Katherine Unger Baillie

It’s not just the human population that is living longer than ever before; with better medical care, more and more pets are living to old age, too. The downside, of course, is an increasing incidence of age-related diseases.

Despite their obvious physical differences, elephants, lizards and trout all have something in common. They possess elongated, flexible structures at the rear of their bodies that we call tails.

Despite the busy pace of University life, Penn’s campus offers a multitude of places and ways to retreat and find quiet and solitude when it is desired, whether during a walk across campus, a lunch break, or an intentional period of brief meditation.

Sidon, a 5-month-old Cane Corso, arrived at the Pennsylvania SPCA unable to support himself. The lanky, brindle puppy, who had been surrendered by his owner, had extensive swelling in his neck and shoulder that seemed to be worsening. The shelter staff couldn’t pinpoint the problem with the resources they had on-site. But fortunately they knew where they could turn for help.

Ten professors from the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among a class of 391 members honored for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

To a bird flying over Philadelphia, Penn appears as something of an oasis. The lush landscaping of the campus offers sources of food, water, and shelter, resources that are especially attractive to migrating species that pass through the city during their long-distance jaunts up and down the Atlantic Flyway during the spring and fall.

A scientific team led by the University of Pennsylvania has received an award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop and validate reproducible methods for studying human social behavior.

Each time our body’s immune system responds effectively to an invading pathogen, such as a cold or the flu, it creates a population of T cells that “remember” the infection and can respond swiftly if the invader dares return.

By Patrick Ammerman Oftentimes the most important scientific work is accomplished via serendipity; by following up on an unexpected finding and uncovering an entirely new area of research.

When treating cancer with chemotherapy and radiation, decisions about dose must walk a fine line between attacking cancerous cells and preserving healthy ones. Overly aggressive radiation therapy to the torso, for example, can damage the epithelial cells that line the intestines, leading to chronic gastrointestinal problems.