Declaring a truce with our microbiological frenemies
3/26/13
Managing bacteria and other microorganisms in the body, rather than just fighting them, may be lead to better health and a stronger immune system, according to a Penn State biologist.
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Endangered lemurs' complete genomes are sequenced and analyzed for conservation
3/25/13
For the first time, the complete genomes of three separate populations of aye-ayes -- a type of lemur -- have been sequenced and analyzed in an effort to help guide conservation efforts. The results of the genome-sequence analyses will be published in an early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online during the week of March 25. The team of scientists is led by George H. Perry, assistant professor of anthropology and biology at Penn State; Webb Miller, professor of biology and of computer science and engineering at Penn State; and Edward Louis, director of Conservation Genetics at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and director of the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, NGO.
Brownson to discuss sustainable energy quest at Research Unplugged
3/25/13
Jeffrey Brownson, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, will present "Power Quest: Are We Solving the Sustainable Energy Puzzle?" at this week’s Research Unplugged series on Thursday, March 28, at 12:15 p.m. in Schlow Centre Region Library’s Downsbrough Community Room.
Penn State team receives Google grant for app security
3/20/13
An international research team including Penn State computer engineers has received a $50,000 Google Faculty Research Award focusing on smartphone application security.
Remnants of a shattered star discovered in Milky Way
3/15/13
Remnants of an exploded star have been discovered in our Milky Way galaxy by a team of scientists including astronomers at Penn State. 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.
Penn State helps East Stroudsburg bring Lyme-Aid innovation to consumers
3/14/13
A kit that could lead to quicker detection of Lyme disease has moved from a college laboratory to store shelves thanks to guidance from Penn State’s Office of Technology Management.
Device may lead to quicker, more efficient diagnostics
3/11/13
A twist on thin-film technology may provide a way to optically detect and analyze multiple substances simultaneously, leading to quicker diagnostics in such industries as health care and homeland security, according to Penn State researchers.
Researchers find closest star system in a century
3/11/13
A pair of newly discovered stars 6.5 light years away is the third-closest star system to the sun and the closest discovered since 1916. It is an excellent hunting ground for planets because it is very close to Earth and, in the distant future, it might be one of the first destinations for manned expeditions outside our solar system, according to the discoverer, Kevin Luhman, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics and researcher in Penn State's Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds.
Astronomers narrow focus on age of oldest known star
3/7/13
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. "We have found that this is the oldest known star with a well-determined age," said Howard Bond of Penn State and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
Factors identified that influence willingness to use new information technology
3/7/13
People are more willing to use new technology when they perceive it to be high in relative advantage, low in complexity and ease of use, and high in "trialability," according to researchers.
Vehicle crash research helps to uncover truth in Schirmer murder case
2/26/13
When former Pennsylvania pastor Arthur Schirmer was convicted in January of murder in the 2008 death of his second wife, a Penn State vehicle crash expert’s analysis had helped sort out the facts of the story.
Linder named Penn State entrepreneur-in-residence in research office
2/22/13
Peter Linder has been named to the newly created post of entrepreneur-in-residence within the office of the Vice President for Research at Penn State, part of an ongoing effort to invigorate entrepreneurship and technology transfer at the University.
Jets’ contrails contribute to heat-trapping high-level clouds
2/21/13
Condensation trails that airplanes produce mean not only a white-streaked sky on some days, but an increase in the amount of high-level clouds and, by extension, warming temperatures, according to a Penn State researcher.
Penn State researchers part of $194 million STARnet semiconductor effort
2/20/13
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.
Red Cell Lab offers realistic terrorism lessons for future intelligence analysts
2/20/13
Whether intelligence analysts are trying to predict the next moves of an insurgent group or determining how to best deliver aid after a hurricane, an excess of information can often cause just as many problems as a lack of it. Red Cell Analytics Lab, a laboratory in Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology, uses cutting-edge technology and the latest analysis to turn information into intelligence during fluid, complex situations that are as timely as today's headlines.
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Probing Question: Do women dominate the field of forensic science?
5/7/13
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. 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.
Nanoparticle opens the door to clean-energy alternatives
6/13/13
Cheaper clean-energy technologies could be made possible thanks to a new discovery. Research team members led by Raymond Schaak, a professor of chemistry at Penn State, have found that an important chemical reaction that generates hydrogen from water is effectively triggered -- or catalyzed -- by a nanoparticle made of nickel and phosphorus, two inexpensive elements that are abundant on Earth. The results of the research will be published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. More details and two photos are online at http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Schaak6-2013 .
Engineering research: Collaboration and creativity unleash tomorrow's discovery
6/5/13
For decades, Penn State has led the nation in creating the organizational, physical and philosophical space for researchers across all backgrounds and disciplines to collaborate and create. The Millennium Science Complex, which opened in 2011, is one of the University's most recent, and now one of the most visible, examples of its commitment to interdisciplinary research.
Mass spectrometer now available to faculty, student researchers
6/4/13
A mass spectrometer that gives researchers the ability to measure isotopic composition to less than one-hundredth of a percent precision is up and running on campus, offering the ability to study isotope systems previously inaccessible at Penn State.
Penn State controlled satellite captures best ultraviolet maps of two galaxies
6/3/13
The most detailed ultraviolet light surveys ever made of the two major galaxies that are closest to our own Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, have been created by astronomers at NASA and Penn State.
Historian studies quest for the 12-month tomato
6/3/13
Is there an item on the average household's dinner table so roundly scorned as the wintertime tomato? The plastic-like red globe is typically so barren of authentic taste and texture that it epitomizes the industrialization of food, says John Hoenig, a doctoral candidate in history at Penn State. Yet he points to that very same tomato as a symbol of victory — tangible evidence of Americans' success in transcending traditional patterns of seasonality in their diets.
Behrend chemistry research receives National Science Foundation support
5/31/13
An assistant professor of chemistry at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has received a $243,462 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund research that may eventually lead to new methods for monitoring brain and heart health.
Sustainability Institute seeks proposals for graduate research contest
5/30/13
For the second year, Penn State will participate in the 2013 Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Awards. SISCA is designed to promote forward thinking in social and environmental responsibility; while also acknowledging the energy, commitment, and enthusiasm of students and their professors who support their innovations. Graduate students and faculty from Penn State are encouraged to join an international field of universities that are involved in the program.
Super-dense star is first ever found suddenly slowing its spin
5/29/13
One of the densest objects in the universe, a neutron star about 10,000 light years from Earth, has been discovered suddenly putting the brakes on its spinning speed. The event is a mystery that holds important clues for understanding how matter reacts when it is squeezed more tightly than the density of an atomic nucleus -- a state that no laboratory on Earth has achieved.
Study confirms U.S. amphibian populations declining at rapid rate
5/22/13
The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate. The study, conducted over the last decade by U.S. Geological Survey scientists and collaborators, includes contributions by a Penn State wildlife population ecologist.
Mosquito behavior may be immune response, not parasite manipulation
5/22/13
Malaria-carrying mosquitos appear to be manipulated by the parasites they carry, but this manipulation may simply be part of the mosquitos' immune response, according to Penn State entomologists.
Record-breaking high-energy particles detected by telescope buried in Antarctic
5/17/13
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).
GridSTAR Net Zero Energy Demonstration Project under way at The Navy Yard
5/13/13
A powerful collaboration of researchers, manufacturers and economic development officials are embarking on a groundbreaking demonstration project for smart-grid, net zero energy buildings called the GridSTAR Center — a Smart Energy Campus initiative at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia. Spearheaded by Penn State with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the GridSTAR Net Zero Energy Demonstration Structure is the first phase of the GridSTAR Center.
AMON: An Eye on the Universe
5/6/13
AMON stands for Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network. Its mission is to form a network of high-energy observatories across the globe that will search for previously unseen astrophysical signals and send alerts to more traditional telescopes in order to corroborate the possible celestial events.
Leadership emerges spontaneously during games
4/29/13
Video game and augmented-reality game players can spontaneously build virtual teams and leadership structures without special tools or guidance, according to researchers. Players in a game that mixed real and online worlds organized and operated in teams that resembled a military organization.