This image visualizes the Milky Way and its surrounding “halo” of stars. Most stars in the Milky Way lie in the disc (like the Sun, for example), but stars from past collisions end up in the halo, a large “cloud” of stars that extends outwards in all directions. These halo stars have been enhanced in this image, but in reality would be very dim compared to the disc. The halo appears messy and “wrinkly” here, a sign that a merger has occurred relatively recently.
(Image: Halo stars: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, T Donlon et al. 2024; Background Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds: Stefan Payne-Wardenaar)
Researchers upend theory about the formation of the Milky Way Galaxy
New findings by Robyn Sanderson and collaborators suggest galaxy’s last major collision was billions of years later than previously thought.
China Byrns used high-magnification confocal microscopy to visualize senescent glia (red) in Drosophila brains as part of a multidisciplinary approach to define the origin and effects of senescent cells in brain aging.
(Image: Courtesy of Riya Anand)
Fruitful insights on the brain
Research led by China Byrns of the lab of Nancy M. Bonini in the School of Arts & Sciences have uncovered new details about the role of zombie-like cells in brain aging, using the fruit fly as a model.
Hajishengallis, an expert in the immune mechanisms behind the gum disease periodontitis, worked with an international team to show that the innate immune system--typically thought to lack immune memory--can in fact be trained to "remember" past threats.
New insights on cellular clones and inflammation in bones
Research led by George Hajishengallis of Penn Dental sheds light on an aging-related condition that drives inflammation in older populations.
Penn Integrates Knowledge professor Michael Platt holds appointments in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine, and the Marketing Department in the Wharton School.
More than two hearts beat as one
PIK Professor Michael Platt and collaborators studied how physiologic measures like cardiac synchrony can guide decision making in groups. Their study found that heart rate synchrony was a much better predictor than standard questionnaire-based surveys.
Long lines at check-in, frustrated passengers stranded at airports, and the chaotic cancellation of flights due to unexpected storms or technical outages are becoming increasingly commonplace. Now,Megan Ryerson of the Weitzman School of Design is part of a NASA-supported multidisciplinary team working to mitigate many of the deleterious effects of airport delays.
(Image: iStock / phive2015)
University-led research project seeks to streamline air travel
Megan Ryerson of the Weitzman School of Design is part of a collaborative NASA-funded research team taming the turbulence of airport delays.
In a recent paper, PIK Professor Michael Platt and the Perelman School of Medicine’s Peter Sterling posit that the underlying mechanism of the looming concern of human fertility declines is the epidemic of despair.
(Image: iStock / TanyaJoy)
Addressing declining fertility
In a Q&A with Penn Today, Michael Platt talks about the socioeconomic and emotional factors leading to plummeting fertility rates.
Researchers from Penn have developed a heat-resistant memory device that can withstand temperatures over 1,000° F. Their findings pave the way for AI computing in extreme environments.
An image of Hurricane Ida taken aboard the International Space Station shortly before the Category 4 storm made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2021. It marked the ninth named hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season. As such storms increase in both frequency and intensity, Penn researchers argue that the resilience methods used in the past won’t work in the future.
(Image: European Space Agency)
2024 tropical cyclone prediction
Michael Mann and colleagues predict a record-breaking 33 named storms for the 2024 North Atlantic hurricane season. It is the highest count ever projected.
