Can Vitamin D Supplements Prevent COVID-19 or Reduce Symptoms?
Funding from the National Institutes of Health will enable a Penn State researcher to study whether vitamin D supplementation could help people ward off or…
Penn State University
SARS-CoV-2 Could Evolve Resistance, Rendering COVID-19 Vaccines Ineffective
Similar to bacteria evolving resistance to antibiotics, viruses can evolve resistance to vaccines, and the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines that…
Efficient Brain-Based Computing Using Graphene-Based Memory Resistors
As progress in traditional computing slows, new forms of computing are coming to the forefront. At Penn State, a team of engineers is attempting to…
Scientists Deconstruct the “Biological Clock” That Regulates Precise Timing of Complex Birdsong
The precise timing of a bird’s complex song is driven in part by the often-ignored “wires” connecting neurons in the bird’s brain, according to a…
Researchers Surprised After They Graft Tomato Plants With Epigenetically-Modified Rootstock
Progeny of novel combination is more vigorous and productive than parental plants. Novel grafted plants — consisting of rootstock epigenetically modified to “believe” it has…
Mouthwash May Inactivate Human Coronaviruses, Help Reduce Spread of COVID-19
Certain oral antiseptics and mouthwashes may have the ability to inactivate human coronaviruses, according to a Penn State College of Medicine research study. The results…
Engineers Print Wearable, High-Performance Biometric Sensors Directly on Skin
An international team of researchers developed a novel technique to produce precise, high-performing biometric sensors. Wearable sensors are evolving from watches and electrodes to bendable…
Risk of Dying From COVID-19 Double, Triple With These Pre-Existing Conditions
A large, international study of COVID-19 patients confirmed that cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, stroke and cancer can increase a…
6.4 Million-Year-Old Fossils Discovered in China Are Oldest Monkey Fossils Outside of Africa
Three fossils found in a lignite mine in southeastern Yunan Province, China, are about 6.4 million years old, indicate monkeys existed in Asia at the…
Unique “Bang” in Simulations Created by Unequal Neutron-Star Mergers
When two neutron stars slam together, the result is sometimes a black hole that swallows all but the gravitational evidence of the collision. However, in…
Two Layers Are Better Than One for Efficient Solar Cells – Affordable, Thin Film Solar Cells With 34% Efficiency
Solar cells have come a long way, but inexpensive, thin film solar cells are still far behind more expensive, crystalline solar cells in efficiency. Now,…
Secrets of Fly Vision for Rapid Flight Control and Staggeringly Fast Reaction Speed
Mechanical engineering researchers gain biological insights that could enhance robotics. By examining how fruit flies use eye movements to enhance flight control with a staggeringly…
Loop Quantum Cosmology Theory: Cosmic Tango Between the Very Small and the Very Large
Theory of loop quantum cosmology describes how tiny primordial features account for anomalies at the largest scales of the universe. While Einstein’s theory of general…
Surprise Finding of Ancient Offering at the Bottom of Lake Titicaca
A llama carved from a spondylus shell and a cylindrical laminated gold foil object were the contents of a carved stone box — an offering…
Surprising Discovery Brings Scientists a Step Closer to Room Temperature Superconductivity
The possibility of achieving room temperature superconductivity took a tiny step forward with a recent discovery by a team of Penn State physicists and materials…
Nanostructure of Mosquito Eye Could Help Engineer Enhanced Water Repellent Coatings
Researchers have theorized a coating that mimics the unique nanostructure could improve virus repellent face masks. Through the investigation of insect surfaces, Penn State researchers…
Gall Fly Outmaneuvers Host Plant in Evolutionary Game of “Spy vs. Spy”
Over time goldenrod plants and the gall flies that feed on them have been one-upping each other in an ongoing competition for survival. Now, a…
Astrophysicists May Have Discovered the Hidden Source of Mysterious Cosmic Neutrinos Seen on Earth
Excess neutrinos and missing gamma rays? Coronae of supermassive black holes may be the hidden sources of mysterious cosmic neutrinos seen on Earth. The origin…