8-year-old boy disrupts 100 years of scientific knowledge regarding insects and plants
| thebrighterside.news
Penn State scientists, thanks to 8-year old Hugo Dean's curiousity, have discovered a new level of complexity in plant-insect interactions. This article quotes Andrew Deans, Professor, Entomology and John Tooker, Professor, Entomology.
California lake flooded for first time in 110 years after atmospheric river
| newsweek.com
Owens Lake, 220 miles north of Los Angeles, has been drying out since 1913, when its source, the Owens River, was rerouted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct. This article quotes Lara Fowler, interim director, Sustainability Institute and chief sustainability officer.
'Growing Impact' podcast talks about getting science into hands of policymakers
| psu.edu
The latest episode of the “Growing Impact” podcast discusses the importance of providing scientific information to policymakers as society faces climate change and the health challenges that accompany it.
Regulating AI: 3 experts explain why it's difficult to do and important to get right
| theconversation.com
Powerful new AI systems could amplify fraud and misinformation, leading to widespread calls for government regulation. But doing so is easier said than done and could have unintended consequences. This article was co-written by S. Shyam Sundar, director of the Center for Socially Responsible AI.
Why are snails and slugs so slow?
| theconversation.com
These members of the mollusk family may be slow, small and slimy, but they are an indispensable part of the ecosystem. This article was co-authored for The Conversation by John Tooker, professor of entomology and Extension specialist, and Daniel Bliss and Jared Adam, doctoral students in entomology.
Webinar to focus on Pennsylvania’s statewide recreation plan
| psu.edu
An upcoming Penn State Extension land-use webinar will give an overview of Pennsylvania’s latest statewide recreation plan, titled “Recreation for All.” The webinar is scheduled for noon on April 12.
World Campus Sustainability Club calls community to action through new initiative
| psu.edu
The Sustainability Club at Penn State World Campus is hosting a spring volunteering initiative for the entire Penn State community in honor of Earth Day on April 22.
Liberal Arts to host event examining sustainability throughout human history
| psu.edu
The College of the Liberal Arts’ theme, “Moments of Change: Creating a Livable Planet,” focuses on the ongoing work of Liberal Arts students, faculty, staff and alumni in support of sustainable futures. On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 11, the College of the Liberal Arts will host “Historical Contexts of Humans Shaping Their Environment,” an event for students, faculty, staff and community members to learn more about the theme and various perspectives related to sustainability.
Geosciences student reviews climate misinformation literature as class project
| psu.edu
Fourth-year student Alysha Ulrich combined her passion for communication and climate change to compose a literature review on climate misinformation as a class project, which was published in the 2023 spring edition of the Stanford Intersect Journal of Science, Technology and Society.
Innovative method predicts the effects of climate change on cold-blooded animals
| psu.edu
In the face of a warming climate that is having a profound effect on global biodiversity and will change the distribution and abundance of many animals, a Penn State-led research team has developed a statistical model that improves estimates of habitat suitability and extinction probability for cold-blooded animals as temperatures climb.
Squash bees flourish in response to agricultural intensification
| psu.edu
A new study led by Penn State found that the squash bee (Eucera pruinosa) has evolved in response to intensifying agriculture — namely squashes in the genus Curcurbita. The research is the first to demonstrate the role of agriculture as an evolutionary force acting on a wild insect pollinator and may have implications for food security.
Growing Impact: Climate and health policy solutions
| Featuring Elizabeth Long, Rebecca Bascom
Creating laws and policies informed by science and facts was not always the primary method used by legislators and policymakers. Until around 2000, policies were often based on a policymaker's intuition. Today, there are concerted efforts to get vetted, fact-based scientific research on numerous topics into the hands of policymakers. One of those topics is climate change and its impacts on human health. Climate change presents a huge array of health problems, and helping policymakers know how to address them as climate change accelerates will continue to be a very important scientific and practical problem.
Once a frozen haven, climate-driven rising temperatures are rapidly thawing the Arctic permafrost, posing a major threat to communities and infrastructure. Researchers are investigating how these changes will transform rivers, with potential consequences for erosion, sediment transport, and the entire Arctic landscape. Additionally, their project incorporates art to communicate these critical findings in an engaging way. Listen to the podcast.
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