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Scientists have invested great time and effort into making connections between a crop’s genotype and its phenotype. But environmental conditions play a role as well. Iowa State University researchers untangle those complex interactions with the help of advanced data analytics in a newly published study.

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An unexpected discovery by an Iowa State University researcher suggests that the first humans may have arrived in North America more than 30,000 years ago – nearly 20,000 years earlier than originally thought.

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Researchers have combined two or three types of nanoparticles to produce new materials with structures known as superlattices. In some instances, the structures display fundamental new properties such as superfluorescence. The researchers' discovery is reported in the journal Nature.

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Researchers have discovered that engineering one-dimensional line defects into certain materials can increase their electrical performance.

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Despite a growing momentum for initiatives to create more diverse and inclusive work spaces, several barriers still exist. To implement meaningful change, a team of researchers says a holistic and systematic approach is needed to ensure everyone is working from the same playbook.

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Insects can help soybean yields by carrying out more effective pollination, according to a recently published study conducted by an international team of scientists. The study suggests introducing pollinator habitat to soybean fields may lead to production benefits, in addition to environmental advantages.

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An Iowa State University agronomist is developing new computer models of soil erosion and topography changes, requiring both innovative big-data technology as well as painstaking validation of soil measurements in the real world. The National Science Foundation recently awarded Bradley Miller an early career development grant to support the research.

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Researchers measured rock glacier beds to create high-resolution digital models they used to study how glaciers move along their bedrock bases. The resulting glacier "slip law" can be used by other researchers to better estimate how quickly ice sheets flow into oceans, drop their ice and raise sea levels.

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Rather than tending fields by the hundreds of acres, farmers could one day tend each plant with the help of machine learning, robots and other technologies. A $7 million grant from the NSF and the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture will help researchers develop such a cyber-physical system.

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A partnership with the city of Ames is giving Iowa State University students an opportunity to propose the redesign of an area of the city with the goals of reducing nutrient runoff and improving recreation.

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Nigel Reuel and a team of his students have developed technology that helps laboratories use cell factories to produce cell- and protein-based therapies, industrial enzymes and small molecules. A startup -- Skroot Laboratory, Inc. -- is selling the technology from its incubator space on the Iowa State campus.

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Iowa State’s COVID-19 vaccination plan ramps up starting April 20 as all adult students qualify and a mass vaccination clinic takes over State Gym’s three basketball courts. But it’s not as simple as setting up booths and having vaccines ready. That’s where industrial engineering students come in.

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Narratives are a powerful tool that can help explain complex issues, but they can also serve as sources of misinformation, which presents a challenge as public health agencies work to educate people about COVID-19 vaccine.

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In a new study, nearly two-thirds of female participants reported drinking more since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including increases in daily drinking, drinking earlier in the day, and binge drinking.

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Iowa State engineers are using their expertise in graphene-based biosensors to develop quick, inexpensive and sensitive saliva tests for the virus that causes COVID-19. Federal agencies are supporting the research with the goal of producing tests that can be easily mass produced and widely distributed.

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Shortages of personal protective equipment, dairies pouring milk down the drain and delivery delays of online purchases are examples of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the supply chain. In response, a new report provides recommendations for government policy makers to address these challenges.

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Parents would never give their children the keys to the car without supervised training and driver’s education. An Iowa State University researcher says parents and educators need to take a similar approach before handing children a keyboard to access the digital world.

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Researchers took their studies of wind-turbine icing out of the lab and into the field to learn how ice accumulates on rotating blades. They learned ice on the blades can reduce power production by up to 80%. The field study also validated their experimental findings, theories and predictions.

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The production of autogenous vaccines to fight individual strains of the virus that causes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome depends on the ability of scientists to isolate the virus, but sometimes that’s a tricky process. A new study from an Iowa State University researcher shows that a new cell line may offer a better alternative to the cell line most commonly used to isolate the PRRS virus. But the vast majority of vaccine producers use the established cell line, and it remains to be seen how readily they might adopt the use of a new one.

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With a bit of "metal whispering," Iowa State University engineers have developed technology capable of recovering pure and precious metals from the alloys in our old phones and other electrical waste. All it takes is the controlled application of oxygen and relatively low levels of heat.

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Experiments testing the ability of ultraviolet light to stop the spread of a costly virus for pork producers has shown promise, according to an ISU research team. Ultraviolet light analyzed in experiments irradiates aerosolized droplets of the virus that causes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The researchers hope to scale their experiments up to a size comparable to pork production facilities.

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Iowa State high-energy physicists Chunhui Chen, Jim Cochran and Soeren Prell have moved their research from the Large Hadron Collider in Europe to the Belle II experiment in Japan. It's a chance to search for new physics at the intensity frontier of more and more particle collisions.

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Iowa State University researchers received a $1 million grant to study how manure management systems in livestock production may give rise to antibiotic resistance. Human, animal and environmental health interact in complex ways that influence the pace at which antibiotic resistance spreads, and the researchers hope their work will shed light on these connections.

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The Data Science for the Public Good program, an Iowa State University project to help Iowa towns harness their data, has led to four offshoot projects to help support community recovery related to economic vulnerability, substance use and general support.

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A new study shows how climate change is having a much greater impact on birds than small mammals in the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States. The study could inform conservation practices and shed new light on how climate change affects various species differently. The research drew on cutting-edge computer modeling as well as survey data from more than 100 years ago.

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Researchers at Iowa State University are developing a portable sensor platform capable of detecting numerous biothreats, such as the coronavirus and other toxic agents. The research team has entered a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security worth as much as $2.5 million over five years to develop the technology, which would be a far more portable and flexible method for detecting biothreats than most current techniques.

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Iowa State's Jigang Wang and a team of researchers have discovered a form of the famous Higgs boson -- subject of a groundbreaking search at the Large Hadron Collider -- in an iron-based superconductor. The Higgs mode can be accessed and controlled by light flashing at trillions of pulses per second.

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Iowans are helping to shape the future of NASA’s satellite missions. Faculty from Iowa State and Iowa were among 13 scientists selected to serve on a congressionally mandated panel to advise NASA on which satellite missions should continue and which should be grounded.

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Predicting the spread of COVID-19 using standard statistical models has its challenges, which is why two Iowa State University researchers developed a network-based approach to look at the impact of specific policies and vaccination strategies throughout the many stages of the pandemic.

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A team of researchers -- including engineers from Iowa State University -- have used transmission electron microscopy and 3D computational modeling to quantify and visualize why some desalination membranes work better than others.

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The foods we eat may have a direct impact on our cognitive acuity in our later years. The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, is a first-of-its-kind large scale analysis that connects specific foods to later-in-life cognitive acuity.

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Countries around the world are way ahead of the United States in building "macro grids" capable of moving electricity across grids or regions, according to a new report by an Iowa State engineer and a former doctoral student. The report was sponsored and released by Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.

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As people begin their holiday shopping, the concerns about timely delivery dates are real.  The combination of holiday shopping and a global pandemic has some e-commerce experts are predicting a ‘shipageddon’ of delays and chaos this holiday season.

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A new study details the latest efforts to predict traits in corn based on genomics and data analytics. The data management technique could help to “turbo charge” the seemingly endless amount of genetic stocks contained in the world’s seed banks, leading to faster and more efficient development of new crop varieties.

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Networking with clients over dinner and drinks or out on the golf course is not an option for many companies during the pandemic. A new Iowa State University study illustrates how businesses can still maintain and build those relationships using online social networks.

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Diversifying agricultural systems beyond a narrow selection of crops leads to a range of ecosystem improvements while also maintaining or improving yields, according to a new study that analyzed thousands of previously conducted experiments. Diversification practices such as crop rotations and planting prairie strips can lead to “win-win” results that protect the environment without sacrificing yields, according to the analysis.

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Iowa now generates more than 40% of its electricity from wind power. But wind-dominant electric grids aren't designed to meet a typical, step-by-step blackout recovery after storms. Iowa State's Hugo Villegas Pico will lead a team that will research how to orchestrate the restoration of wind-dominant grids.

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The state of Iowa has designated $2 million in federal CARES Act funding to support university research and development of a nanovaccine to protect against COVID-19 infections. Researchers at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa will work together on a needle-free, single-dose nanovaccine.

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Thinking of health as an essential part of identity encourages healthier behaviors, including adherence to physical distancing and mask guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to newly published research. The results of the study also highlighted differences in how political views influence response to public health messages.

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New research shows a simple skin test can accurately identify Parkinson’s disease, which could lead to earlier detection of the disease and better outcomes for patients. Currently, Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed by clinical signs and symptoms but only definitively diagnosed at autopsy. The researchers conducted a blinded study of 50 skin samples using an assay originally designed to detect mad cow disease.

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An Iowa State researcher helped develop a tool to personalize cancer outreach efforts. The research shows a more personalized approach improves the completion rate of recommended screenings for patients at high risk for liver cancer.