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Clinical variability of disease-associated mutations can be explained by other variants in the genetic background

Family genetics vital for understanding autism progression

9/7/18

A new study led by researchers at Penn State reveals that the total amount of rare mutations — deletions, duplications or other changes to the DNA sequence — in a person’s genome can explain why individuals with a disease-associated mutation can have vastly different symptoms.

artist

Hot streak: Finding patterns in creative career breakthroughs

9/6/18

You’ve likely heard of hot hands or hot streaks — periods of repeated successes — in sports, financial markets and gambling. But do hot streaks exist in individual creative careers? A team of researchers, including two from Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, examined the works of nearly 30,000 scientists, artists and film directors to learn if high-impact works in those fields came in streaks.

The ruins of an ancient city in Oman

Study: Earth's ecosystems face 'major transformation' from climate change

9/5/18

A new study using fossil records shows vegetation dramatically changed on Earth during a warming period after the last ice age. Scientists are using the findings to predict how ecosystems will change during similar projected warming over the next 150 years due to greenhouse-gas emissions.

Adri van Duin, professor of mechanical and chemical engineering and engineering science and mechanics

Van Duin awarded DoE funding to continue critical energy research

9/5/18

In its mission to transform the way we generate, supply, transmit, store and use energy, the Energy Frontier Research Centers, housed within the U.S. Department of Energy, has selected two projects with participation by the Penn State Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering for funding.

Michael Mann

Mann receives 2018 AGU Climate Communication Prize

9/4/18

Michael Mann, distinguished professor of atmospheric sciences and director of Penn State's Earth System Science Center, is the 2018 recipient of the American Geophysical Union's Climate Communication Prize.

Jennie Noll

Penn State launches new child abuse prevention pilot programs

8/31/18

A new initiative spearheaded by Penn State researchers is aiming to revolutionize how policymakers understand and prevent child sexual abuse. The goal ultimately is to use the results from three evidence-based pilot programs to develop a comprehensive and sustainable model for abuse prevention that can be adopted not just across Pennsylvania counties, but across the nation.

$3 million grant will fund new 3D map of brain’s blood vessels

8/31/18

In an upcoming project, a team of Penn State researchers will use mice as a model for creating high-resolution, 3D maps of the blood vessels in both young and aging brains. The researchers hope learning more about healthy brains will help them learn more about how problems — like strokes or Alzheimer’s Disease — develop over time.

four men rowing

Tight-knit teammates may conform to each other's behavior

8/30/18

In a study with NCAA athletes, researchers found that the more closely a player identified as being part of their team, the more likely they were to conform to their teammates' behavior. This was true for both risky and positive behaviors.

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