Latest Penn State Stories
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Doctors have long considered many nuts to be quite heart healthy. The fatty acids found in nuts along with high doses of fiber and vitamins are thought to reduce the levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Now, a team of Penn State researchers are parroting other studies that have found walnuts to be one of the healthiest nuts there is. “We already know that eating walnuts in a heart-healthy diet can lower blood...
Penn State The union of theory and practice makes broadband, low-loss optical devices practical, which is why two groups of Penn State engineers collaborated to design optical metamaterials that have custom applications that are easily manufactured. Metamaterials are manufactured materials that derive their unusual properties from structure rather than only composition, and possess exotic properties not usually found in nature. Nanostructured metamaterials appear different for signals...
Penn State As the emerald ash borer ravages North American ash trees, threatening the trees' very survival, a team of entomologists and engineers may have found a way to prevent the spread of the pests. Emerald ash borers (EABs), a type of beetle native to Asia, first appeared in the U.S. about 20 years ago. They are now moving east from Michigan, killing ash trees on the Eastern Seaboard as far south as North Carolina. "Within 25 years, practically no ash trees may remain on either...
Children who go through puberty at a faster rate are more likely to act out and to suffer from anxiety and depression, according to a study by researchers at Penn State, Duke University and the University of California, Davis. The results suggest that primary care providers, teachers and parents should look not only at the timing of puberty in relation to kids' behavior problems, but also at the tempo of puberty -- how fast or slow kids go through puberty. "Past work has examined the...
NEWTOWN, Pa., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has collaborated with The Pennsylvania State University to develop a breakthrough material that can significantly improve the performance of spacecraft antennas. The electromagnetic metamaterial is considered to be the first commercially viable product of its kind and is one of the first practical implementations of electromagnetic metamaterials that improves a real-world device. Lockheed Martin's University Research...
Brand named hotels fare better than independently operated properties in economic downturns, according to a team of international researchers.A study of the performance of hotels during both economic recessions and expansions indicates that brand named hotels are more profitable than independent hotels under all economic conditions, but the difference is particularly significant during recessions, said John O'Neill, associate professor of hospitality management, Penn State."There has...
The pace and extent of Marcellus Shale development across Pennsylvania can be "seen" in animated maps produced by the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.Based on data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the animations (http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/resources/maps.php) show both the number of drilling permits issued for the Marcellus Shale target and the number of wells drilled by year from 2007 through August 2010. Although permits were...
An international team of scientists has determined the structure of the chlorophyll molecules in green bacteria that are responsible for harvesting light energy. The team's results one day could be used to build artificial photosynthetic systems, such as those that convert solar energy to electrical energy. A research paper about the discovery was published on May 4, 2009 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The scientists found that the chlorophylls are highly efficient at...
Dual catalysts may be the key to efficiently turning carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and other hydrocarbons using titania nanotubes and solar power, according to Penn State researchers.Burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Rather than contribute to global climate change, producers could convert carbon dioxide to a wide variety of hydrocarbons, but this makes sense to do only when using solar...
Scientists are making remarkable strides in unraveling much of the genetic code of the ice age's wooly mammoth. The million-dollar project is an initial rough draft, detailing the mammoth's more than 3 billion DNA building blocks.The groundbreaking work even has some considering a future where certain extinct, prehistoric species might one day be resurrected."It could be done. The question is, just because we might be able to do it one day, should we do it?" said Penn State...
