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Probing Question: How were the Egyptian pyramids built?

4/15/14

The Aztecs, Mayans, and ancient Egyptians were three very different civilizations with one very large similarity: pyramids. However, of these three ancient cultures, the Egyptians set the standard for what most people recognize as classic pyramid design: massive monuments with a square base and four smooth-sided triangular sides, rising to a point. (The Aztecs and Mayans built their pyramids with tiered steps and a flat top.)

Concussions in Athletics book cover

Semyon Slobounov publishes book on concussions in athletics

4/14/14

Semyon (Sam) Slobounov, professor of kinesiology and neurosurgery at Penn State, has published a book, titled "Concussions in Athletics: From Brain to Behavior." The book offers state-of-the-art clinical guidance on diagnosing and treating concussion, the latest research findings and implications written by an international panel of experts and advanced brain imaging findings to delineate the hidden symptoms of concussion.

dePamphilis discusses Earth's first flowers at April 17 Research Unplugged

4/14/14

Claude dePamphilis, professor of biology, will present "Ancient Flowers: The Search for Earth's First Flowering Plants" at 12:30 p.m. on April 17 at Schlow Centre Region Library as the fourth of six Research Unplugged events this semester. Research Unplugged brings together Penn State researchers and the State College community for lively public discussions.

buck for CWD research

Researchers identify terrain likely to attract wasting disease-infected deer

4/10/14

A study of the spread of chronic wasting disease among white-tailed deer in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania found that infected deer tend to cluster in low-lying open and developed areas. These results suggest that state wildlife management agencies should concentrate surveillance efforts in such topography and landscapes, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

orange, round, bumpy 3-D model

Sunlight generates hydrogen in new porous silicon

4/10/14

Porous silicon manufactured in a bottom-up procedure using solar energy can be used to generate hydrogen from water, according to a team of Penn State mechanical engineers, who also see applications for batteries, biosensors and optical electronics as outlets for this new material.

Disadvantaged environments affect genetic material, study finds

4/8/14

Children experiencing chronic stress from a disadvantaged life have shorter telomeres than their advantaged peers, according to a study led by Dr. Daniel Notterman, vice dean for research and graduate studies, and professor of pediatrics, and biochemistry and molecular biology, Penn State College of Medicine.

orange and green blobs

Breast cancer cell subpopulation cooperation can spur tumor growth

4/8/14

Subpopulations of breast cancer cells sometimes cooperate to aid tumor growth, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, who believe that understanding the relationship between cancer subpopulations could lead to new targets for cancer treatment.

earth climate from space

Slowdown of global warming fleeting

4/7/14

The recent slowdown in the warming rate of the Northern Hemisphere may be a result of internal variability of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation -- a natural phenomenon related to sea surface temperatures, according to Penn State researchers.

Micro microbial fuel cell

Tiny power generator runs on spit

4/3/14

Saliva-powered micro-sized microbial fuel cells can produce minute amounts of energy sufficient to run on-chip applications, according to an international team of engineers.

black teapot with two cups of green tea

Research suggests that green tea, exercise boost weight loss, health

4/2/14

Mice on a high-fat diet that consumed decaffeinated green tea extract and exercised regularly experienced sharp reductions in final body weight and significant improvements in health, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, who suggest that similar results could be realized by people.

'Green' scale helps predict how consumers buy environmentally friendly products

4/1/14

How do consumers decide when faced with the option of buying a traditional product or a competing product that is marketed as “green?” Penn State Smeal College of Business faculty member Karen Winterich and her colleagues set out to develop a scale of “green consumption values” to help predict which consumers will prefer to purchase environmentally friendly products.

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