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For a better cup of coffee, look to physics
A kettle and pour-over coffee filter full of coffee grounds.

(On homepage) 

(Image: Courtesy of Ernest Park)

For a better cup of coffee, look to physics

Researchers from Penn have found new cost-effective ways to make a great cup of pour-over coffee using fewer beans. Their findings could potentially provide insights into similar systems such as waterfalls and surface erosion.

4 min. read

High-definition pictures of the early universe
Part of the installation of a telescope.

(Image courtesy of ACT Collaboration; ESA/Planck)

High-definition pictures of the early universe

Research by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope collaboration has led to the clearest and most precise images yet of the universe’s infancy—the cosmic microwave background radiation that was visible only 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

8 min. read

What can theoretical physics teach us about knitting?
knitted squiggles

(On homepage) A close-up of a highly structured self-folding knit, where carefully designed stitch patterns create a repeating wave-like geometry. This fabric’s shape is dictated entirely by its stitch arrangement, demonstrating how knitting can be programmed to form complex, three-dimensional structures without the need for additional shaping forces. Such advancements in knitigami—the fusion of knitting and origami—could lead to innovations in deployable textiles, soft robotics, and adaptive materials.

(Image: Courtesy of Lauren Niu)

What can theoretical physics teach us about knitting?

Penn physicist Randall Kamien, visiting scholar Lauren Niu, and collaborator Geneviève Dion of Drexel bring unprecedented levels of predictability to the ancient practice of knitting by developing a mathematical model that could be used to create a new class of lightweight, ultra-strong materials.
A less clumpy, more complex universe?
Dark energy telescope with star trails

A less clumpy, more complex universe?

Researchers combined cosmological data from two major surveys of the universe’s evolutionary history and found that it may have become “messier and complicated” than expected in recent years.
Fruit fly development offers insights into condensed matter physics
A fruit fly sits on a piece of food

Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, has long been a model species for biologists seeking to understand the molecular mechanisms of animal function and how novelty may arise in organisms. Theoretical physicist Andrea Liu of the School of Arts & Sciences is conducting research on the insect, along with biology and experimental biophysics collaborators at Duke University. Their research has opened the door to an approach that could offer not only a new understanding of how biological function emerges but also suggest a new class of systems in condensed matter physics.

(Image: iStock / nechaev-kon)

Fruit fly development offers insights into condensed matter physics

Penn Physicist Andrea Liu and collaborators modeled the behavior of tissue during a stage of fly development and found, surprisingly, it doesn’t fluidize as it shrinks but stays solid. Their approach could offer insights physical systems with complex functionality.
Chinatown and community as a cornerstone
Will Chan leans against a reflective class in the Pan-Asian American Community House

As a Thouron Scholar and a Ph.D. candidate in theoretical physics, Will Chan also works as an advocate for building Asian communities at Penn as president of the Pan-Asian Graduate Student Association and the sponsorships and partnerships lead at the Ginger Arts Center, a youth-led organization in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.

nocred

Chinatown and community as a cornerstone

Will Chan, a Thouron Scholar and Ph.D. candidate in theoretical physics, is also an advocate for building Asian communities.

Kristina Linnea García

Studying Wikipedia browsing habits to learn how people learn
Network schematic of peoples' browsing activity on Wikipedia.

Shown here: A hyperlink network from English Wikipedia, with only 0.1% of articles (nodes) and their connections (edges) visualized. Seven different reader journeys through this network are highlighted in various colors. The network is organized by topic and displayed using a layout that groups related articles together.

(Image: Dale Zhou)

Studying Wikipedia browsing habits to learn how people learn

A collaborative team of researchers analyzed the information-seeking styles of more than 480,000 people from 50 countries and found that gender and education inequality track different types of knowledge exploration. Their findings suggest potential cultural drivers of curiosity and learning.