News

New research shows that binge drinking in early adult mice can lead to long-lasting and potentially permanent dysregulation in the brain. The researchers used patch-clamp electrophysiology, shown here, to understand how signaling in the brain was impacted by alcohol after a long period of abstinence. Credit: Kelby Hochreither / Penn State. Creative Commons

Early adult binge drinking has lasting impact on aging brain in mice

Binge drinking in early adults can lead to long-lasting and potentially permanent dysregulation in the brain, according to a new study in mice, led by researchers at Penn State.

A study led by researchers at Penn State analyzed data from 430 rivers across the U.S. and found that phosphorus loss from agricultural lands has increased over the past four decades, despite efforts to reduce it. This loss of phosphorus can potentially lead to decreased crop yields, which can possibly drive up the cost of food, the researchers explained. Credit: Tyler Groh / Penn State. Creative Commons

American soil losing more crop nutrients due to heavier rainstorms, study shows

Loss of phosphorus from agricultural lands is increasing due to heavier storms, potentially threatening crop growth, according to team led by researchers at Penn State.

Credit: Anne Marie Vardo-Zalik. All Rights Reserved.

York professor helps students engage in ecology research in California

Associate Professor of Biology Anne Vardo-Zalik travels to the Hopland region of California every two years to conduct ecology research.

Early career researchers from 14 countries and five continents joined together to conduct research at the Dickinson College Farm in Carlisle. They were broken into four research groups based on the water-energy-food nexus paradigm: soil health, waste management, renewable fuels, and livestock and water quality. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Penn State water-energy-food nexus project takes a global approach

Young water-energy-food nexus researchers from 14 countries join in summer research workshop.

Q&A: How do microbiomes influence the study of life?

Microorganisms — bacteria, viruses and other tiny life forms — may drive biological variation in visible life as much, if not more, than genetic mutations, creating new lineages and even new species of animals and plants, according to Seth Bordenstein, director of Penn State’s One Health Microbiome Center within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

Neuroscience student wins National Research Service Award fellowship

Chad Brunswick, a Ph.D candidate in the Huck Institutes’ intercollege graduate degree program in Neuroscience, has been awarded a prestigious National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute on Aging, one of the constituent institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Three Penn State researchers awarded scientific grants from Kaufman Foundation

The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation — a supporting organization of The Pittsburgh Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life in the Pittsburgh region — has selected three Penn State researchers to receive scientific research grants. The foundation awards grants to scientists at institutes of higher learning in Pennsylvania who are conducting innovative, fundamental scientific research in the fields of biology, chemistry and physics.

Consistent bedtime linked with better child emotion and behavior regulation

Sleep can affect a child’s attitude and behavior, as many parents can attest, but a consistent bedtime may be more influential than sleep quality or duration, according to a new publication authored by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine.

Biology and Ecology Student Research Showcase winners announced

The Biology and Ecology Student Research Showcase, hosted by the Biology Graduate Student Association and Ecology Graduate Student Organization on Nov. 1, featured poster and podium presentations from nearly 30 graduate and undergraduate students.

Uncharted territory: A Q&A with Nanyin Zhang on mapping brain activity

To understand how different regions of the brain work together, researchers use a method called resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). The method measures brain activity by observing changes in blood flow to different parts of the brain; however, rsfMRI does not explain how these blood flow changes to different brain regions relate to what is happening with the brain’s neurons — cells that send and receive messages in the form of electronic signals.