
Articles from Nathi Magubane


(Image: Eric Sucar)
Penn Center for Innovation celebrates 10 years

Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, has long been a model species for biologists seeking to understand the molecular mechanisms of animal function and how novelty may arise in organisms. Theoretical physicist Andrea Liu of the School of Arts & Sciences is conducting research on the insect, along with biology and experimental biophysics collaborators at Duke University. Their research has opened the door to an approach that could offer not only a new understanding of how biological function emerges but also suggest a new class of systems in condensed matter physics.
(Image: iStock / nechaev-kon)
Fruit fly development offers insights into condensed matter physics

For more than a month, residents in New Jersey, parts of Pennsylvania, and New York have spotted unidentified flying objects, which local residents refer to as “drones,” hovering over neighborhoods, critical infrastructure and even restricted sites. To learn more about the mysterious flying objects, Penn Today spoke with local expert Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
(Image: Courtesy of iStock/Naypong)
Q&A: Dean Kumar and the ‘drone’ sightings

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An illuminating celebration to a brighter, greener future

Eric Stach of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues used neural networks to better identify the characteristics of catalysts that drive the creation of liquid fuels from sunlight. Shown here: The arrangement of a catalyst molecule, as observed under cryogenic conditions. The bright spots represent individual or small groups of molecules immobilized on a surface and the cryogenic temperature helps minimize clustering caused by the electron beam during imaging, allowing scientists to study the molecule’s distribution more accurately.
(Image: Sungho Jeon)
Mapping molecular arrangements to pave the way for better catalytic systems

(Image: Alfio Manciagli)
A greener, cleaner way to extract cobalt

New research from Penn psychologist Joe Kable looks at individuals with damage to different parts of the prefrontal cortex to reveal how the brain evaluates uncertainty and guides split-second decisions.
(Image: iStock/ALLVISIONN)
When does waiting stop being worth it?

Eric Sucar
From one gene switch, many possible outcomes

Guyin (Cice) Chen, a fourth-year chemistry, biochemistry, and neurobiology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, played a leading role in organizing the inaugural student-run National Research Conference at Penn.
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