage their woods, too.

February 15, 2023

On Thursday, March 2, Penn State’s Microbiome Center will host a film screening of "The Invisible Extinction," followed by a live scientist question and answer session. Registration for this free event is open now at the State Theatre.

February 10, 2023

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the mind naturally turns to love — and chocolate. To learn more about chocolate and its effects on us, we spoke with Joshua Lambert, professor of food science at Penn State. Lambert’s research focuses on diet, specifically adopting dietary practices to prevent cancer, obesity and inflammation. He has worked extensively with cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate.

February 9, 2023

Alex Hristov, Penn State distinguished professor of dairy nutrition, has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct studies to determine whether supplementing the feed of lactating dairy cows with either 3-Nitrooxypropanol or a species of red seaweed reduces the amount of methane emitted by the animals in the long-term.

February 9, 2023

Fresh meats such as chicken and beef are staples of many Americans’ diets, but demand may take a hit after these products are recalled, according to new Penn State research.

January 30, 2023

Populations of various species of aquatic insects and other invertebrates respond to flooding and waterway drying due to drought in different ways that can be anticipated, according to a new Penn State-led study that employed a novel method to assess the stability of stream ecosystems.