A scar might be a reminder of an accident or surgery, but the fibrous tissue that makes up a scar also forms after a heart attack and arises in solid tumors as well as in chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis and muscular dystrophy. Implanted medical devices and materials are similarly surrounded by fibrous capsules that impede their function.  

The Imagination Institute, based at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center, has announced nearly $3 million worth of grants to researchers at 16 institutions. The grants are aimed at the development of better ways of assessing and promoting imagination and creativity.

WHO:     Danielle BassettSkirkanich Assistant Professor of InnovationDepartment of BioengineeringDepartment of Electrical and Systems EngineeringSchool of Engineering and Applied Science

By Sarah Welsh Nature versus nurture is an age-old question in biology, centering on whether a given trait is determined by an organism’s genes or by its environment. Most times the answer is “both,” but research at the University of Pennsylvania has found one trait in particular that is not easily described by either.

Penn Electric Racing took home the gold at an international competition in mid-June.

Investigators at a new University of Pennsylvania research center will focus on key physical principles that underpin cancer’s development and growth.

The role that attention plays in generating new and useful ideas is controversial among neuroscientists. Some neuroimaging studies have shown that creativity involves more cognitive control, or focused attention. Other studies have shown it involves less.

A team of physicists and astronomers from around the globe are on a five-year mission to answer fundamental questions about our universe: Why are galaxies clustered the way they are? Why are they moving apart faster and faster, instead of gravity slowing them down?

Penn Electric Racing has taken home top honors at an international competition.

Despite their ubiquity in consumer electronics, rare-earth metals are, as their name suggests, hard to come by. Mining and purifying them is an expensive, labor-intensive and ecologically devastating process.