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Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
Michele covers Anthropology, Criminology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences, as well as the Annenberg School for Communication, the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Population Studies Center, and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.
Eight Penn professors elected 2022 AAAS Fellows
Researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Veterinary Medicine join a class of scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines.
Whole-genome analysis offers clarity about remains of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
Building on previous work from the community-initiated Anson Street African Burial Ground project, a team of researchers from Penn led a community-engaged collaborative study that confirmed that the individuals closely align genetically with populations in West and West Central Africa.
At a southern Iraq site, unearthing the archaeological passing of time
When Holly Pittman and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Pisa returned to Lagash in the fall of 2022 for a fourth season, they knew they’d find more than ceramic fragments and another kiln.
The ‘paradox’ of receiving health care in prison
In an excerpt from their new book, Penn sociologist Jason Schnittker and colleagues dissect the contradictory nature of these institutions, which are charged with both “denying freedom and providing care.”
Restricted abortion access linked to increased suicide risk in young women
Research from the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia determined that this association exists for women of reproductive age, findings that hold potential clinical, policy, and ethical implications.
Six tips for a happy holiday season
Positive Psychology experts share their advice for boosting well-being this holiday season.
Turning carbon emissions into rocks
In Penn’s Clean Energy Conversions Lab, researcher Peter Psarras and colleagues are repurposing waste from industrial mines, storing carbon pulled from the atmosphere into newly formed rock.
At Engaging Minds, three Penn Integrates Knowledge Professors take the stage
Alumni heard Lance Freeman examine racial equity in city planning, Dolores Albarracín talk about how conspiracy theories take hold, and Kevin Johnson discuss the importance of clear science communication.
Two from Penn named Distinguished Members of the Association for Computing Machinery
Jing (Jane) Li of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Li Shen of the Perelman School of Medicine have been named distinguished members of the Association for Computing Machinery.
A link between social environment and healthy brains in wild rhesus macaques
Research from Penn, Arizona State University, the National Institute of Mental Health, and elsewhere finds that on the island of Cayo Santiago, female monkeys with a higher social status had younger, more resilient molecular profiles.