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The inner lives of cats: what our feline friends really think about hugs, happiness and humans

The inner lives of cats: what our feline friends really think about hugs, happiness and humans

Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine said cats are capable of bonding with people, contrary to claims that they’re merely using their owners for food and shelter. “Humans hug and kiss. Dogs become very excited and jump around. Cats don’t do anything like that. They are much more elegant,” he said. “They approach us. They bump their heads. Then they have some contact with us and walk away.”

A better estimate for tick numbers with ‘citizen science’ data
Side by side maps of the northeastern United States representing 2016 and 2015 with darker shading in certain counties.

A better estimate for tick numbers with ‘citizen science’ data

A team led by School of Arts & Sciences biologists found a way to account for biases in data collected by members of the public, using it to create a comprehensive abundance map of the tick responsible for transmitting Lyme disease.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Common gene variants linked to sepsis and COVID-19 severity in African Americans
Microscopic rendering of sepsis cells.

Common gene variants linked to sepsis and COVID-19 severity in African Americans

Two genetic risk variants that are carried by nearly 40% of Black individuals may exacerbate the severity of both sepsis and COVID-19. A Penn Medicine study identifies two potential pathways to reduce the health disparities driven by these gene mutations.

Lauren Ingeno

From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion
coral diving

With coral reefs under threat from climate change, pollutants, sedimentation, and other factors, Barott and colleagues hope to continue investigating how such challenges may influence coral reproduction and persistence. (Image: Courtesy of Kelsey Speer)

From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion

Coral sperm require a specific pH to move, according to research from the School of Arts & Sciences, which identifies a signaling pathway that is shared by organisms including humans. The results inform how corals may fare with climate change.

Katherine Unger Baillie

In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger
A graphic with a stomach and a brain next to one another

Signals between the brain and stomach help animals decide when and how much to eat. A research collaboration involving Penn neuroscientists has uncovered a sensor for fullness in an area of the brain never before associated with satiation: the cerebellum. (Image: Courtesy of the Betley laboratory)

In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger

A research team led by J. Nicholas Betley in the School of Arts & Sciences has identified an entirely new way the brain signals fullness after eating. The findings offer a novel target for therapies that could dramatically curb overeating.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The protein that keeps worker ants in line can also make them queen

The protein that keeps worker ants in line can also make them queen

Research by PIK Professor Shelly Berger and Roberto Bonasio of the Perelman School of Medicine found a protein in the brains of ants is responsible for regulating social behavior. “Kr-h1 is required to maintain the boundaries between social castes and to ensure that workers continue to work while gamergates continue to act like queens,” said Berger.

Supporting Philadelphia newcomers and longtime residents through Palms Solutions
Person holds up sign that says "Free Food" at a distribution event

Wil Prall, a biology doctoral student, volunteered as part of Palm It Forward, an event organized by Palms Solutions to support the West Philadelphia community during the pandemic. (Image: Courtesy of Mecky Pohlschröder)

Supporting Philadelphia newcomers and longtime residents through Palms Solutions

Founded by a Penn alum, the West Philadelphia-based nonprofit connects members from area African and Caribbean immigrant communities with students through mentoring and tutoring alongside social and cultural exchanges.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Libraries opens newly renovated Biotech Commons
Person at a table with an image of a skeleton

The Penn Libraries has transformed its former Biomedical Library into a renovated and updated space, now named the Biotech Commons. A new feature is an Anatomage Table that will allow the review and virtual dissection of life-size virtual cadavers outside of clinical lab coursework. Libraries visualizationist Lexi Voss conducts a demonstration.

Penn Libraries opens newly renovated Biotech Commons

The Penn Libraries has transformed its former Biomedical Library into a newly renovated space with a new name, the Biotech Commons.

From Penn Libraries

Mapping words to color
fanned out color sample sheets depicting a rainbow of shades

A Penn study has looked at the communicative needs that drive similarities and differences in how languages develop vocabularies for color. 

Mapping words to color

Researchers led by postdoc Colin Twomey and professor Joshua Plotkin developed an algorithm that can infer the communicative needs different linguistic communities place on colors.

Katherine Unger Baillie