News from

Faculty

Reset All Filters
1310 Results
How American English has evolved since the country’s founding
An open dictionary with a pair of glasses on an open page.

Image: orava via Getty Images

How American English has evolved since the country’s founding

In honor of the 250th anniversary of America, Penn Today spoke with linguist Gareth Roberts about some of the ways that accents have emerged and word meanings have shifted since colonial times.

3 min. read

Examining asthma with human lung-on-a-chip technology
A chip with asthma cells being held up in a dark, neon-colored laboratory environment

A bioengineered “asthma-on-a-chip” platform. (Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

nocred

Examining asthma with human lung-on-a-chip technology

Researchers at Penn Engineering developed an ‘asthma-on-a-chip’ system that mimics the mechanical stresses experienced by human airways during an asthma attack. The innovation enables scientists to probe how unhealthy lung tissue responds to compression in ways previously impossible to observe directly in patients.

Melissa Pappas , From Penn Engineering

2 min. read

What a ‘silenced’ chromosome can tell us about autoimmunity
female chromosomes

Image: Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library

What a ‘silenced’ chromosome can tell us about autoimmunity

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, is an autoimmune disorder that occurs more frequently in women. Having multiple X chromosomes has been associated with an increased risk of developing lupus; however, the reason for this link is still not fully understood and may involve how X chromosomes are regulated in female immune cells.

3 min. read

Dean Mark Trodden on what’s next for Penn Arts & Sciences
Mark Trodden with folded arms in front of College Hall.

Mark Trodden, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences.

nocred

Dean Mark Trodden on what’s next for Penn Arts & Sciences

Dean Trodden reflects on his first year on the job, how the School of Arts & Sciences is supporting students’ futures through curriculum innovation, the new Physical Sciences Complex, and other initiatives.

6 min. read

Social networks outsmart cognitive biases

Social networks outsmart cognitive biases

A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows how herding in networks makes populations more rational.

From Annenberg School for Communication

2 min. read

Tiny, knotted robots jump, fly, and plant seeds
Jiarui Wang holds up one of these programmable knot robots

Jiarui Wang, a member of the Yang Lab, holds up one of these programmable knot robots with forceps showing how something not much bigger than a grain of rice can pack a serious punch in the world of soft, automated robotics.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

Tiny, knotted robots jump, fly, and plant seeds

Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed a tiny, soft robot using opposable materials that are capable of leaping meters into the air with flexibility, responsiveness, and programmability.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

Helping robotic arms solve problems using tools
Three students working on a robotic arm in the GRASP lab

Image: Sylvia Zhang

Helping robotic arms solve problems using tools

Penn engineers have developed VLMgineer, an AI framework that can design, adapt, and deploy tools in the real world.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read