Hadza people gather to receive a government-provided food supply of beans and maize. (Photo: Alessia Ranciaro/Tishkoff Lab)
The diversity of rural African populations extends to their microbiomes
In the largest study of its kind, researchers led by PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff, Matthew Hansen, and Meagan Rubel investigated the gut microbiomes of people from Botswana and Tanzania, and illuminate the impact of lifestyle, geography, and genetics in shaping the microbiome.
For Mia Levine, an assistant professor in the biology department, shown with postdoctoral scientist Cara Brand, participating in the Pathways program has given her a chance to take a step back from the demands of her day-to-day tasks and reflect on larger goals.
Launching junior faculty into fulfilling careers
Taking a holistic approach, the Penn Faculty Pathways Program equips early career professors with the tools they need to excel professionally and personally.
In a mouse model, the FDA-approved drug reserpine seemed to hamper the ability of tumors to reshape distant tissues in ways that would encourage metastasis, for example, reducing the accumulation of fibronectin, a protein associated with certain types of cancer.
Hindering melanoma metastasis with an FDA-approved drug
A drug approved by the FDA 65 years ago for blood pressure control may aid in preventing cancer from spreading to distant organs. New research led by Serge Fuchs revealed that this drug disrupted formation of a fertile environment for metastasis by protecting healthy cells from harmful vesicles released by tumors.
Archaeological evidence for solstice celebrations abounds in the ancient North American city of Cahokia, located in what is now Illinois. (Illustration: Steven Patricia/Art Institute of Chicago)
Marking the winter solstice, from Neolithic times to today
For millennia, people have marked the winter solstice with rituals and celebrations—and they continue to do so today. Penn Museum anthropologists Lucy Fowler Williams and Megan Kassabaum discuss both ancient and contemporary customs associated with attending to the shortest day of the year.
Fourth-year veterinary student Sarah Gronsky gets a close-up view of Cordelia, a Russian tortoise, at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Ryan Hospital. To stand out in a competitive field, students hoping to pursue exotics veterinary medicine often squeeze extra research and training into their schedules.
Going out of the box to learn to treat exotic creatures
Veterinary students interested in wildlife, zoo, and exotics medicine get creative—and driven—to get the training opportunities they need to advance.
Co-founders of the "Caminos en Ciencia" podcast, biomedicine doctoral students Enrique Lin-Shiao and Kevin Alicea-Torres craft their program to highlight the career tracks and accomplishments of Latinx scientists. (Photo: Courtesy of Lin-Shiao and Alicea-Torres)
Podcast series charts a path for Latin Americans in science
Concerned about the scarcity of Latin Americans in scientific careers, doctoral students Kevin Alicea-Torres and Enrique Lin-Shiao took action to prime the pump. On their Spanish-language podcast, “Caminos en Ciencia,” they chat with Latinx scientists who discuss their career paths and provide advice for young scientists-to-be.
The Engagement Prize has given grads Hjemdahl and Balasubramanian the chance to apply their Penn educations toward “building a movement” they believe in. (Photo: Eric Sucar, Office of University Communications)
Building a circular economy movement in India and beyond
A shift in environmental policy in India prompted a new operational model for rePurpose, the social enterprise started by the President’s Engagement Prize-winners.
Using a large dataset and controlling for a variety of factors, including sex, age, height, socioeconomic status, and genetic ancestry, Gideon Nave of the Wharton School and Philipp Koellinger of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam found that people with larger brains rated higher on measures of intelligence, but only accounts for two percent of the variation in smarts.
Noted for their contributions to dental and biological sciences, respectively, Hyun (Michel) Koo of the School of Dental Medicine and Joshua Plotkin of the School of Arts and Sciences are part of the newest cohort of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
As the population ages, cases of age-related macular degeneration are forecast to skyrocket. New research led by a team from Penn may help make inroads into understanding its roots and possible therapies.
Modeling the most common form of vision loss in older adults
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people older than 50. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia and colleagues have developed a model system that mimics many features of the human condition, giving scientists a platform to gain a deeper understanding of risk factors and possible treatments.
