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Scientists report the first known observation of a variety of quasiparticle that exhibits a very peculiar behavior: it appears to have mass, but only while moving in one direction. Scientists at Pennsylvania State University recently succeeded in detecting the unusual quasiparticle while conducting studies involving a semi-metallic crystalline material. Known as a semi-Dirac fermion, this unique formation of particles was first theorized more than a decade ago, but until now had never been directly observed. The discovery potentially paves the way toward future advances in a range of emerging technologies that include power storage and novel forms of sensor technologies....

Many patients at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, an 89-bed facility affiliated with Pennsylvania State University, suffer from schizophrenia, substance abuse, depression, or bipolar disorder. They cannot complete the "activities of daily living," the hospital’s inpatient clinic states. Some are "suicidal, aggressive, or dangerous to themselves or others." During their stay, which is often involuntary, patients participate in group counseling, learn strategies for stress management, have their medication adjusted, and interact with therapy animals. They can also partake in a less orthodox therapeutic activity: registering to vote. Located in a swing state that could decide the 2024 election, the hospital asks...

Pennsylvania State University is hiring a new assistant professor of architecture but is asking applicants to show their commitment to "anti-racism and anti-oppression." The description for the job states that the position is "focused on architectural materials, construction methods and processes."While the position is for applicants with a background in architecture, the posting states that the "ideal candidate" will work to "establish a culture of anti-racism and anti-oppression.""The College of Arts & Architecture is working to establish a culture of anti-racism and anti-oppression that embraces individual identities, fosters a culture of inclusion and promotes equity through curricula, values, standards, ideals,...

It has mystified historians ever since. After a string of major victories, the Mongol army suddenly retreated from central Europe in 1242. Some scholars claim Mongolian politics forced the withdrawal, while others credit the strength of fortified towns in present-day Hungary and Croatia. But Europe could have been rescued by its own bad weather, an analysis of tree rings and historical documents concludes. The Mongol cavalry fed its horses on the grass of the Eurasian steppe, says Nicola Di Cosmo of Princeton University, one of the study’s authors. A warm climate in the early 1200s helped make the grasslands lush...

Top Salaries Revealed Pennsylvania’s Right To Know Law, signed by Governor Rendell back in February 2008 has forced four Universities in the Commonwealth to divulge information about the 25 highest paid employees. The Universities that fall under this Act include Temple, Pitt, Lincoln and Penn State. According to Section 1503 of the law (I took out the irrelevant parts): The report required under section 1502 shall include the following: (2) The salaries of all officers and directors of the State-related institution. (3) The highest 25 salaries paid to employees of the institution that are not included under paragraph (2). Reports...

For centuries, people have puzzled over lemmings, the northern rodents whose populations surge and crash so quickly and so regularly that they inspired an enduring myth: that lemmings commit mass suicide when their numbers grow too large, eagerly pitching themselves off cliffs to their death in a foamy sea. Scientists debunked that notion decades ago. But they have never been certain what causes the rapid boom-and-bust cycles that gave rise to it. Now, in a study of collared lemmings in Greenland, being published today in the journal Science, a team of European researchers report that the reason has nothing to...