All Penn State articles
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NewsHow does a deadly chicken virus escape vaccines designed to slow it?
A new genome-wide study of the Marek’s disease virus identified 10 regions in the genome associated with what makes certain strains more virulent, and could inform next-generation vaccines.
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NewsNIH grants $2.8M to develop tools for study of mosquito-microbe interactions
Researchers will use the funding to develop new tools to investigate the genetics underpinning the relationships between mosquitoes and various microbes.
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NewsProtective soybean seed fungicide treatment may not increase profitability
Researchers analyzed how seed treatments affect yield and profitability in soybean farms in the Midwest and found that yield gains were modest and often did not offset the added cost of the treatment. Additionally, financial benefit was likely only when seed treatment costs were low and soybean prices were high.
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NewsSoil scientist awarded $1.6 million NSF grant to study ‘living skin’ of arid ecosystems
A soil scientist has received a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund her team’s study of how increasing temperature fluctuations impact the biocrust microbiome — the complex, thin-layer microbe community that stabilizes soil, fixes nitrogen and drives nutrient cycling in drylands.
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NewsNew reactor design produces renewable methane from carbon dioxide
A new reactor design efficiently converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity into methane while scaling the system up by roughly an order of magnitude. It demonstrated that microbial electrosynthesis systems can be expanded beyond laboratory-scale devices while maintaining high energy efficiency and methane production rates.
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NewsConnected habitats help wildlife fight disease, strengthen protective microbes
Maintaining connections between natural habitats may support beneficial microbes that help wildlife defend against disease. A new study found that amphibians in connected natural forests and aquatic habitats were more likely to host beneficial skin microbes that inhibit a deadly fungal pathogen.
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NewsWhat factors influence likelihood and severity of Ebola outbreaks?
Two new papers looked at factors that contribute to how Ebola outbreaks begin and how severe they become. This Q&A looks at how the results could inform public health interventions to prevent pathogen emergence or slow the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases.
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NewsTargeting two flu proteins sharply reduces airborne spread
A study in ferrets — which have remarkably similar respiratory systems to humans — suggests that immunity to two proteins in the H1N1 influenza virus sharply reduces transmission.
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NewsWater bears reveal potential for adapting and protecting Martian resources
Microscopic tardigrades help inform how simulated Martian soil might support plant life and mitigate contaminants shedding from human explorers, researchers report.
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NewsCOVID-19 infection predicts higher risk of kidney disease, study finds
Researchers have found that previous COVID-19 infection is a significant risk factor for kidney disease. Compared to influenza, those with a history of COVID-19 infection have a 2.3-times higher risk of acute kidney injury and a 1.4-times higher risk of chronic kidney disease, according to an analysis of over three million patients.
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NewsFor certain life-essential proteins in E. coli, repair is more likely
A new study shows that E. coli proteins containing a specific structure are more likely to misfold and, if they are required the bacteria’s survival, more likely to be repaired.
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NewsCancer-fighting bacterial product ‘cocktails’ may offer personalized treatment
Bacteria may be the next frontier in cancer treatment, according to researchers who devised a new approach of creating bacteria-derived mixtures — or cocktails — to help fight bladder cancer. They found that the cocktails significantly boost the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.
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NewsUnique bond identified as key to viral infection speed
Viruses are typically described as tiny, perfectly geometric shells that pack genetic material with mathematical precision, but new research reveals a deliberate imbalance in their shape that helps them infect their hosts.
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NewsNew test distinguishes vaccine-induced false positives from active HIV infection
A new device correctly identified those with active HIV-1 infection 95% of the time and those without active infection but with vaccine-induced molecules that could trigger a false positive, 98% of the time.
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NewsNovel technique reveals insights into soil microbe alarm clock
A new study yields clues about when dormant microscopic bacteria and fungi in soil ‘wake up’ and colonize roots, which influences plant growth and health.
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NewsAre there living microbes on Mars? Check the ice, researchers say
By recreating Mars-like conditions in the lab, researchers demonstrated that fragments of the molecules that make up proteins in E. coli bacteria, if present in Mars’ permafrost and ice caps, could remain intact for over 50 million years.
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NewsGene editing, traditional crossbreeding produce disease-resistant cacao plants
Researchers reported that they edited the gene TcNPR3 in cacao plants, ultimately resulting in disease-resistant cacao plants that had 42% smaller disease lesions when infected with phytophthora, compared to non-edited plants.
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NewsNew clues in how plant microbiomes protect against bacterial speck disease
A new study gives new clues on how a tomato plant’s microbiome can be used to combat the bacterial speck pathogen. Researchers found populations of Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas bacteria on the plants that had developed a resistance against bacterial speck.
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NewsResearchers uncover relationship between gut fungi, human genetic variation and disease risk
A study uncovers evidence of the first ternary relationships between human genetic variation, variation in gut mycobiome, and risk of developing chronic disease.
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NewsBacteria strains infecting cattle and humans in US are highly similar
Salmonella Dublin, a type of bacteria that primarily infects cattle but some strains also can adapt to infect humans, is increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics, making it a growing public health threat.