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Fossil of moth on sycamore

Leaf-mining insects destroyed with the dinosaurs, others quickly appeared

7/24/14

After the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period that triggered the dinosaurs' extinction and ushered in the Paleocene, leaf-mining insects in the western United States completely disappeared. Only a million years later, at Mexican Hat, in southeastern Montana, fossil leaves show diverse leaf-mining traces from new insects that were not present during the Cretaceous, according to paleontologists.

Nitin Samarth with the molecular beam epitaxy equipment in his lab

Team's work with new material combination may boost computer memory

7/23/14

The discovery of a new material combination that could lead to a more efficient approach to computer memory and logic will be described today (July 24) in the journal Nature. The research, led by Penn State and Cornell University physicists, studies "spintorque" in devices that combine a standard magnetic material with a novel material known as a "topological insulator." The team's results show that such a scheme can be 10 times more efficient for controlling magnetic memory or logic than any other combination of materials measured to date.

schematic of bowel

Immune cell role in intestinal movement may lead to better understanding of IBS

7/18/14

Learning the role of immune-system cells in healthy digestive tracts and how they interact with neighboring nerve cells may lead to new treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine, in collaboration with other scientists, have reported the role of macrophages in regulating the contractions of the colon to push digested material through the digestive tract.

Maureen Carr

Music professor pens new Stravinsky book

7/10/14

Distinguished Professor of Music Maureen Carr’s most recent book, "After the Rite: Stravinsky’s Path to Neoclassicism (1914-1925)," was released by Oxford University Press on July 10. The book traces the evolution of Stravinsky's compositional style as he searched for his own voice in the explosive musical world of the early 20th century. Throughout the book, Carr presents new transcriptions and sophisticated analyses of selected musical sketches to show the genesis of Stravinsky's musical ideas as he forayed into surrealism, classicism and abstraction to develop his signature neoclassical style.

Letrozole may help women with PCOS become pregnant

7/9/14

The drug letrozole results in higher birth rates in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) than the current preferred infertility treatment drug, according to a nationwide study led by Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

Kepler operating on bass

Radio tags, telemetry used in river-bass-movement research

7/9/14

If you catch a smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna or its tributaries, with a wire trailing from its underside, it is a participant in a study of fish movement related to wider research into the causes of fish diseases in the river system.

Mark Greenberg

Prevention Research Center receives $1.4 million mindfulness research grant

7/9/14

Mark Greenberg, Edna Peterson Bennett Endowed Chair in Prevention Research and Professor of Human Development and Psychology, is the principal investigator of a new grant received by the Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State to teach adolescents mindfulness practices that may strengthen their attention, executive function, and emotion regulation skills.

artist's rendering of bitcoins

Probing Question: What is Bitcoin?

7/9/14

Could digital currency be poised to replace paper money? The pursuit of an independent digital currency began in the early 1990s, explains John Jordan, clinical professor of supply chain and information systems at Penn State. Today's big contender, the Bitcoin, was introduced in 2008 by a person (or group of people) known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin is a digital payment network that allows users to engage in direct transactions without the oversight of a banking organization or government.

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