Katherine Unger Baillie

Possessing two X chromosomes is a double-edged sword, immunologically speaking. Females are better at fighting off infection than males, but they are also more susceptible to many autoimmune conditions, such as lupus.

Until relatively recently, the dogma in neuroscience was that neurons, including the eye’s photoreceptor cells, rods and cones, do not regenerate. This is the reason that nerve damage is thought to be so grave. More recent studies have poked holes in this belief by showing that, in some vertebrate species, neurons can be stimulated to divide.

While the primary focus of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center (WDC) is to train dogs that spend their lives serving individuals and the nation, and to pursue research to improve that service, insights and knowledge developed at the Center can also benefit pet dogs and their owners.

What can a scattering of dead pigeons mean for human health? Sometimes, a lot.

Last week, astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after spending nearly a year in space, temporarily two inches taller due to zero-gravity conditions. But his height was only one way in which the long mission changed him.

Periodontitis, a gum disease present in nearly half of all adults in the United States, involves inflammation, bleeding and bone loss. In its severe form, it is associated with systemic inflammatory conditions such as atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Both gorillas and humans suffer from heart disease. Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer in children as well as in dogs. And anxiety can instigate hair pulling in people and feather-pulling in birds.

WHO:           Brenda Casper                     Professor and Chair                     Department of Biology

In just two months, scientists and science fans will launch into action at the sixth annual Philadelphia Science Festival (PSF), a weeklong celebration that aims to involve Philadelphians of all ages in engaging activities, talks, and exhibits.

Ian Petrie is not a maritime historian. And none of the 12 students who enrolled in his freshmen seminar had substantive experience with handwritten 19th-century manuscripts.