How can the world allocate COVID-19 vaccines fairly?
It’s an ethical question many Penn experts are contemplating. One fact is certain, they say: Distribution must not exacerbate disparities and inequities in health care.
Self-awareness can drive behavior change, reprogram the brain’s reward system
Most people break New Year’s resolutions within a few weeks. Neuroscientist Vera Ludwig offers six tips to move mindfully through this process, leading to a greater chance for success.
James M. Wilson, director of the Gene Therapy Program, the Rose H. Weiss Professor and director of the Orphan Disease Center, and a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Repurposing a proven gene therapy approach to treat, prevent COVID-19
In a Q&A, Penn Medicine’s James M. Wilson discusses using adeno-associated viral vectors to transport a lab-made antibody cocktail into the body. This method, delivered via nasal spray or mist, has the potential to act as a “bioshield” against SARS-CoV-2.
Twice a week between June and December of 2017 and 2018, local Galapagueño students observed sea lion behavior at four local beaches. The community scientists assessed how frequently the animals growled, barked, and moved toward the observer, as well as conducted an overall census of the animals. (Pre-pandemic image: Courtesy Michael Weisberg)
On Galápagos beaches, human presence conclusively affects sea lions
Penn researchers, in conjunction with Galapagueño high school students, found that on more crowded beaches, the endangered animals are less aggressive to people.
Ellen Iwamoto, director of research support services at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, was an avid gardener pre-pandemic. She decided to try kitchen scrap gardening, as well as growing some peanuts (seen here). (Image: Courtesy Ellen Iwamoto)
Seven ways to be green at home
Eco-Reps across Penn offer sustainability tips to save money, help the environment, and consume less during the holidays.
Four strategies to find joy in a very different holiday season
Experts from Penn’s Positive Psychology Center suggest tweaking traditions, acknowledging the situation’s highs and lows, and seeking help from people in your life.
A new vision for the Population Aging Research Center
For more than 25 years, PARC has been a hub for work on disparities in aging and mortality. Co-directors Hans-Peter Kohler and Norma Coe, who took over in July, want to expand its reach.
Penn Integrates Knowledge professor Michael Platt holds appointments in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine, and the Marketing Department in the Wharton School.
A modified game of ‘chicken’ reveals what happens in the brain during decision-making
Research from the Platt Labs found that in rhesus macaques, two regions of the brain mirror those of similar regions in humans, broadening the understanding of what unfolds, neurologically, when people interact and cooperate.
The lab of neuroscientist Johannes Burge (above) focuses on how the human visual system processes the images that fall on the back of the eye. This line of work, closely related to a 100-year-old illusion called the Pulfrich effect, could have serious public safety and public health implications.
One step closer to a clinical fix for the side effects of monovision
Monovision counters the deterioration of the ability to see up close but also causes dramatic visual distortions. New research confirms that a solution that successfully works with trial lenses—the special lenses used by eye doctors—also succeeds with contact lenses.
