Medical imaging is no longer in Kansas, Toto, as a team led by Penn State researchers brings traditional black and white diagnostic images of X-rays and traditional CT scans into technicolor. The researchers developed novel contrast agents that target two proteins implicated in osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease commonly characterized as wear-and-tear arthritis. By marking the proteins with the contrast agents comprising newly designed metal nanoprobes, the researchers can use advanced imaging called “K-edge” imaging or photon-counting computed tomography (CT) to simultaneously track separate biological processes in color that, together, reveal more about the disease’s progression than a traditional scan.  

Weddell seals in Erebus Bay, Antarctica, may look like couch potatoes when they are resting on ice. However, these seals, which are the southernmost population of the southernmost living mammals, are exceptional divers that can reach depths of more than 900 meters and recorded dives lasting 96 minutes, which is well beyond their aerobic threshold.

Scientists have identified an optimal and novel dive foraging strategy the seals employ to capture prey in the highly seasonal Antarctic environment with its rapidly changing light regimes.

In this optimal foraging strategy, the seals typically strategically conduct their deepest, longest, most extreme dives earlier than solar noon, rather than during peak foraging times at midday.

Extreme dives require seals to have longer recuperation times once they return to the surface, and so cuts into their foraging time. By conducting these dives early in the day, the seals can better take advantage of peak midday foraging times, according to the researchers.

In two recent papers, Penn's Alex Hughes made major strides toward the creation of artificial kidney tissue by demonstrating an undiscovered mechanism behind kidney development and a novel technique for culturing kidney cells, both of which could ultimately reduce the need for both dialysis and transplantation.

A newly discovered protein naturally houses an unusual binding site that can differentiate between rare earth elements, and researchers at Penn State have made it even better. Rare earth elements are key components used in everything from modern tech to gasoline production. The protein, called LanD, enriches neodymium and praseodymium over other similar rare earth elements (REEs) and has the potential to revolutionize industrial mining, researchers said.

Princeton engineers found a way to help airplanes avoid stall with lightweight plastic flaps that flutter with pressure changes. The flaps mimick a class of feathers that are key to birds' most daring aerial meneuvers.

A research team led by University of Nebraska–Lincoln materials scientists is exploring the physical properties of MXenes, a fast-growing family of two-dimensional materials with potential for many nanotechnology applications.

Thin, stretchy skin — like that of a pig or human — significantly lessens the underlying damage that occurs when it’s punctured. Pig skin even outperforms synthetic materials that are designed to mimic skin, a new study finds. Its special qualities, in particular its ability to dissipate the energy of a puncturing object, greatly reduce the damage to deeper tissues, researchers report.