Latest News

January 3, 2019

A natural antioxidant found in grain bran could preserve food longer and replace synthetic antioxidants currently used by the food industry, according to researchers at Penn State.

December 20, 2018

The amount and composition of milk produced by dairy cows appears to be more regulated by internal, annual biological rhythms than by environmental factors such as heat and humidity, according to Penn State researchers who studied more than a decade of production records from herds across the country.

December 19, 2018

Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading an initiative that will provide selected doctoral students with the opportunity for extensive study on gender and its relationship to agricultural production.

December 18, 2018

Harvester ants that eat weed seeds on the soil's surface can help farmers manage weeds on their farms, according to an international team of researchers, who found that tilling less to preserve the ants could save farmers fuel and labor costs, as well as preserve water and improve soil quality.

December 17, 2018

A biodegradable, edible film made with plant starch and antimicrobial compounds may control the growth of foodborne pathogens on seafood, according to a group of international researchers.

December 13, 2018

Penn State researchers are collaborating and building strong interdisciplinary teams to make improvements in the food-energy-water nexus.

December 11, 2018

To identify sound scientific methods to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, Penn State researchers led a Pennsylvania watershed workshop that explored ways to increase the number of riparian buffers in Pennsylvania. Riparian buffers have been used to improve water quality in both local streams and in larger watersheds.

December 6, 2018

Penn State researchers were among a team of international scientists whose work on a new climate assessment of North America provides a better understanding of the carbon cycle.

December 4, 2018

A $160,000 grant awarded to Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will support research aimed at reducing the potential for injury and death due to grain bin entrapments.

December 3, 2018

A new $2.4 million-dollar program to train graduate students in the area of eukaryotic gene regulation has been established at Penn State.

November 28, 2018

In the culmination of more than a decade of research on root traits conducted by Penn State plant scientists, about three tons of seed for common bean plants specifically bred to thrive in the barren soils of Mozambique will be distributed there Dec. 11.

November 20, 2018

Faculty member's yearlong study focuses on availability and cost of internet access in Pennsylvania — and the potential for investment to solve the problem.

November 15, 2018

Color can impact the taste of food, and our experiences and expectations can affect how we taste food, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest this may have implications for how food and beverage industries should market their products.

November 13, 2018

By temporarily silencing the expression of a critical gene, researchers fooled soybean plants into sensing they were under siege, encountering a wide range of stresses. Then, after selectively cross breeding those plants with the original stock, the progeny "remember" the stress-induced responses to become more vigorous, resilient and productive plants, according to a team of researchers.

November 12, 2018

Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are well known as primary vectors of malaria. But a new study suggests that Anopheles species, including some found in the United States, also are capable of carrying and transmitting an emerging pathogen, Mayaro virus, which has caused outbreaks of disease in South America and the Caribbean.

November 12, 2018

Penn State research aimed at combating white-nose syndrome in bats has received funding from the Bats for the Future Fund. Virologist Marilyn Roossinck, professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, received a grant of more than $263,000 to study how a virus that infects the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome influences the virulence of the fungus.

November 9, 2018

A research team in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received a Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Led by David Hughes, associate professor of entomology and biology, the group will study the potential role of satellites in diagnosing crop pest and disease problems on African smallholder farms.

November 9, 2018

Penn State researchers are working on new technology to capture CO2 before it gets into the atmosphere and either sequester it or use it to create new products. Part three of a five-part series.

November 5, 2018

To comply with nutrient-reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Pennsylvania may want to consider the establishment of animal agriculture operations in the western part of the state, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

November 1, 2018

Many vendors at farmers markets take inadequate precautions to prevent the spread of foodborne illness, and they should be trained to reduce food-safety risks, according to Penn State researchers who completed the final phase of an innovative five-year study.

October 30, 2018

Clio Andris, assistant professor of geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, is analyzing a year’s worth of phone calls to find the clues to help address the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey.

October 30, 2018

Citizens are important allies in the fight against the spotted lanternfly, a war that is being waged in 13 counties -- Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill.

October 25, 2018

The Penn State Mushroom Short Course recently marked its 60th year of providing mushroom growers with researched-based information and expertise aimed at advancing the industry.

October 24, 2018

Dollar spot — the most common, troublesome and damaging turfgrass disease plaguing golf courses — is becoming increasingly resistant to fungicides applied to manage it, according to Penn State researchers.

October 18, 2018

After seven years of analyzing a number of consumption, distribution, production, and other aspects of the Northeast U.S. food system, researchers from Penn State and 10 other universities and organizations have made significant gains in understanding the extent to which the region can increase production of certain foods, and potentially better meet the food needs of low-income populations in the locations they studied.

October 9, 2018

Nearly 15 percent of all chewing gum varieties sold promise to provide health-enhancing supplements to users, so Penn State researchers studied whether two vitamin-supplemented products were effective at delivering vitamins to the body. Their results validate the concept of gum as an effective delivery system for at least some vitamins.

October 2, 2018

In an innovative study that promises to reduce production costs for the most potent form of vitamin K — Menaquinone-7, Penn State researchers have developed a novel method to enhance the fermentation process that creates the supplement by agitated liquid fermentation in a biofilm reactor.

September 27, 2018

Entrepreneurs should be aware of where they're building their businesses. New research shows that companies that invest heavily in research and development might be better off locating near dissimilar businesses, while companies that invest less in technology might want to locate near businesses in their own industry.

September 25, 2018

While a warming climate in recent decades may be a factor in the waning of some local populations of frogs, toads, newts and salamanders, it cannot explain the overall steep decline of amphibians, according to researchers.

September 21, 2018

The State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Apple Program recently awarded nearly $233,000 in funding to support new and ongoing fruit research and extension projects in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The grants will support projects aimed at enhancing pest management, production efficiency and fruit quality.