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Cooperation has a downside
Managerial cooperation icon.

Image: Denis Novikov via Getty Images

Cooperation has a downside

Research from a team led by Joshua Plotkin, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor of the Natural Sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences, cautions that sometimes working together can actually spur inequality.

From Omnia

2 min. read

How mismanagement of gout could have impacted the American Revolution
Sketch of two colonial-era men at table, one with an injured foot.

 Coloured etching by T.L. Busby, 1826.

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How mismanagement of gout could have impacted the American Revolution

Penn biology professor Philip A. Rea has written a provocative piece examining how gout sidelined two influential 18th-century British leaders and why England eschewed an effective gout treatment.

2 min. read

Deadly proteins behind mad cow disease might help us fight superbugs

Deadly proteins behind mad cow disease might help us fight superbugs

“The main takeaway is that prion and prion-like proteins, despite being best known for their role in rare and fatal neurodegenerative diseases, may also contain hidden molecular fragments with potential antibiotic activity,” says César de la Fuente of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Arts & Sciences.

Getting to the root of it: Why soil matters
Aerial view of fields at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center.

Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center.

(Image: Elliot Bullen)

Getting to the root of it: Why soil matters

Soil specialist Alain Plante of the School of Arts & Sciences explains what soil is, how it works, and why its health matters far beyond plant growth.

3 min. read

Applying AI to accelerate discovery, foster learning

From left to right: Penn President J. Larry Jameson, Hamsa Bastani of the Wharton School, and César de la Fuente of Penn Medicine at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. 

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Applying AI to accelerate discovery, foster learning

At an Alumni Weekend panel moderated by President J. Larry Jameson, Presidential Associate Professor César de la Fuente of Penn Medicine and Hamsa Bastani of the Wharton School highlighted how research at Penn is putting AI insights and tools into practice.

3 min. read

Immune linked high risk diabetic kidney disease found
Internal rendering of two kidneys.

Image: iStock/magicmine

Immune linked high risk diabetic kidney disease found

A Penn Medicine study maps kidney tissue in single cell resolution and identifies a form of disease linked to faster progression to kidney failure.

Matt Toal

2 min. read

Penn announces nine 2026 Thouron Scholars
Recipients of the 2026 Thouron awards are (left to right, top to bottom) Tristen Brisky, Charissa Howard, Jean Kim, Jordan Liu, Caroline Magdolen, Griffin Pitt, Andrew Schmidt, Sriya Teerdhala, and Megha Thomas.

Recipients of the 2026 Thouron awards are (left to right, top to bottom) Tristen Brisky, Charissa Howard, Jean Kim, Jordan Liu, Caroline Magdolen, Griffin Pitt, Andrew Schmidt, Sriya Teerdhala, and Megha Thomas.

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Penn announces nine 2026 Thouron Scholars

Six fourth-year students and three recent graduates will use the scholarship award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

6 min. read

Penn fourth-year awarded Davis Projects for Peace grant
Hemza Tarawneh

Class of 2026 student Hemza Tarawneh has been chosen for a Kathryn Wasserman Davis Projects for Peace grant to help refugees in Jordan find protection from the heat and sun.

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Penn fourth-year awarded Davis Projects for Peace grant

The College of Arts & Sciences student will lead an effort aiding women and children in two Jordanian refugee camps.

1 min. read

Shujie Yang: Harnessing sound to build the next generation of microrobotic medicine
Shujie Yang

Shujie Yang is at the frontier of single-cell acoustic manipulation, an emerging field that blends physics, mechanobiology, and medicine.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

Shujie Yang: Harnessing sound to build the next generation of microrobotic medicine

Yang’s lab at Penn Engineering uses precisely-controlled ultrasound waves to develop microscale tools that can manipulate cells, viruses, and soft materials without physical contact.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read