The instructions for making all the proteins the body needs are encoded in DNA and found in every cell. But every cell is different and the proteins they need to produce at a given time change based on environmental cues.

Liquid crystals are remarkable materials that combine the optical properties of crystalline solids with the flow properties of liquids, characteristics that come together to enable the displays found in most computer monitors, televisions and smartphones.

A new study by researchers in Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science shows that metamaterials can be designed to do “photonic calculus” by working like an analog computer.

Sarah Foster, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a Winston Churchill Scholarship, a merit-based award for American college students who are outstanding in engineering, mathematics and physical and biological sciences.

A multi-disciplinary team from the University of Pennsylvania has published in Nature Methods a first-of-its-kind way to isolate RNA from live cells in their natural tissue microenvironment without damaging nearby cells. This allows the researchers to analyze how cell-to-cell chemical connections influence individual cell function and overall protein production.  

In late December, teams from around the world descended on Florida’s Homestead Miami Speedway with millions of dollars of high-performance machinery in tow. But instead of the racecars that usually compete on the track, this was a battle between 16 of the most advanced robots on the planet.

The field of metamaterials has produced structures with unprecedented abilities, including flat lenses, invisibility cloaks and even optical “metatronic” devices that can manipulate light in the way electronic circuitry manipulates the flow of electrons. 

One of the primary social motivations for scientific research is the ability to make better decisions based on the results.

The blood stem cells that live in bone marrow are at the top of a complex family tree. Such stem cells split and divide down various pathways that ultimately produce red cells, white cells, and platelets. These “daughter” cells must be produced at a rate of about 1 million per second to constantly replenish the body’s blood supply.

For students in the “Design of Mechatronic Systems” class in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, “the finals” are more than just an exam; they are a tournament in which the winners hoist a trophy high above their heads in victory.