The thermometer is one of science’s most iconic measurement tools, but, even as tubes of mercury and alcohol made way for digital equivalents, they all lacked a common, sought-after feature.

by Patrick Ammerman

A rough estimate of the amount of steps taken in a day might be enough for the average fitness tracker or smartwatch user, but, for people with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease, more fine-grained data could be life changing.  

University of Pennsylvania engineers have developed a rapid, low-cost genetic test for the Zika virus. The $2 testing device, about the size of a soda can, does not require electricity or technical expertise to use. A patient would simply provide a saliva sample. Color-changing dye turns blue when the genetic assay detects the presence of the virus.

Ferromagnetic materials, like compass needles, are useful because their magnetic polarization makes them rotate to align with magnetic fields. Ferroelectric materials behave in a similar way but with electric, rather than magnetic, fields.

The University of Pennsylvania has co-founded and structured BluePen Biomarkers in collaboration with BluePrint Bio, Inc. and Emerald Logic, Inc. to conduct biomarker research and identification.  BluePen is creating a comprehensive biomarker measurement and discovery pipeline for the acceleration of personalized medicine.

A team of Penn doctors and engineers has been awarded a $100,000 grant to develop an unusual new way of diagnosing tuberculosis (TB): ringing the bacteria that cause the disease like a bell.  

[youtube]VfxydqTjJC0[/youtube]Ask someone to draw a picture of a cutting-edge robotic arm and he or she will likely take inspiration from the one hanging from his or her shoulder: the same muscles, elbow, wrist, and fingers, with wires and servos replacing sinew and bone.

Marsha Lester, Andrea Liu and Amita Sehgal of the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, consid

Penn Arts and Sciences has announced the creation of the Vagelos Institute of Energy Science and Technology.