Katherine Unger Baillie

An ancient sink hole in eastern Tennessee holds the clues to an important transitional time in the evolutionary history of snakes. Among the fossilized creatures found there, according to a new paper co-authored by a University of Pennsylvania paleontologist, is a new species of snake that lived 5 million years ago.

Four faculty members from the University of Pennsylvania have been elected members of the National Academy of Sciences for “their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”

On Saturday, May 6, 20 horses will have the chance to compete in the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Like all athletes, these elite Thoroughbreds—under the care of their trainers and owners—must walk the line between rigorous training and injury. And one of the most feared conditions in horses is laminitis, a debilitating disease that affects the tissue connecting bone to hoof.

Dogs have occupied a place of importance in human life and culture dating all the way back to their domestication some 15,000 years ago. Yet up until the last few decades, rigorously collected scientific information about man’s best friend was relatively difficult to come by.

A 1975 photograph captured the historic handshake between American astronaut Thomas Stafford and Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov after their spacecrafts joined together in orbit.

Benjamin Franklin, founder of the University of Pennsylvania, is believed to have experimented with lightning’s powerful properties using a kite and key, likely coming close to electrocuting himself in the process.

The function of a plant’s roots go well beyond simply serving as an anchor in the ground. The roots act as the plant’s mouth, absorbing, storing and channeling water and nutrients essential for survival.

April 22, 1970, marked the first celebration of Earth Day, and members of the Penn community, including PennDesign Dean Frederick Steiner, were among the key organizers.

Named for Friedrich Best, who characterized the disease in 1905, Best disease, also known as vitelliform macular dystrophy, affects children and young adults and can cause severe declines in central vision as patients age. The disease is one in a group of conditions known as bestrophinopathies, all linked to mutations in the BEST1 gene.

It’s spring in Philadelphia, which means it’s time to celebrate science. The Philadelphia Science Festival is back next week for nine days of STEM-filled fun. All told, members of the Penn community will be presenting some 45 talks and activities in 14 venues across the city.