Read the latest news about research conducted by investigators in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our faculty and students are continually advancing technology, creating solutions and expanding knowledge with new and innovative research.
Leaf fossils show severe end-Cretaceous plant extinction in southern Argentina
Fossil leaf assemblages from Patagonia, Argentina, suggest that vegetation in South America suffered great losses following an astroid impact but rebounded quickly.
Putting on the pressure improves glass for fiber optics
Researchers from Penn State and AGC Inc. in Japan suggest that the silica glass used for fiber optic cables would have less signal loss if it were manufactured under high pressure.
Deep, slow-slip action may direct largest earthquakes and their tsunamis
A team of geoscientists thinks the key to understanding some destructive earthquakes may lie in the deep, gradual slow-slip behaviors beneath the subduction zones.
Nanoengineered cement shows promise for sealing leaky gas wells
Leaking natural gas wells are considered a potential source of methane emissions, and a new nanomaterial cement mixture could provide an effective, affordable solution for sealing these wells, according to a team of Penn State scientists.
2D-materials center ready to move to new phase, add industry partners
The Center for Atomically Thin Multifunctional Coatings (ATOMIC), a center focused on the study and development of 2D materials that is part of the National Science Foundation’s Industry/University Cooperative Research Center project, is preparing to move from Phase I to Phase II of the program.