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Q&A

Anti-LGBTQ measures
Marchers waving gay pride flags make their way long a boardwalk with the skyline of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the background

Marchers make their way toward the St. Pete Pier in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday, March 12, 2022 during a march to protest the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed by Florida's Republican-led legislature and now on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. (Image: Courtesy Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Anti-LGBTQ measures

Penn Law’s Tobias Wolff discusses the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill and a Texas directive on transgender children.

Kristen de Groot

The West’s sanctions on Russia
A line of people wearing winter coats and hats extends down a sidewalk in St. Petersburg, Russia, as they wait to use an ATM

People stand in line to withdraw U.S. dollars and euros from an ATM in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Feb. 25, 2022. Ordinary Russians faced the prospect of higher prices and crimped foreign travel as Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine sent the ruble plummeting, leading uneasy people to line up at banks and ATMs. (Image: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The West’s sanctions on Russia

Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, professor of economics and director of the Penn Initiative for the Study of the Markets, discusses the severity of the sanctions, the effects so far, and the potential reverberations for the rest of the globe.

Kristen de Groot

Russia’s attack on Ukraine, through the lens of history
Two people walk in front of a wall engraved with scenes of WWII soldiers in Kyiv, Ukraine

People walk through the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv in 2022. (Image: STR/NurPhoto via AP Images) 

Russia’s attack on Ukraine, through the lens of history

Historian Benjamin Nathans offers background on Putin’s use of history in justifying his war in Ukraine

Kristen de Groot

Putin’s motivation behind the attack on Ukraine 
A Ukrainian flag is shown in front of a spray painted image of Vladimir Putin with a red handprint on his face

Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. (Image: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Putin’s motivation behind the attack on Ukraine 

In a Q&A with Penn Today, Michael C. Horowitz, director of Perry World House, provides insight into Putin’s motivations, nuclear threats, and expansionist views.

Kristen de Groot

Nixon’s China visit, 50 years later
President Richard Nixon smiles and shakes hands with a smiling Chairman Mao

In this Feb. 21, 1972 file photo, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, left, shakes hands with Chinese communist party leader Chairman Mao Zedong during Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China, in Beijing. Forged in absolute secrecy at the height of the Cold War 30 years ago, the diplomatic ties established between the United States and China were meant to balance out the Soviet threat. (Image: AP Photo/File)

Nixon’s China visit, 50 years later

On the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the People’s Republic of China, David Eisenhower discusses the significance of the milestone amid the fraying relations between the two nations. 

Kristen de Groot

What are non-fungible tokens?
Picture frame of a phone with the letters 'NFT' written on it.

What are non-fungible tokens?

What are NFTs? Sarah Hammer from The Wharton School breaks down the basics of the digital assets.

Dee Patel

From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations
Kathy Morrison sitting at a computer in a lab, gesturing to grad student Moriah McKenna. They both wear white lab coats. In front of them is a computer screen with what looks like a large rock. Next to the computer is a large microscope with its light on.

Archaeologist Kathleen Morrison (center) and anthropology doctoral student Moriah McKenna discuss one of the charred lumps from a 2010 excavation in southern India. The image is possible thanks to a new microscope, seen here on the right, that takes and stitches together high-resolution images in incredible detail. (Image: Eric Sucar)

From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations

At a site in southern India, archaeologist Kathleen Morrison and colleagues discovered the remains of two types of dough, offering insights into how the region’s dietary practices have evolved.

Michele W. Berger

A veterinarian’s take on vaccine hesitancy
Dean Andrew Hoffman at New Bolton Center campus

School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Andrew Hoffman.

(Image: Lisa Godfrey)

A veterinarian’s take on vaccine hesitancy

In a conversation with Penn Today, School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Andrew Hoffman shares his perspective on the important role veterinarians can play in supporting underserved communities.

Katherine Unger Baillie