Penn Physicists Charles Kane and Eugene Mele Win Benjamin Franklin Medal

Two University of Pennsylvania physicists have been selected as 2015 recipients of the Benjamin Franklin Medal, one of the world's oldest science and technology awards. The laureates will be honored April 23 at an award ceremony at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

Evan Lerner

Penn research chips away at icy medical mystery

Pagophagia—or a compulsive desire to eat ice—is very common in individuals with iron deficiency anemia, across ages and cultures, even in places where ice is a rare commodity. The roots of this craving have long been unknown, but a new Penn study sheds light on the mystery, showing that eating ice gives people with anemia a mental boost.

Evan Lerner

NanoDay@Penn Hands Out Research and Image Awards

By Madeleine Stone On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the University of Pennsylvania’s Nano/Bio Interface Center hosted its annual NanoDay@Penn, a public education and outreach event that featured a series of talks, demonstrations and exhibits concerning nanotechnology, a rapidly expanding scientific discipline that involves the manipulation of matter on the atomic and molecular scale.

Evan Lerner

NASA funds Penn research testing rules of gravity in space

One of the biggest mysteries in modern science is the speed at which the universe is expanding. Galaxies that have been moving apart since the Big Bang billions of years ago should be slowing down due to gravity, but instead, they are accelerating.

Evan Lerner

Brain’s Compass Relies on Geometric Relationships, Say Penn Researchers

The brain has a complex system for keeping track of which direction you are facing as you move about; remembering how to get from one place to another would otherwise be impossible. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown how the brain anchors this mental compass.

Evan Lerner