Through
4/26
Science & Technology
Penn Science Café: ‘A Story of the Southern Ocean’
WHO: Irina Marinov Assistant Professor
Four Penn Professors Among Class of 2015 AAAS Fellows
Four faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among a class of 347 researchers that have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications
Penn Biologists Characterize New Form of mRNA Regulation
RNA, once thought to be a mere middleman between DNA and protein, is now recognized as the stage at which a host of regulatory processes can act to allow for flexibility in gene expression and thus the functions of cells and tissues.
Penn Chemists Put a New Twist on Chirality
Biological molecules are chiral. Like gloves, they have either left- or right-handed versions that can’t be superimposed on one another. Macromolecules like DNA are also chiral and are exclusively made of building blocks with the same handedness.
Ancient Mass Extinction Led to Dominance of Tiny Fish
When times are good, it pays to be the big fish in the sea. In the aftermath of disaster, however, smaller is better.
Ancient Mass Extinction Led to Dominance of Tiny Fish, Penn Paleontologist Shows
When times are good, it pays to be the big fish in the sea; in the aftermath of disaster, however, smaller is better.
Penn Collaborating in NSF’s Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub
The University of Pennsylvania is taking part in the newly established National Science Foundation Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub.
Penn Team Shares in 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Collaboration, which includes physicists from the University of Pennsylvania, shared the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
Penn Research Contributes New Understanding of the ‘Dewetting’ Process
When a material, typically a liquid, is confined by surfaces that it doesn't like, the material can be expelled from the confining region in a process called “dewetting.”
In the News
The Washington Post
Forecast group predicts busiest hurricane season on record with 33 storms
A research team led by Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences is predicting the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season will produce the most named storms on record, fueled by exceptionally warm ocean waters and an expected shift from El Niño to La Niña.
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SciTechDaily
Satellite images capture extraordinary flooding in the United Arab Emirates
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences explains how three low-pressure systems formed a train of storms that battered the United Arab Emirates.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
My Climate Story: Philly students take science from abstract to personal
The “My Climate Story” project at the Environmental Humanities Department helps students and teachers learn about climate change’s impact in everyday backyards, with remarks from Bethany Wiggin. The idea is credited to María Villarreal, a College of Arts and Sciences second-year from Tampico, Mexico.
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Technical.ly Philly
Penn professor on gen AI’s rapacious use of energy: ‘One of the defining challenges of my career’
Benjamin Lee of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that hardware and infrastructure costs are growing at high rates for generative AI.
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Associated Press
Here’s why experts don’t think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai’s downpour
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that many people blaming cloud seeding for Dubai storms are climate change deniers trying to divert attention from what’s really happening.
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Big Think
Can we stop AI hallucinations? And do we even want to?
Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that auto-regressive generation can make it difficult for language learning models to perform fact-based or symbolic reasoning.
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Salon.com
“Record-shattering” heat wave in Antarctica — yep, climate change is the culprit
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that persistent summer weather extremes like heat waves are becoming more common as people continue to warm the planet with carbon pollution.
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CNET
How the solar eclipse will affect solar panels and the grid
Benjamin Lee of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that the electrical grid will have to figure out how to match supply and demand during brief windows where the energy source goes away.
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Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Scientists struggle to explain ‘really weird’ spike in world temperatures
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that tendencies to exaggerate climate science in favor of “doomist” narratives helps no one except the fossil fuel industry.
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Vox.com
Spring is here very early. That’s not good
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that plant-flowering, tree-leafing, and egg-hatching are all markers associated with spring that are happening sooner.
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