The taste of broccoli has long been the bane of picky eaters everywhere (and at least one American president). But appreciating the vegetable is not just a matter of having a cultured palate; some people can easily taste a bitter compound in broccoli that others have difficulty detecting.

PHILADELPHIA — The American Physical Society has elected five University of Pennsylvania faculty members to its 2011 APS Fellowship class. They are Mark Devlin, Alan “Charlie” Johnson, Joshua Klein, Feng Gai and Howard Hu.

PHILADELPHIA — Long the bane of picky eaters everywhere, broccoli’s taste is not just a matter of having a cultured palate; some people can easily taste a bitter compound in the vegetable that others have difficulty detecting. Now a team of Penn researchers has helped uncover the evolutionary history of one of the genes responsible for this trait.

PHILADELPHIA — Earthquakes are some of the most daunting natural disasters that scientists try to analyze. Though the earth’s major fault lines are well known, there is little scientists can do to predict when an earthquake will occur or how strong it will be.

Science is defined by accuracy and objectivity. Researchers must carefully design experiments and submit their findings to exacting peer review. With their work receiving such grueling analysis, it would seem that scientists' findings would speak for themselves. Not so, say two doctors in the Perelman School of Medicine.

PHILADELPHIA — Vision is amazing because it seems so mundane. Peoples’ eyes, nerves and brains translate light into electrochemical signals and then into an experience of the world around them.

WHO:            University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty, guest speakers from Google, Hunch, Northwestern University and Cornell University

PHILADELPHIA — Research from the University of Pennsylvania has shown that rinsing with mouthwash isn’t just good for oral health, it may be associated with a reduction in the incidence of preterm birth in pregnant women with periodontal disease.

PHILADELPHIA — Ralph Brinster of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has received the National Medal of Science.