5/2
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
Filter Stories
Penn In the News
A radical new model of the brain illuminates its wiring
Danielle Bassett of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about how neuroscience has led to a greater understanding of the brain’s networks and how to treat a variety of conditions. “Hopefully, with an understanding of the individual differences in the brain, we will have a better lever on how to predict human responses to a particular intervention,” she says, “and then not have to have people go for a year through different kinds of medication before we find one that works for them.”
Penn In the News
America has a sick obsession with COVID-19 polls
Damon Centola of the Annenberg School for Communication said people are sensitive to social cues about health-related behaviors, like mask wearing. “It’s so conspicuous because it’s new, and it’s shifting underneath our feet,” he said.
Penn In the News
Twitter and Instagram unveil new ways to combat hate—again
Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication said “we need humans” to help parse what is and isn’t offensive language based on context. “The tech just isn’t there yet.”
Penn In the News
In defense of mayonnaise
Paul Rozin of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about why many people hate mayonnaise for its slimy texture, which some believe resembles bodily fluids. “Anything that reminds us that we are animals elicits disgust,” said Rozin.
Penn In the News
How #HimToo became the anti #MeToo of the Kavanaugh hearings
Annenberg School for Communication postdoc Rosemary Clark-Parsons discussed “hashtag hijacking” on social media. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen activists across the political spectrum use this tactic, including Black Lives Matter activists’ hijacking of the #MyNYPD hashtag and now men’s rights activists’ hijacking of #HimToo to spread rape myths about false accusations,” she said.
Penn In the News
Is a meme born in a private account still a meme?
Doctoral candidate Emily Hund of the Annenberg School for Communication discussed the move away from specificity on Instagram. “People aren’t saying they’re fashion or beauty people anymore—it’s all flattened into a generic lifestyle brand,” said Hund.
Penn In the News
Uber acquires the bike-share company Jump
Karl Ulrich of the Wharton School said that 10 years of product design leading up to Jump’s acquisition, in addition to the CEO’s background in city planning, has led to a good relationship with city officials.
Penn In the News
With This DNA Dating App, You Swab, Then Swipe for Love
Richard Doty of the Perelman School of Medicine corrects popular notions on the effects of pheromones on human attraction.
Penn In the News
The Clampdown Against Crypto Scams Is Underway
Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School is quoted on how cryptocurrency is currently unregulated.
Penn In the News
How Criminal Courts Are Putting Brains — Not People — on Trial
Stephen Morse of the Law School comments on whether neurobiological evidence belongs in a court of law.