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Research Press Release Archive

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A multi-page list of all research press releases since 1997

Community-based conservation management has positive effect on wildlife: 13 August 2018 — Putting land management in the hands of local communities helps the wildlife within, according to new research by Penn State biologist Derek Lee.
Wildfire management designed to protect Spotted Owls may be outdated: 24 July 2018 — According to a new study, forest fires are not a serious threat to populations of Spotted Owls, a species that acts as an indicator of biological health to the old-growth forests where they live. These findings suggest that management strategies for this species are outdated.
Finding the proteins that unpack DNA: 12 July 2018 — A new method allows researchers to systematically identify specialized proteins that unpack DNA inside the nucleus of a cell, making the usually dense DNA more accessible for gene expression and other functions.
New era of space research launched by IceCube Observatory and global team of astronomers: 12 July 2018 — The first-ever identification of a deep-space source of the super-energetic subatomic high-energy neutrino particles has launched a new era of space research. Detection of one such neutrino beneath the Antarctic ice sent a global team of astronomers racing to track down its origins: a flaring supermassive black hole 3.7 billion light years from Earth.
The hidden complexity underlying a common cause of autism: Uncovering genetic interactions responsible for neurodevelopmental disorders: 29 June 2018 — Genes located in a large chromosomal aberration associated with autism interact with each other to modulate the variable symptoms of the disease, according to new research.
'Nuru' becomes African farmers' newest ally against fall armyworm: 25 June 2018 — Penn State researchers have joined forces with the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization to release the first app, called Nuru, to help African farmers recognize fall armyworm — a new and fast-spreading crop pest in sub-Saharan Africa — so that they can take immediate steps to destroy it and curb its spread.
Compound made inside human body stops viruses from replicating: 20 June 2018 — A team of researchers has identified the mode of action of viperin, a naturally occurring enzyme in humans and other mammals that is known to have antiviral effects on viruses such as West Nile, hepatitis C, rabies, and HIV. This discovery could allow researchers to develop a drug that could act as a broad-spectrum therapy for a range of viruses.
Capturing light in a waveguide array: Confined, insensitive light could improve lasers, solar cells: 04 June 2018 — Cheaper and more efficient photonic devices, such as lasers, optical fibers, and other light sources, may be possible with confined light that is unaffected by imperfections in the material that confines it, according to new research.
Climate change forced zombie ant fungi to adapt: 30 May 2018 — Zombie ants clamp on to aerial vegetation and hang for months spewing the spores of their parasitic fungi, but researchers noticed that they do not always clamp on to the same part of the plant. Now the researchers know that the choice of leaves or twigs is related to climate and that climate change forced the fungi to adapt to local conditions.
Mechanical force controls the speed of protein synthesis: 16 May 2018 — As cells create proteins, the proteins modulate synthesis speed by exerting a mechanical force on the molecular machine that makes them, according to a team of scientists who used a combination of computational and experimental techniques to understand this force.
Altered body odor indicates malaria even if microscope doesn't: 14 May 2018 — Typhoid Mary may have infected a hundred or more people, but asymptomatic carriers of malaria infect far more people every year through mosquito vectors. An international team of researchers is working toward a way to identify malaria patients including infected individuals who show no malaria symptoms.
A designer’s toolkit for constructing complex nanoparticles: 03 May 2018 — A team of chemists at Penn State has developed a designer’s toolkit that lets them build various levels of complexity into nanoparticles using a simple, mix-and-match process.
New sodium-ion electrolyte may find use in solid-state batteries: 20 April 2018 — A newly discovered structure of a sodium-based material allows the materials to be used as an electrolyte in solid-state batteries, according to researchers from Penn State and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The team is fine-tuning the material using an iterative design approach that they hope will shave years off the time from research to everyday use.
Nova-like explosion of spinning live bacteria explained: 06 April 2018 — Suspensions of live bacteria in a viscous liquid do not act as expected when spun at certain speeds and now a team of researchers knows why the bacterial aggregation appears to explode when the spinning stops.
Penn State–developed plant-disease app recognized by Google: 02 April 2018 — A mobile app designed by Penn State researchers to help farmers and others diagnose crop diseases has earned recognition from one of the world's tech giants.
Penn State to participate in consortium to demonstrate remote monitoring of nuclear reactors: 27 March 2018 — Penn State researchers will participate in a new international multi-laboratory and multi-university collaboration that harnesses the unusual characteristics of the elusive subatomic particles known as antineutrinos for nuclear nonproliferation.
New insights into how cellulose is built could indicate how to break it apart for biofuels: 26 March 2018 — A comprehensive look at how plants build cellulose, the primary building block of the walls of most plant cells that is used in a wide variety of manmade materials, could have important implications for its use in biofuels. Researchers at Penn State have identified the major steps in the process as well as the tools used by plant cells to create cellulose, including proteins that transport critical components to the location where cellulose is made.
NASA set to launch Penn State led experiment: 26 March 2018 — NASA will launch a suborbital sounding rocket carrying a Penn State led experiment to test a newly-developed X-ray spectrograph and study the X-rays from a supernova remnant in the Milky Way galaxy.
Study of climate change could lead to understanding future of infectious disease: 20 March 2018 — Over the past 34 years, rainfall in Uganda has decreased by about 12 percent even though many of the global climate models predict an increase in rainfall for the area, according to an international team of researchers. Rainfall levels in Uganda impact agriculture, food security, wildlife habitats and regional economics as well as the prevalence of certain diseases.
New crystal structures reveal a mysterious mechanism of gene regulation by the "magic spot": 22 February 2018 — Using an innovative crystallization technique, an international team of researchers, led by scientists at Penn State, has revealed new insights into the long debated action of the “magic spot”—a molecule that controls gene expression in Eschericahia coli and other bacteria when the bacteria are stressed.