New laboratory experiments show that a bacterium that lives on grape plants can break down guaiacol—an unpleasant-tasting substance which ruins wines made from grapes exposed to wildfire smoke. Claudia Castro of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on October 1, 2025.

Fall is the time of year when people head to forests and woodlots with chainsaws to cut firewood to heat and enhance their homes over the coming winter months. It’s a risky endeavor, according to accident statistics and researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Judd Michael, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, who recently published a study in Safety on chainsaw injuries, urges those who use the powerful, dangerous tools to take precautions.

In a development that could help protect one of the world's most beloved agricultural commodities, a research team at Penn State has successfully created disease-resistant cacao plants using gene-editing technology. According to the researchers, the innovation promises to help resolve a significant problem for the global chocolate industry, worth over $135 billion annually, which faces threat from the phytophthora species, a fungal-like pathogen that gives rise to the destructive black pod disease that can cause yield losses of up to 30% worldwide.

Researchers at the University of Houston, a global leader in energy research and innovation, are spearheading a study that could transform the future of battery technology.

University of Utah engineering researchers demonstrate structural and mechanical properties in the mycelium of a common soil mold that show promise in biomedical applications.