Researchers found that underwater light intensity plays a critical role in the energy expended by coral's symbiotic algae, highlighting the importance of water clarity for coral conservation. Preserving water optical quality is vital to protecting coral biodiversity and preventing reef degradation.
A team of Penn State researchers developed a material that gradually delivers heparin over time and directly to blood clots. The new delivery system, which combines heparin with a peptide fragment, increases the drug's half-life from 60-90 minutes to nearly 24 hours.
A team of Penn State researchers discovered a way to render cellulose nanocrystals highly redispersible in aqueous mediums while retaining their functionality. This breakthrough enables the easy storage and transportation of these bio-based nanomaterials, which are valuable for water treatment, packaging, and electronics.
A new study found that chronic inflammation in lactating mothers with obesity may contribute to low milk production. The researchers analyzed fatty acid and inflammatory marker profiles in blood and breast milk, finding a strong correlation between the two in non-obese mothers but not in those with chronic inflammation.
A new study by Penn State scientists found that spotted lanternfly feeding inhibits photosynthesis in young maple trees, potentially impairing growth. The study suggests that management decisions can be made to protect inventories based on the findings.
A study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers found that rural hospital closures lead to increased strain on nearby hospitals, resulting in higher emergency department visits and admissions. The study analyzed data from over 180 closed rural hospitals and found a significant increase in healthcare burden at bystander hospitals.
A new model describes how biological or technical systems form complex structures with signal-processing capabilities, enabling them to respond to stimuli and perform tasks without external guidance. The research has implications for microrobotics and the development of swarms of autonomous robots capable of complex tasks.
An international team of scientists found that changes in Earth's orbit may have triggered a rapid global warming event 56 million years ago, known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. The study suggests that orbital configurations favored hotter conditions and may have played a role in triggering the event.
A Penn State-led research team found that TikTok's unique interface and algorithm make content creation and virality particularly easy yet lead to high rates of creator burnout. The platform's central role of the algorithm in determining viewership makes creators produce new content continuously, leading to burnout.
Researchers have identified a method that can automatically detect doxing on Twitter with high accuracy, which could help protect users from cyberbullying. The approach uses machine learning to differentiate between self-disclosures and malicious disclosures of sensitive personal information.
Researchers developed a new 3D imaging model to analyze cellular geometry and mechanics, helping biologists quickly see how plants respond to environmental changes. The model identified unexpected guard cell behavior, shedding light on plant adaptation to drought.
A new type of active pixel sensor using a novel 2D material reduces energy use while enabling ultra-sharp cellphone photos in low light. The sensor's dynamic range and image processing capabilities improve photography in adverse conditions, such as night or foggy days.
Researchers used a novel modeling method to study hummingbird wing movement, revealing previously unknown principles of actuation. They found that hummingbirds' primary muscles pull wings in three directions: up and down, back and forth, and twisting. This discovery has implications for technological development of agile aerial systems.
A large genetic study found that more than 2,300 genes predict alcohol and tobacco use behaviors, with a majority shared among people of European, African, American, and Asian ancestries. The study's findings have the potential to identify individuals at high risk for substance misuse.
A blast of high-energy light from a galaxy 1 billion light-years away challenges long-held theories on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The event, detected by NASA's Swift Observatory and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, reveals that kilonovae triggered by neutron star collisions can also produce long GRBs.
Researchers modeled how genetic changes affecting protein synthesis speed can lead to misfolding and altered activity levels in proteins. This finding suggests the importance of kinetics alongside sequence for determining protein structure and function, with potential implications for fields such as biopharmaceutics and medicine.
Researchers found that synonymous mutations can lead to misfolding and reduced protein activity due to kinetic partitioning. The study suggests a new mechanism of action for these genetic changes, which could have implications in fields like biopharmaceutics.
Researchers found that muscle wasting severity is related to the type, size and location of tumors in mice, with different tumors causing varying levels of wasting. The study's findings have crucial implications for understanding how different cancers affect muscle mass and developing effective treatments.
A recent study found that carbon dioxide changes the way macronutrients are stored and reallocated in the body of bumblebee queens. The researchers discovered that carbon dioxide induces a change in metabolism, which then triggers secondary effects on reproduction, contrary to previous hypotheses.
A recent research study led by David Almeida found that daily stressors and people's reactivity to them decrease with age. As younger individuals juggle multiple roles, their social roles and motivations change as they age, leading to fewer stressors.
A Penn State research team developed a novel analytical platform using machine learning to selectively measure multiple biomolecules, saving space and reducing complexity. The sensor can detect small quantities of uric acid and tyrosine, important biomarkers associated with various diseases, in saliva and sweat.
A team of researchers from Penn State found that the microbiomes of warblers are influenced more by evolution than diet, contrary to a recently proposed hypothesis. The study's results suggest that evolutionary history plays a larger role in determining the diversity of bacteria within birds' gut microbiomes.
Researchers found that featured reviews on Amazon can lead to higher sales and improved customer satisfaction, but the impact decreases when there are too many reviews. Products with three reviews performed better than those with more or fewer reviews.
Researchers found that fruit flies compensate for catastrophic wing injuries by flapping the damaged wing harder and reducing the speed of the healthy one. This allows them to maintain stability while exchanging some performance, actively increasing damping to counteract decreased friction between the wing and air.
A new study by Penn State researchers found that using China-specific language in discussions of the pandemic contributed to anti-Asian boycotts. People with high media exposure displayed high levels of anxiety, while moderate exposure led to increased anxiety when reminded of the virus's deadly nature and its connection to China.
A new study found that small molecules in breast milk, specifically miR-375, can reduce the likelihood of infants developing allergic conditions like atopic dermatitis and food allergies. Infants who consumed more miR-375 had lower rates of these conditions, suggesting a potential protective effect of breast milk against allergies.
A new statistical method called CLIMB provides a more efficient way to analyze genomic data across multiple conditions. The method combines principles from two traditional techniques, reducing computational intensity and producing biologically interpretable results.
A new study from Penn State found that crowded emergency departments are associated with higher mortality rates throughout the hospital. On days when an emergency department is crowded, patients are 5.4% more likely to die of any cause, regardless of their admission status.
Reducing nicotine content in cigarettes could lessen addiction and lower exposure to toxicants, increasing a smoker's chances of quitting. The study found that smokers with mood or anxiety disorders were more likely to have quit smoking after using reduced-nicotine cigarettes.
The study found that both aducanumab and donanemab had a large effect on removing beta-amyloid plaques, but with modest effects on slowing cognitive decline. The researchers developed a personalized treatment plan for individual virtual patients, minimizing side effects while optimizing dosage.
Researchers found that PFAS concentrations in treated wastewater are high enough to impact soil filtration and potentially enter crops. The study highlights the need for understanding tradeoffs of using treated wastewater for irrigation practices, especially in agriculture.
A new study found that college students experience an estimated 102 alcohol-related consequences, including blacking out and missing work, over their four years of study. Students who believe their parents disapprove of drinking have fewer negative consequences.
Researchers at Penn State have created a two-dimensional heterostructure by combining a topological insulator with a monolayer superconductor, demonstrating topological superconductivity and Ising-type superconductivity. The hybrid structure could pave the way for more stable quantum computers and explore Majorana fermions.
Researchers have found conclusive evidence of a 3.5-billion-year-old shoreline with substantial sedimentary accumulation on Mars' northern hemisphere. The discovery provides key insights into the planet's ancient climate and its evolution, as well as the potential for life.
Researchers at Penn State aim to create a minimally invasive system using machine learning and multimodal biosensing platforms to detect Alzheimer's disease in its early stages. The system has the potential to improve detection accuracy and reduce false positives.
Researchers aim to use quantum computer-based AI to accelerate drug discovery, cutting costs and time by exponentially increasing processing power for complex problems. Quantum AI models have higher capability to approximate desired functionality compared to classical neural networks.
Researchers found that sapanisertib can kill the malaria parasite at several stages during its life cycle, including in the liver and red blood cells. The study's findings offer new hope against a disease that kills over half a million people annually.
Research by Penn State found that lower-than-normal rainfall in Tanzania is associated with a 13-percentage-point increase in the risk of being food insecure for households. The study's findings suggest potential policy interventions to help agricultural households become more resilient against drought conditions.
Researchers suggest that prescribed fire can help restore forest habitats less favorable to disease-carrying ticks, reducing their populations. Fire-driven forest modification can also suppress tick abundance and pathogen transmission by creating drier conditions and increasing wildlife predators of ticks.
A Penn State-led researcher team found that population aging and low baseline mortality rates most impact outcomes on premature deaths due to air pollution. The study used past and projected data to model five future scenarios estimating premature deaths and identified areas of the world that could be most impacted.
A team of researchers has successfully 3D bioprinted breast cancer tumors, treated them with chemotherapy and CAR-T cells, and found promising results. The bioprinted tumor model enabled the testing of experimental therapies without animal experimentation, laying the foundation for precision fabrication of tumor models.
A new study by Penn State researchers found that eating fire ants enhances a lizard's immune system, increasing its ability to survive a fire ant attack. The study revealed three immune measures were boosted in lizards fed fire ants, which could help them prepare for future venom exposure.
A new framework aims to assess a building's ability to withstand extreme temperatures, incorporating factors like energy-efficient designs and occupant behaviors. The Penn State team plans to test their framework with simulations and real-world data to inform urban planning and relief services.
The project aims to develop machine learning algorithms that can analyze longitudinal data and guide decisions on various issues. The researchers will explore the use of a deep learning model to discover patterns in unobserved states, potentially helping create predictions with large amounts of irregularly sampled data.
Researchers found that AI language models exhibit significant implicit bias against individuals with disabilities, resulting in inaccurate sentiment analysis and potential misclassification of posts as toxic. The models' biases were apparent in various applications, including autocorrect and social media content moderation.
A recent study by Penn State College of Medicine scientists found that the risk of developing myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — is seven times higher with COVID-19 infection than with COVID-19 vaccination. Patients with myocarditis can experience chest pains, shortness of breath or an irregular heartbeat.
Researchers develop new technique that charges EV battery in just 10 minutes, overcoming major drawbacks of slow recharge and large size. The technology relies on internal thermal modulation, enabling smaller, faster-charging batteries that cut down cost and critical raw material usage.
A new study developed machine learning models to assess connections among hundreds of clinical variables and predict the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder in young children. The models used de-identified insurance claim data to identify risk factors and quantify their association with autism. This approach has promising potential ...
Researchers studied survivors of WWII's Dutch Hunger Winter to identify long-term consequences of famine on health and socioeconomic attainment. Malnutrition in utero caused severe physical consequences, while exposure during childhood and adolescence led to negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for males.
Research reveals myxoma virus in rabbits has regained its deadly nature, sparking concerns about human viruses like SARS-CoV-2. The study suggests that viruses don't always evolve to become milder, and monitoring is crucial to stay ahead of emerging variants.