Latest News

April 18, 2022

A unique confluence of archeology, molecular genetics and serendipity guided a collaboration of Mexican and Penn State researchers to a deeper understanding of how modern corn was domesticated from teosinte, a perennial grass native to Mexico and Central America, more than 5,000 years ago.

April 14, 2022

A Penn State plant scientist has received a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a team studying how changes in temperature associated with climate change affect the establishment, persistence and performance of perennial forage crops and their associated weedy plant communities in the U.S. Northeast.  

April 13, 2022

Dan Sanchez, an extension specialist who runs the Carbon Removal Lab at University of California Berkeley, will discuss the emergence of a carbon-negative bioeconomy at 3 p.m. on April 14 in 213 Ag Engineering. 

April 13, 2022

PlantVillage has been awarded $300,000 from the Cisco Foundation to promote regenerative agriculture on African farms to help them adapt to climate change.

April 11, 2022

The sentiments and emotions expressed in tweets on Twitter can be used in real time to assess where supply chain disruptions due to a pandemic, war or natural disaster may lead to food shortages, according to researchers at Penn State and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

April 4, 2022

New mutations occur at increasing rates in the mitochondrial genomes of developing egg cells in aging rhesus monkeys, but the increases appear to plateau at a certain age and are not as large as those seen in non-reproductive cells, a fact that could indicate a protective mechanism in reproductive cells.

April 4, 2022

Pennsylvania farmers markets generate an estimated $100 million in sales each year, according to a new Penn State Extension analysis that provides a snapshot of farmers markets' contribution to the local food economy in the commonwealth.

April 4, 2022

Reducing tariffs on imported goods is meant to remove trade barriers, but it doesn’t seem to be helping the seafood industry, which has experienced the same — if not more — import rejections and notifications at borders, according to research guided by an agricultural economist at Penn State.  

March 31, 2022

Promoting early season plant cover, primarily through the use of cover crops, can be more effective at reducing pest density and crop damage than insecticide applications, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers.

March 31, 2022

An interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers was awarded $40,000 as a recipient of the Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation 2021 Research Prize for a project that explores mycelium-based and knitted textiles to form a sustainable building material.

March 29, 2022

Effects of a nuclear winter or other sky-darkening global catastrophes on farming and agriculture make it "imperative that we better understand our food production, supply and value chains to make them less vulnerable and more adaptable in times of crises," according to Penn State researchers who recently published a timely study on "Food Resilience in a Dark Catastrophe."

March 25, 2022

If average temperatures rise as projected in eastern North America in coming decades, at least one widespread amphibian species likely will be unable to adjust, and its range may shift northward, according to a new study led by Penn State scientists.

March 22, 2022

Although many wild birds carry Salmonella, the strains of the bacteria they convey usually do not harbor antimicrobial-resistance genes, according to Penn State researchers, who led a team conducting a new, nationwide study.

March 21, 2022

A team of Penn State researchers will develop a long-term solution for the testing and management of urban soils for the safe production of garden and food crops in urban settings, funded by a $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

March 18, 2022

Catherine Kling of Cornell University will present a new model of nutrient pollution assessment that considers its social costs and could reshape the way the U.S. handles water quality issues on March 24. Her presentation, titled "Social Costs of Nutrient Pollution in the United States," will be held at 3 p.m. in 312 Ag Engineering Building on Penn State's University Park campus. The talk is sponsored by the Penn State Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science and the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering.     

March 17, 2022

A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of nearly $637,000 will enable a team of Penn State and University of Pennsylvania researchers to study whether treating prepartum cows with an anti-inflammatory medication will reduce discomfort and inflammation and lead to improved health and higher milk production after calving.

March 17, 2022

An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.

March 17, 2022

An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.

February 22, 2022

The overarching goal of the Penn State Geroscience and Dementia Prevention Consortium is to accelerate the scientific discoveries that will prevent or delay age-related neurodegeneration.

February 22, 2022

It is often said that “children eat what they like,” but the results of a new study by Penn State nutritionists and sensory scientists suggests that when it comes to meals, it is more accurate and more relevant to say, “children do not eat what they dislike.”

February 22, 2022

Confection makers who want to develop products containing 100% chocolate and no sugar for health-conscious consumers can reduce bitterness and optimize flavor acceptance by roasting cocoa beans longer and at higher temperatures, according to a team of researchers.

February 21, 2022

No matter which of the widely accepted global circulation models ultimately comes closest to predicting the amount of warming caused by climate change, corn production will be reduced, according to a new study by Penn State researchers.

February 21, 2022

Some white-tailed deer living in Staten Island, New York, are actively infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. The team also found neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in one of the Omicron-infected deer, suggesting that, like humans, deer can be reinfected with the virus.

February 16, 2022

Penn State's Department of Entomology, the College of Agricultural Sciences and the University community are mourning the loss of James H. Tumlinson, Ralph O. Mumma Professor of Entomology, who died Feb. 9 at the age of 83 after an extended illness.

February 15, 2022

Reducing tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, may now be possible thanks to two new gene editing methods developed by researchers at Penn State; the University of Nevada, Reno; and the University of Maryland. The methods could allow scientists to alter parts of the tick genome that are involved in harboring and transmitting pathogens.

February 15, 2022

Limited availability of affordable and healthy foods can contribute to poor health outcomes, especially for residents of rural and low-income regions, according to an agricultural economist at Penn State who examined the food environment for residents in the Mississippi Delta, a region that has one of the highest obesity rates in the U.S.

February 8, 2022

A century after scientists first noted that the environment contributes to the evolution of adaptive differences among plant populations, scientists are on the verge of figuring out how that adaptation happens — by combining results from huge “common garden” experiments with genomic sequencing.

February 7, 2022

Soil tillage on farms may significantly reduce the availability in crops of ergothioneine, an amino acid produced by certain types of soil-borne fungi and bacteria that is known as a “longevity vitamin” due to its potent antioxidant properties, according to new research by an interdisciplinary team at Penn State.