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- Record-Breaking High-Energy Particles from Space Detected by Telescope Buried in the Antarctic Ice
- 17 May 2013 — A massive telescope buried in the Antarctic ice has detected 28 extremely high-energy neutrinos -- elementary particles that likely originate outside our solar system. Two of these neutrinos had energies many thousands of times higher than the highest-energy neutrino that any man-made particle accelerator has ever produced, according to a team of IceCube Neutrino Observatory researchers that includes Penn State scientists. These new record-breaking neutrinos had energies greater than 1,000,000,000,000,000 volts or, as the scientists say, 1 peta-electron volt (PeV).
- Brendan Mullan Selected as a 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorer
- 15 May 2013 — Brendan Mullan, an astrobiologist, science educator, and a recent Ph.D. graduate from Penn State, joins a roboticist, a glaciologist, a planetary geologist, an artist and an entrepreneur as one of 17 visionary, young trailblazers from around the world who have been selected as this year’s National Geographic Emerging Explorers.
- 2013 Myriant Corporation Scholarship Winners Announced
- 8 May 2013 — The Eberly College of Science is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Myriant Corporation Scholarship for Excellence in Bio-Energy and Energy Sustainability. The Myriant Scholarship recognizes outstanding undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in bioenergy and/or energy sustainability, and is generously sponsored by the Myriant Corporation of Quincy, Massachusetts.
- Probing Question: Do Women Dominate the Field of Forensic Science?
- 8 May 2013 — Exhuming corpses, analyzing bloodstained clothing, collecting "crime scene insects" (yes, maggots)...these are some of the grittier realities of life as a forensic scientist. Yet defying the stereotype that females tend to be squeamish about such things, an entire generation of young women have become entranced by the profession, inspired in part by characters such as Abby Sciuto on the television drama NCIS. In fact, they've pursued this career in such numbers that—unlike almost every other scientific discipline—one could argue that the booming field of forensic science is a female domain. Has forensic science, in fact, become a woman's field?
- Gene Offers Clues to New Treatments for a Harmful Blood Clotting Disorder
- 7 May 2013 — A gene associated with both protection against bacterial infection and excessive blood clotting could offer new insights into treatment strategies for deep-vein thrombosis -- the formation of a harmful clot in a deep vein. The gene produces an enzyme that, if inhibited via a specific drug therapy, could offer hope to patients prone to deep-vein clots, such as those that sometimes form in the legs during lengthy airplane flights or during recuperation after major surgery.
- Probing Question: Are We Running Out of Helium?
- 25 April 2013 — Party planners, take note: the atmosphere may become a little deflated at gala events in the future. Some scientists are sounding the alarm about the wastefulness of using helium -- a rare, non-renewable gas -- to fill party balloons. Why? As an essential resource in technologies such as medical imaging, rocket engines, and surveillance devices, it turns out that helium does a lot more than give our balloons a lift. And despite being the second most abundant element in the universe, most of our supply in the Earth’s atmosphere simply floats off into space and is lost.
- White-Dwarf Star, Blown Apart in 1604, Now Reveals New Secrets
- 8 April 2013 — Remnants of an exploded star have been discovered in our Milky Way galaxy by a team of scientists including astronomers at Penn State University. The "supernova remnant" was discovered during an extensive X-ray survey of our galaxy's central regions with NASA's Swift satellite, for which science and flight operations are controlled by Penn State from the Mission Operations Center on the University Park campus. A paper describing the team's findings will be published in an upcoming edition of The Astrophysical Journal.
- On Twitter, Anti-Vaccination Sentiments Spread More Easily than Pro-Vaccination Sentiments
- 4 April 2013 — On Twitter, a popular microblogging and social-networking service, statements about vaccines may have unexpected effects -- positive messages may backfire, according to a team of Penn State University researchers led by Marcel Salathé, an assistant professor of biology. The team tracked the pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages to which Twitter users were exposed and then observed how those users expressed their own sentiments about a new vaccine for combating influenza H1N1 -- a virus strain responsible for swine flu.
- Autism Linked to Increased Genetic Change in Regions of Genome Instability
- 2 April 2013 — Children with autism have increased levels of genetic change in regions of the genome prone to DNA rearrangements, so called "hotspots," according to a research discovery to be published in the print edition of the journal Human Molecular Genetics. The research indicates that these genetic changes come in the form of an excess of duplicated DNA segments in hotspot regions and may affect the chances that a child will develop autism -- a behavioral disorder that affects about 1 of every 88 children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
- Crucial Step in Human DNA Replication Observed Using Fluorescent Tags
- 1 April 2013 — For the first time, an elusive step in the process of human DNA replication has been demystified by scientists at Penn State University. According to senior author Stephen J. Benkovic, an Evan Pugh Professor of Chemistry and Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Chemistry at Penn State, the scientists "discovered how a key step in human DNA replication is performed." The results of the research will be published in the journal eLife on 2 April 2013.
- Remnants of a Shattered Star Discovered in Milky Way
- 15 March 2013 — Remnants of an exploded star have been discovered in our Milky Way galaxy by a team of scientists including astronomers at Penn State University. The "supernova remnant" was discovered during an extensive X-ray survey of our galaxy's central regions with NASA's Swift satellite, for which science and flight operations are controlled by Penn State from the Mission Operations Center on the University Park campus. A paper describing the team's findings will be published in an upcoming edition of The Astrophysical Journal.
- Penn State Open Online Course "Infects" Learners, Causing a "Virtual Pandemic"
- 14 March 2013 — A new "virtual epidemic apocalypse" game is one of the innovative components of a free massive open online course (MOOC) titled "Epidemics: the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases," that will be launched by Penn State University's Eberly College of Science on 15 October 2013. "As you are taking this science course, a virtual epidemic is unfolding, with the potential of infecting hundreds of thousands of people. Can we stop it and, if so, how?" said Marcel Salathe, the assistant professor of biology and of computer science and engineering who leads the team of eight Penn State faculty members who will teach the eight-week course.
- Penn State Researchers Part of $194 Million National Semiconductor Research Effort
- 14 March 2013 — A group of Penn State researchers are part of a five-year, $194 million research effort recently announced by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to support continued growth and leadership in the U.S. semiconductor industry.
- The Closest Star System Found in a Century
- 11 March 2013 — A pair of newly discovered stars is the third-closest star system to the Sun, according to a paper that will be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. The duo is the closest star system discovered since 1916. The discovery was made by Kevin Luhman, an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University and a researcher in Penn State's Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds.
- Oldest Known Star Gets a Birthdate Update
- 7 March 2013 — A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken an important step closer to finding the birth certificate of a star that's been around for a very long time.
- Craig E. Cameron Appointed the Eberly Family Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 6 March 2013 — Craig E. Cameron, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University, has been appointed Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
- New, Multifunctional Electronic Devices May Soon Be Possible, New Research Suggests
- 15 February 2013 — For the first time, researchers have designed a special material interface that has been shown to add to and to improve the functioning of non-silicon-based electronic devices, such as those used in certain kinds of random access memory (RAM). According to Qi Li, a professor of physics at Penn State University and the leader of the research team, the new method could be used to design improved, more-efficient, multilevel and multifunctional devices, as well as enhanced nanoelectronic components.
- Flu Outbreaks Modeled By New Study of Classroom Schedules
- 12 February 2013 — Classroom rosters combined with human-networking theory may give a clearer picture of just how infectious diseases such as influenza can spread through a closed group of people, and even through populations at large. Using high-school schedule data for a community of students, teachers, and staff, Penn State University's Marcel Salathé, an assistant professor of biology, and Timo Smieszek, a post-doctoral researcher, have developed a low-cost but effective method to determine how to focus disease-control strategies based on which individuals are most likely to spread the infection.
- Selected Works of George Andrews to Be Published
- 12 February 2013 — The Selected Works of George E. Andrews, Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics at Penn State University, will be published this week by the World Scientific Publishing Company. The book compiles Andrews's most important papers and also provides his background commentary and comprehensive assessment of years of research and achievements.
- Baum Receives Honorary Doctorate from the Australian National University
- 7 February 2013 — Paul Frank Baum, Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics at Penn State University, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Australian National University. Baum received the degree during a December 2012 ceremony at which he gave an address about the value of perseverance. The Australian National University sponsored a concurrent three-day "Baum Fest" featuring lectures by mathematicians who are currently developing Baum's ideas.