Argentine fossils take oak and beech family history far into Southern Hemisphere

One of the world's most important plant families has a history extending much farther south than any live or fossil specimen previously recorded, as shown by chinquapin fruit and leaf fossils unearthed in Patagonia, Argentina, according to researchers.

Research

drawing of a lattice with carbon-hydrogen molecules being inserted.

Adding a carbon atom transforms 2D semiconducting material

5/24/19

A technique that introduces carbon-hydrogen molecules into a single atomic layer of the semiconducting material tungsten disulfide dramatically changes the electronic properties of the material, according to Penn State researchers who say they can create new types of components for energy-efficient photoelectric devices and electronic circuits with this material.

Measuring methane from coal and gas in Pennsylvania informative

5/23/19

While methane pollution caused by natural gas production in Pennsylvania is underestimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, natural gas still has half the carbon footprint of underground coal mining, according to an international team of researchers.

Scientific evidence boosts action for activists, decreases action for scientists

5/22/19

When a proposed policy has the backing of scientific evidence, it may boost the likelihood that activists will get involved with the issue. However, references to scientific evidence seem to dampen the activism of scientific experts, according to researchers.

Exercise may help teens sleep longer, more efficiently

5/22/19

Getting more exercise than normal — or being more sedentary than usual — for one day may be enough to affect sleep later that night, according to a new study led by Penn State.

Eastern forests shaped more by Native Americans' burning than climate change

5/21/19

Native Americans' use of fire to manage vegetation in what is now the Eastern United States was more profound than previously believed, according to a Penn State researcher who determined that forest composition change in the region was caused more by land use than climate change.

Exploring the science of decision-making

5/21/19

Researchers found that when study participants faced complex choices, they often showed a burst of exploration before settling into preferred options of higher value. This strategy may be one way that people can conserve their cognitive resources and solve problems that exceed their working memory capacity.

Net carbon-negative electricity source may offer economical alternative to China

5/20/19

Researchers say burning a mixture of coal and crop residue biomass might provide a cost-effective, net carbon-negative electricity source that can be scaled to commercial levels in China in order to meet global temperature objectives by mid-century.

View of harbor and Old City of Akko, Israel

Forging history

5/20/19

When archaeologists at a dig in northern Israel found hundreds of pounds of iron slag, they thought the site might have been used for industrial-level production of iron tools or weapons. But were the small hearths they unearthed adequate to do such work? Last summer, they did an experiment to find out.

Men and women sitting in front of a large virtual reality screen

Penn State professor and Fujita Corporation team up on construction robotics lab

5/17/19

John Messner, professor of architectural engineering and the director of the Computer Integrated Construction Research Program, is the driving force behind the development of a construction robotics lab — an expansion of current facilities operated by the Department of Architectural Engineering.

Azar Eslam Panah, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State Berks.

NSF grant unites cross-campus researchers to study and optimize flying robots

5/16/19

Researchers in the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering recently received a $389,919 grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate, explore and innovate new flying mechanisms for micro air vehicles to better mimic the performance and agility of flying animals.

New drug could help treat neonatal seizures

5/15/19

A new drug that inhibits neonatal seizures in rodent models could open up new avenues for the treatment of epilepsy in human newborns.

Lynching map shows extent of mob violence

Map reveals that lynching extended far beyond the deep South

5/15/19

While most people tend to thinking of lynchings as something that mostly happened in the South, mob violence was widespread in the United States from 1883 to 1941, and its victims included nearly all races and ethnicities, according to researchers. An interactive map shows the extent of this particularly brutal form of violence.

TribLive: June 17, 2019
Out & About: Penn State New Ken event supports art
Arts and culture are alive and well at Penn State New Kensington, evidenced by the third annual Off the Wall pARTy on June 14.
Popular Science: June 11, 2019
Saving Greenland could save the world
The ice surface of Greenland is beset by a variety of forces brought on by changing climates. A Penn State researcher is quoted in this article.

Other Voices

Marijuana is on the ballot, legalization may stall
Our research indicates that medical marijuana progress may well stall after this latest round of ballot initiatives.
from:
The Conversation
Social impact bonds, explained
A new approach to fighting some of society’s big problems is emerging at a time when the federal government and states are cutting back on safety-net spending.
from:
The Conversation

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Argentine fossils take oak and beech family history far into Southern Hemisphere

Research

Research

Adding a carbon atom transforms 2D semiconducting material

Measuring methane from coal and gas in Pennsylvania informative

Scientific evidence boosts action for activists, decreases action for scientists

Exercise may help teens sleep longer, more efficiently

Eastern forests shaped more by Native Americans' burning than climate change

Exploring the science of decision-making

Net carbon-negative electricity source may offer economical alternative to China

Forging history

Penn State professor and Fujita Corporation team up on construction robotics lab

NSF grant unites cross-campus researchers to study and optimize flying robots

New drug could help treat neonatal seizures

Map reveals that lynching extended far beyond the deep South

Opioid-exposed newborns may react to pain differently after birth

Native forest plants rebound when invasive shrubs are removed

Plant pathology, environmental microbiology doctoral student receives NSF award

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