Native plants from afar Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News Native plants from afar In a course led by 2024-25 McHarg Fellow Leah Kahler, students explored the movement of plants across cultures and climates, as well as the relationships between recreational and productive landscapes. 2 min. read
‘The most human gesture’ brings the gift of a hand transplant at Penn Medicine (Image: Courtesy of Luka Krizanac) ‘The most human gesture’ brings the gift of a hand transplant at Penn Medicine Penn’s first bilateral hand transplant since the COVID pandemic gives a Swiss man new hands 16 years after childhood amputations. 7 min. read
What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles? In eusocial superorganisms like leafcutter ant colonies, labor is divvied up according to body shape and size, but PIK Professor Shelley Berger and her team discovered that molecular signals can override that blueprint. Their findings reveal how simple neuropeptides can reprogram ant behavior, reshuffling roles in nature’s most disciplined workforce.(Image: Courtesy of Tierney Scarpa) What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles? PIK Professor Shelley Berger and colleagues explored the genetic basis of labor distribution in communal-dwelling species and discovered that pathways dating back hundreds of millions of years are conserved across animal kingdoms. Their findings offer fundamental insights into complex social behaviors. 5 min. read
What is an NPU? A Penn expert explains Image: Narumon Bowonkitwanchai via Getty Images Q&A What is an NPU? A Penn expert explains Benjamin C. Lee, a professor of electrical and systems engineering, explains what a neural processing unit (NPU) is and why it matters in the age of artificial intelligence. 5 min. read
The perils and promise of GLP-1 medications Image: rudi_suardi via Getty Images The perils and promise of GLP-1 medications How Penn Nursing researchers are ahead of the curve. 5 min. read
Penn’s Psychiatry chair is helping to reenvision how mental illness is diagnosed Maria Oquendo is the Ruth Meltzer Professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine.(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News) Penn’s Psychiatry chair is helping to reenvision how mental illness is diagnosed Maria Oquendo is leading a task force to reimagine the future of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 2 min. read
How cable news has diverged from broadcast news Image: simonkr via Getty Images How cable news has diverged from broadcast news A team of researchers from the Computational Social Science Lab at the University of Pennsylvania find that cable news has increasingly diverged from broadcast news in the topics covered and language used. 3 min. read
$50 million gift to launch the Lurie Autism Institute Jeffrey Lurie, CEO and Chairman of the Philadelphia Eagles, speaks at an event announcing the Lurie Autism Institute, a joint initiative between CHOP and Penn Medicine.nocred $50 million gift to launch the Lurie Autism Institute The transformational gift to Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will establish a joint initiative for autism research and treatment. 4 min. read
Could gene therapy restore lost hearing? Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine Magazine Could gene therapy restore lost hearing? Experts at Penn Medicine are working to understand the genetic architecture of hearing loss in adults at the Penn Center for Adult-Onset Hearing Loss. 2 min. read
Improving care for disadvantaged patients Improving care for disadvantaged patients New research from Penn Nursing provides insight on the critical factors that help or hinder hospital nurses in delivering quality care to socially disadvantaged patients. 1 min. read