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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Join us tomorrow for our Biology Seminar Come a little early to chat and enjoy coffee and cookies 🎙️ Speaker: Jesse Lasky, Professor, Penn State 🌿 Title: Environmental adaptation in plant populations 🕛 Time: 12:00–1:00 PM 📍 Location: 8 Müller Lab We hope to see you there!

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Join us tomorrow for our first Biology Seminar of the semester! 🎉 Come a little early to chat with colleagues and enjoy some coffee and cookies before the seminar. ☕🍪 We hope to see you there!

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Our seminars will start next Tuesday! More details on Monday. We are excited to see you all again

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

We’d love to feature what our Biology community has been working on! 🐸🔬🌱

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Dear Bio Community! 🧬🌿 Have you been enjoying our new summer fieldwork highlights? We’d love to share your stories too! If you’ve been doing fieldwork, lab work, or other exciting research that we could highlight on the Department of Biology’s social media, please comment here or reach out to us.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

These sediment records may help reveal when Bd arrived, how it spread, and how amphibian communities changed through time. A huge field effort made possible by an incredible research team! 🐸🧬🏔️ 📸 All photos by Anton Sorokin @Anuranton 6/6

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Why go to all that trouble? Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is an invasive fungal pathogen linked to more amphibian extinctions than any other known infectious disease. But much of its early spread happened before scientists detected it. 5/6

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

At the lake, the team inflated backpack kayaks, paddled to the deepest point—65 feet—and collected four sediment cores. Then came the 5-mile hike back out. They were on the move from 4 AM until 11 PM. 🚣🏔️ 4/6

📸 A critically endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog in the foreground as the team prepares inflatable kayaks for sediment core sampling. Photo: Anton Sorokin @Anuranton

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Getting those cores was no small task. One day started at 4 AM with a drive into Yosemite, followed by a 4-mile hike, another mile of bushwhacking, and 50-lb backpacks—all before the sampling even began. 🥾 3/6

📸 Hiking all the gear back from the field sites. Photo: Anton Sorokin @Anuranton

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The goal: reconstruct the history of pathogen invasion using freshwater sediment cores. Lake sediments preserve DNA shed by aquatic organisms in chronological layers—creating a natural archive of host-pathogen interactions through time. 🧬 2/6

📸 A sediment core collected from the bottom of an alpine lake in Sierra National Forest. Photo: Anton Sorokin @Anuranton

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🧵 Fieldwork Highlight: From 4 AM starts to 50-lb backpacks, this team headed deep into California’s Sierra Nevada to uncover the hidden history of an amphibian pathogen. 🏔️🐸 Their destination? Backcountry lakes in Yosemite National Park and Sierra National Forest. 1/6

📸 A critically endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog on the shore of an alpine lake at the base of Mt. Humphreys in Sierra National Forest. Photo: Anton Sorokin @Anuranton

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

You’re Invited! Welcome Social: Meet, Mingle, & Connect! �� Join BMMB, HGSAC, and Biology for a Meet & Mingle event as we welcome our new and incoming graduate students to the community!

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

📅 Save the date, Biology community! Our Biology Seminars are back this semester: 🗓️ Tuesdays ⏰ 12:00 PM 📍 Mueller Room 8 We’ll share reminders and seminar details here and by email each week. Here’s our schedule so far — mark your calendars! 👇

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The twist? A closely related species showed NO protective benefit from its microbiome — dying under Bd exposure regardless of bacteriome state. Same forest, same pathogen, completely different defense strategy. Microbiome protection is species-specific. 🌿

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

But here's what really sets this study apart: we didn't just sequence the microbiome. We cultured 700+ bacterial isolates directly from the frogs in our experiment and built a functional database mapping which bacteria could actually fight the pathogen. 🧫

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

One species, Haddadus binotatus, almost never gets infected in the wild. Scientists suspected its skin bacteria were the reason — but suspicion isn't proof. So we tested it directly: suppress the microbiome, expose to Bd, track survival. The results were clear. 📉

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The culprit: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen responsible for one of the worst wildlife disease outbreaks ever recorded — driving hundreds of amphibian species to decline or extinction worldwide. 🍄

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Can skin bacteria save a frog's life? 🐸 New research from PhD fellow Laura Schuck & the Becker Lab @PennState moves science closer to proving that the skin microbiome is a frontline defense against deadly infection. Out now in @AnimalMicrobiome 👇

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

They measured the behavior and morphology of nearly 1,000 clownfish larvae to investigate whether parental diet influences offspring dispersal-related traits.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This summer, Biology graduate researchers John Majoris and Macy Littell visited a clownfish laboratory at Boston University! 🐠

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Thank you, Jennifer, we appreciate your excellence and dedication to our teaching program.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

“In Jennifer's first few months in this position, she has improved the organization and communication of the four core labs in the department and improved the experience for the thousands of undergrads that come through these labs each semester! All who work with her appreciate what she does.”

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Biologist and lab coordinator, Jennifer Rittenhouse-Pruss, was given a ‘We Are’! Her nominator wrote:

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Their work also supports projects like urban bee monitoring in Philadelphia, the FloraCount app, pollinator-friendly habitat certification, and outreach programs that bring pollinator science to the public.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

In partnership with Penn State researchers, Master Gardeners have helped document more than 32,000 bee specimens representing 310 species, including new state and county records.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Pollinator science is blooming across Pennsylvania 🐝🦋🌼 On National Pollinator Week, PSU Extension Master Gardeners are supporting pollinator research, education, and conservation across the state, from monitoring bee diversity to helping researchers understand which flowers best support polinators

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Reposted by Penn State Department of Biology

David Toews @davetoews.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

@psubiodept.bsky.social representing in our wizarding robes. Congrats Eberly Class of 2026! 🧙‍♂️🪄

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

We welcome applicants working across levels of organization, from molecular to ecosystem science, using innovative approaches including omics, physiology, bioinformatics, cell & molecular biology, and more. Apply here: Penn State Plant Biology Faculty Position

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

🌱 We’re hiring in Plant Biology at Penn State! The Department of Biology at Penn State University Park is searching for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor in any area of plant biology.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Biology Seminar on Tuesday, April 28th This is the final seminar in this semester's series; we hope to see you there! Seminar Details Speaker: Jeremy Lichstein, Professor, University of Florida Title: Forest Dynamics in a Changing World Time: 12:00–1:00 PM Location: 8 Müller Lab

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

🧬 Biology Student Seminar this week! Join us for two exciting talks: 🧠 Troy LaPolice & Nittany AI Group Transforming university scheduling with MatchMyLab 🧬 Natalia Grube Taenia evolution & what it reveals about carnivory in hominins 🗓️ 12:00–1:00 PM 📍 8 Müller Lab #PSUBiology #StudentSeminar

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

🎉 Big congratulations to our 2025–26 Biology Graduate Student Award winners! Recognized for outstanding academic achievement and promise across our department 👏 Special shoutout to all recipients of the Popp, Mohnkern, Troxell, and Hill awards—you make #PSUBiology proud! 🧬🌿

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

From lived experience to cutting-edge research—exploring MDMA, mood, and genetics. Don’t miss it!

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

🚨 Biology Seminar this Tuesday! Join us for a powerful talk by Christopher Medina-Kirchner (Harvard Medical School): “Agony and Ecstasy: A Scientist’s Path from Incarceration to MDMA Research” 🗓️ April 14 ⏰ 12–1 PM 📍 8 Müller Lab

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

🔬 Big biological question: If consciousness isn’t uniquely human… how should that change how we think about animals, ecosystems — or even AI?

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

With AI, social media, and attention-hacking technologies, our inner mental world is increasingly being shaped (and exploited). Pollan calls for “consciousness hygiene” — actively protecting our ability to think, reflect, and experience the world.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

🧠 Are we really as “special” as we think? In a recent Ezra Klein interview, Michael Pollan explores a provocative idea: 👉 Human consciousness may not be as unique — or as protected — as we assume.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Learn more about all things neurobiology (including all of our amazing science and how trainees can get involved in #research) at #PennState at lnkd.in/gVBgpx9E and be sure to follow The Penn State Neuroscience Institute on LinkedIn!

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Check out The Philadelphia Inquirer highlighting Penn State University’s new neurobiology majors!

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

📊 Takeaway from yesterday’s poll: Our department leans toward calling viruses alive… but not without debate. We’ll keep running these pre-seminar polls each week — follow along for results & more bio debates 👇 @PennStateBio @psubiodept.bsky.social

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🤔 So… are they alive? It depends on how you define life. Viruses sit right at the boundary — which is why this debate never really ends.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🚫 The case for “NO, viruses are not alive” • No independent reproduction • No metabolism • No cellular structure • Inert outside a host By traditional definitions, they don’t meet key criteria for life.

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Penn State Department of Biology @psubiodept.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🦠 The case for “YES, viruses are alive” • They have genetic material (DNA or RNA) • They evolve through natural selection • They replicate (inside host cells) • They’re deeply embedded in the tree of life Some argue they’re a dependent form of life — still biological, just not independent.

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