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Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation

Along with developing a new statistical method for studying exoplanets, researchers from Penn found that the majority of stars in their dataset are similar to the sun, implying that many stars in the Milky Way could host their own Earthlike planets.
a start in the center of a dark sky surrounded by orbiting planets and a ring of dust
An artist’s concept of a young star circled by planets and rings of dust that arise when newly formed, rocky planets collide with one another. A new study presented at the 238th American Astronomical Society conference describes a new method for quantifying the relationship between a star’s chemical composition and planet formation, work that could help researchers identify individual stars that have a higher likelihood of hosting planets. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

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  • Tumor-on-a-chip offers insight into cancer-fighting cells in immunotherapy
    Hand holding a microdevice

    Penn engineers and collaborators have developed a transparent, micro-engineered device that houses a living, vascularized model of human lung cancer—a “tumor on a chip”—and show that the diabetes drug vildagliptin helps more CAR T cells break through the tumor’s defenses and attack it effectively.

    (Image: Courtesy of Dan Huh)

    Tumor-on-a-chip offers insight into cancer-fighting cells in immunotherapy

    Penn engineers and collaborators have built a living tumor on a chip to expose how cancers block immune attacks, and how one existing drug could make immunotherapy like CAR T more effective against solid tumors.

    Oct 23, 2025

    Why aren’t America’s national roadways working?
    Traffic from New Jersey to Philadelphia.

    Professor of city and regional planning Erick Guerra recently published a book exploring the economic and societal impacts of American highways. He explains some of the pitfalls associated with an ever-expansive highway system, arguing that spending more on highways might not be the solution to the country’s transportation issues.

    (Image: Courtesy of Getty / peeterv)

    Why aren’t America’s national roadways working?

    Penn urban planner Erick Guerra’s new book, “Overbuilt,” argues that additional spending on building more highways might not be the solution to the country’s transportation issues. In a Q&A, Guerra shares his insights.

    Oct 27, 2025

    Can tiny ocean organisms offer the key to better climate modeling?
    Researcher Xin Sun injects substance into glass vials.

    Xin Sun prepares samples collected from the Eastern Tropical North Pacific aboard a research vessel. By adding stable isotope tracers to these vials, Sun and her team can track how different microbial groups convert nitrogen compounds into nitrous oxide, revealing how subtle shifts in oxygen and organic matter change the ocean’s chemistry.

     
     

    (Image: Courtesy of Xin Sun)

    Can tiny ocean organisms offer the key to better climate modeling?

    In the shadowy layers of the Pacific, microbes decide how much nitrous oxide—a potent greenhouse gas—rises skyward. New research from Penn’s Xin Sun offers an improved understanding of microbial ecology and geochemistry—key to forecasting global emissions in response to natural and man-made climate change.

    Oct 20, 2025

    X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history
    An X-ray plate from 1896.

    Two X-ray plates from Arthur Goodspeed, believed to have created the world’s first X-ray image, were donated by his family to Penn’s University Archives.

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    X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history

    A gift from the family of Penn physicist Arthur Goodspeed represents the beginning of a revolution in medicine that began at Penn.

    Oct 20, 2025