Longer toes and a unique ankle structure provide sprinters with the burst of acceleration that separates them from other runners, according to biomechanists. "At the start of a sprint the only way a runner can speed up is through the reaction force that results from the action of leg muscles pushing on the ground," said Stephen Piazza, associate professor of kinesiology, Penn State. "Long toes provide sprinters the advantage of maintaining maximum contact with the ground just a little bit longer than other runners." (more)
Glaciers, water under the glaciers, seismic activity and robotic rovers are all part of three National Science Foundation Polar Program grants awarded to Sridhar Anandakrishnan, professor of geosciences, Penn State. The grants, which total nearly a million dollars, are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. (more)
Penn State will launch a new interdisciplinary research center focused on the science of communication networks with approximately $35.5 million in funding over 10 years from the Army Research Laboratory. The Communication Networks Research Center, part of the new Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance, will perform foundational research on network science. The research focuses on the interplay among the social/cognitive, information and communication networks. (more)
The control of spider mites, which damage tree leaves, reduce fruit quality and cost growers millions of dollars in the use of pesticide and oil spraying, is being biologically controlled in Pennsylvania apple orchards with two tiny insects known to be natural predators, according to Penn State researchers. (more)
Dinosaurs may be the focus of much Cretaceous fossil hunting, but a Penn State researcher and his colleagues are hot on the trail of fossil plants in Patagonia, Argentina, thanks to a $1.57 million grant from the National Science Foundation as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (more)
Genetically modified squash plants that are resistant to a debilitating viral disease become more vulnerable to a fatal bacterial infection, according to biologists. "Cultivated squash is susceptible to a variety of viral diseases and that is a major problem for farmers," said Andrew Stephenson, Penn State professor of biology. "Infected plants grow more slowly and their fruit becomes misshapen." (more)
Penn State ranked ninth among the nation's public universities in receiving federal research and development funds in fiscal 2008, according to a recent survey by the National Science Foundation. Penn State was awarded $405.5 million, compared to about $375 million in fiscal 2007, when it ranked it 11th among the nation's public universities. (more)
ConocoPhillips and Penn State have awarded the 2009 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize to Scott Anderson of Palm Beach, Fla., and Kenai, Alaska, and his team for their innovation, the ECO-Auger, a hydrokinetic machine that converts moving water from river and ocean currents to renewable electric energy. Its hydraulic storage pressure compensation system guarantees constant energy output regardless of tidal current strength. (more)
Ancient choices made by Egyptians digging burial tombs may have led to today's problems with damage and curation of these precious archaeological treasures, but photography and detailed geological mapping should help curators protect the sites, according to a Penn State researcher. (more)
Thousands of ancient Cypriot artifacts, images and documents will soon be available to view and search online, thanks to a research partnership between Penn State and the Cyprus Institute. (more)