News Archive | Penn Today

Forlorn teen sits on a couch pointing a television remote control.

‘13 Reasons Why’ and media effects on suicide

in a recent study, researchers estimated that an additional 195 suicide deaths among 10- to 17-year-olds occurred in the nine months after the 2017 release of the first season of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.”

Two basketball players next to one another, one quite tall, the other quite short

Tall people: Your hearts are at risk

The research team reveals a strong link between the genetic variants associated with height and one’s risk for arterial fibrillation, and is among the first to demonstrate that height may be a causal—not correlated—risk factor for the condition.

a group of people seated at a circle of chairs talking to each other

Inspiring young women in STEM

Over two days, nearly two dozen female STEM role models at Penn welcomed more than 100 high school students and teachers to campus as part of the Girls Advancing in STEM (GAINS) Initiative Conference on campus.

Person wearing a virtual reality headset looks to the side, standing next to a statue facing the same direction

Immersive stories to spur action on climate

Organized by the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities (PPEH), a two-day festival, “Environmental Storytelling and Virtual Reality” begins Friday, and will explore how virtual reality and other immersive storytelling might inspire action on climate change.

carpenter ant perched on the top of a stick

Reprogramming ant ‘soldiers’

A Penn study reveals the epigenetic pathway that controls social behavior in carpenter ants, finding that the ants reprogram up to five days after they hatch, while reprogramming was ineffective at the 10-day mark.

person in sparse room sits in chair facing a wall with a cartoon drawing of a televised political debate

After political debates, FactCheck.org tells the true story

During each presidential debate, the team at FactCheck.org watches and listens closely to verify statements made by candidates, and draws precise lines between fact, misleading information, and sometimes pure fiction, for voters to have access to the truth.

Suspending in the air against Iona at the Palestra, freshman Kayla Padilla shoots the ball between to opponents.

Padilla puts up numbers not seen since Reagan, Clinton eras

Impressive numbers by the freshman guard on the women’s basketball team have garnered Ivy League Rookie of the Week praise.

Several adolescents stand under a giant American flag like a parachute aloft at an immigration reform rally.

Demographic shifts, voter fears, and presidential voting

New research shows Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign didn’t benefit from voters’ fears of immigrants in communities experiencing greater demographic change.

A conversation with Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw

In the latest episode of “Office Hours,” a Penn Today podcast, Professor of History of Art Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw explains the curation process behind the Barnes Foundation’s “30 Americans” exhibit.

Brendan Taliaferro outside of College Hall leaning against wall

Homeward Initiative takes on the challenge of supporting homeless LGBTQ youth

With his President’s Engagement Prize, May graduate Brendan Taliaferro is creating a nonprofit to provide housing and assistance for homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia.

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