Pennsylvania State University
Crucial step in human DNA replication observed using fluorescent tags
April 1, 2013 3:17 pm | News | CommentsFor the first time, an elusive step in the process of human DNA replication has been demystified by scientists at Penn State University. According to senior author Stephen J. Benkovic, the scientists "discovered how a key step in human DNA replication is performed."
Astronomers find closest star system in a century
March 11, 2013 1:25 pm | News | CommentsA pair of newly discovered stars is the third-closest star system to the Sun, according to a recent paper published by a Penn State University astrophysicist. At 6.5 light years, the duo is the closest star system discovered since 1916, and is expected to attract considerable attention from planet hunters.
Light-emitting triangles may have applications in optical technology
February 5, 2013 12:21 pm | News | CommentsFor the first time, scientists have created single layers of a naturally occurring rare mineral called tungstenite. The resulting sheet of stacked sulfur and tungsten atoms forms a honeycomb pattern of triangles that have been shown to have unusual light-emitting, or photoluminescent, properties.
Researchers develop model for identifying habitable zones around stars
January 31, 2013 8:11 am | News | CommentsResearchers searching the galaxy for planets that could pass the litmus test of sustaining water-based life must find whether those planets fall in what’s known as a habitable zone. New work, led by a team of Penn State University researchers, will help scientists in that search.
Researchers seek longer battery life for electric locomotive
January 4, 2013 9:34 am | News | CommentsNorfolk Southern Railway No. 999 is the first all-electric, battery-powered locomotive in the United States. But when one of the thousand lead-acid batteries that power it dies, the locomotive shuts down. To combat this problem, a team of Penn State University researchers is developing more cost-effective ways to prolong battery life.
Fluctuating environment may have driven human evolution
January 2, 2013 8:05 am | News | CommentsA series of rapid environmental changes in East Africa roughly 2 million years ago may be responsible for driving human evolution, according to researchers at Penn State University and Rutgers University.
Spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting of protein
December 18, 2012 11:39 am | News | CommentsThe spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting the protein km23-1, according to researchers at Penn State University College of Medicine. A motor protein that transports cargo within the cell, km23-1 is also involved in the movement or migration of cells. Migration is necessary for cancer to spread, so understanding this cell movement is important for development of better cancer treatments.
Hybrid tunnel may help guide severed nerves back to health
December 17, 2012 2:57 pm | News | CommentsBuilding a tunnel made up of both hard and soft materials to guide the reconnection of severed nerve endings may be the first step toward helping patients who have suffered extensive nerve trauma regain feeling and movement, according to a team of biomedical engineers.
Flexible silicon solar cell fabrics may soon be possible
December 6, 2012 9:02 am | News | CommentsFor the first time, a silicon-based optical fiber with solar cell capabilities has been developed that has been shown to be scalable to many meters in length. The research opens the door to the possibility of weaving together solar cell silicon wires to create flexible, curved, or twisted solar fabrics.
Paradigm shift offers a new look at the beginning of time
November 29, 2012 1:50 pm | News | CommentsA new paradigm for understanding the earliest eras in the history of the universe has been developed by scientists at Penn State University. Using techniques from an area of modern physics called loop quantum cosmology, developed at Penn State, the scientists now have extended analyses that include quantum physics farther back in time than ever before.
Metamaterials and transformation optics control light on a microchip
November 26, 2012 9:40 am | News | CommentsUsing a combination metamaterials and transformation optics, engineers at Penn State University have developed designs for miniaturized optical devices that can be used in chip-based optical integrated circuits, the equivalent of the integrated electronic circuits that make possible computers and cell phones. Controlling light on a microchip could, in the short term, improve optical communications and allow sensing of any substance that interacts with electromagnetic waves.
Researchers study formation of early cellular life
October 15, 2012 1:46 pm | News | CommentsResearchers at Penn State University have developed a chemical model that mimics a possible step in the formation of cellular life on Earth 4 billion years ago. Using large "macromolecules" called polymers, the scientists created primitive cell-like structures that they infused with RNA and demonstrated how the molecules would react chemically under conditions that might have been present on the early Earth.
Acoustic cell-sorting chip may lead to cell phone-sized laboratories
October 3, 2012 4:32 am | News | CommentsAccording to a team of Penn State University researchers, a technique that uses acoustic waves to sort cells on a chip may create miniature medical analytic devices that could make Star Trek's tricorder seem a bit bulky in comparison. The device uses two beams of acoustic—or sound—waves to act as acoustic tweezers and sort a continuous flow of cells on a dime-sized chip.
DNA analysis aids in classifying single-celled algae
September 21, 2012 5:51 am | News | CommentsFor nearly 260 years, researchers have classified species based on visual attributes like color, shape and size. But some species, such as Symbiodinum , a group of single-celled algae that live inside corals and are critical to their survival, could not have been found using the system that Carl Linnaeus pioneered. Instead, DNA analysis is providing the clue, and many new species are being found as a result.
Molecules sense curvature at the nanoscale
September 20, 2012 9:47 am | News | CommentsA team of researchers have used surface photochemical reactions to probe the critical role of substrate morphology on self-assembly and ligand environment, determining that molecules on curved surfaces have a greater range of orientations and, as a result, react more slowly than do molecules on flat surfaces.
Antarctic ice sheet earthquakes shed light on conventional quakes
August 24, 2012 6:10 am | News | CommentsRecent studies of small, repeating, and very frequent earthquakes in an Antarctic ice sheet may not only lead to a better understanding of glacial movement, according to Penn State University geoscientists, but may also shed light on stick slip earthquakes like those on the San Andreas fault or in Haiti.
New public-private partnership aims to help revitalize manufacturing
August 20, 2012 7:49 am | News | CommentsPenn State University will be part of a new public-private partnership aimed at revitalizing American manufacturing and encouraging companies to invest in the United States. The new partnership, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), is a consortium of research universities, community colleges, and nonprofit organizations from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and manufacturing firms nationwide.
Scientists use microbes to make 'clean' methane
July 24, 2012 12:49 pm | News | CommentsMost methane comes from natural gas, a fossil fuel. Stanford University and Penn State University scientists are taking a greener approach using microbes that can convert renewable electricity into carbon-neutral methane.
Acoustic tweezers capture tiny creatures with ultrasound
June 28, 2012 9:43 am | News | CommentsA team of bioengineers and biochemists from Penn State University has demonstrated a device about the size of a dime that is capable of manipulating objects, including living materials such as blood cells and entire small organisms, using sound waves. The device, called acoustic tweezers, is the first technology capable of touchlessly trapping and manipulating Caenorhabditis elegans .
Report: Research universities essential for U.S. prosperity, security
June 15, 2012 7:41 am | News | CommentsAmerica's research universities are essential for U.S. prosperity and security, but in danger of serious decline unless the federal government, states, and industry take action to ensure adequate, stable funding in the next decade, according to a report issued by the National Research Council.
Inner ear may hold key to ancient primate behavior
June 14, 2012 6:46 am | News | CommentsCT scans of fossilized primate skulls or skull fragments from both the Old and New Worlds may shed light on how these extinct animals moved, especially for those species without any known remains, according to an international team of researchers.
Biochip-based device for cell analysis
May 30, 2012 6:21 am | News | CommentsInexpensive, portable devices that can rapidly screen cells for leukemia or HIV may soon be possible thanks to a chip that can produce 3D focusing of a stream of cells, according to Pennsylvania State University researchers.
Research focused on underground solution to greenhouse gas challenges
May 18, 2012 4:44 am | News | CommentsWhile many are focusing on atmospheric solutions to reduce greenhouse gases, some researchers are setting their sights on the ground—deep underground. Li Li, an assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State University, is investigating geologic carbon sequestration as a way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Technology convergence may widen the digital divide
May 17, 2012 5:35 am | News | CommentsTechnology is helping communication companies merge telephone, television, and Internet services, but a push to deregulate may leave some customers on the wrong side of the digital divide during this convergence, according to a Penn State University telecommunications researcher.
Inexpensive, abundant starch fibers could lead to 'ouchless' bandages
May 1, 2012 10:45 am | News | CommentsA process that spins starch into fine strands could take the sting out of removing bandages, as well as produce less expensive and more environmentally friendly toilet paper, napkins, and other products, according to Penn State University food scientists.
