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Through the thin-film glass, researchers spot a new liquid phase
individual panes of glass in different colors stacked on top of each other

Research from the lab of Zahra Fakhraai describes a new liquid phase in thin films of a glass-forming molecule. These results demonstrate how these glasses and other similar materials can be fabricated to be denser and more stable, providing a framework for developing new applications and devices through better design.

Through the thin-film glass, researchers spot a new liquid phase

A new study on thin films of glass shows how they can be fabricated to be denser and more stable, providing a framework for new applications and devices through better design.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Haiti in turmoil
Perry World House exterior

(Image: Eric Sucar)

  • Q&A

    • Haiti in turmoil

    Perry World House Visiting Fellow Henri-Paul Normandin, former Canadian ambassador to Haiti, reflects on the current situation and where Haiti goes from here.

    Kristen de Groot

    The intonation Black/biracial men use to speak about race
    A black-and-white drawing of a head with lines signifying the person is speaking.

    The intonation Black/biracial men use to speak about race

    In a study of college-educated biracial men, ages 18 to 32, sociolinguist Nicole Holliday found that, when asked about race, this group frequently brought up law enforcement unprompted and discussed the subject using vocal tone more generally associated with white speakers.

    Michele W. Berger

    Decoding how the brain accurately depicts ever-changing visual landscapes
    people walking across an intersection

    A collaborative study that employs a combination of sophisticated algorithms and models developed by post-doctoral researcher Eugenio Piasini and professor Vijay Balasubramanian details the time scales of visual information processing across different regions of the brain. The researchers found that deeper regions of the brain encode visual information more slowly, providing a mechanism for identifying fast-moving objects and images more accurately and persistently.

    Decoding how the brain accurately depicts ever-changing visual landscapes

    A collaborative study finds that deeper regions of the brain encode visual information more slowly, enabling the brain to identify fast-moving objects and images more accurately and persistently.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    ‘Dreaming of Jerusalem’
    screen shot from documentary Homepage image: The documentary “Dreaming of Jerusalem” tells the story of the Ethiopian Jewish community living in Addis Ababa and Gondar, now more than 12,000 people, waiting for the chance to emigrate to what they consider their true homeland.

    ‘Dreaming of Jerusalem’

    Penn’s Peter Decherney and Sosena Solomon make a documentary film about a Jewish community in Ethiopia waiting to emigrate to Israel.
    The world at our feet: Reflections on Earth and its prospects
    Illustration of a sphere representing earth and it’s internal layers, covered by flora and surrounded by botanical drawings.

    Image: Mariya Pilipenko

    The world at our feet: Reflections on Earth and its prospects

    It’s our tiny oasis in a vast universe, and it’s feeling fragile. Five faculty from Penn Arts & Sciences who study the Earth’s geological past, its surface activity, and its soils and life forms discuss how Earth and its inhabitants can get along better.

    Susan Ahlborn

    On the hunt for new exoplanets
    the NEID spectrometer inside of a telescope dome

    The NEID fiber feed mounted on the WIYN telescope obtained during commissioning of the instrument. This state-of-the-art spectrometer has officially started its scientific mission of discovering new exoplanets. (Image: NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/KPNO/NSF/AURA)

    On the hunt for new exoplanets

    A state-of-the-art instrument called NEID, from the Tohono O’odham word meaning “to see,” has officially started its scientific mission: discovering new planets outside of the solar system.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    High-ranking hyena mothers pass their social networks to their cubs
    Group of hyenas on the landscape

    Hyenas benefit from being born to high-ranking mothers, from whom they inherit their social networks, according to research led by biologists from Penn and Michigan State University. (Image: Kate Shaw Yoshida)

    High-ranking hyena mothers pass their social networks to their cubs

    Using 27 years of detailed data on hyena social interactions, a team led by Penn biologists nailed down a pattern of social network inheritance and its implications for social structure, rank, and survival.

    Katherine Unger Baillie

    In Zoë Ryan, a collaborative new leader for the ICA
    Zoë Ryan in front of brick wall ICA Director Zoë Ryan pictured on campus in July 2021.

    In Zoë Ryan, a collaborative new leader for the ICA

    Zoë Ryan began her role as director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in November. Here, a look at Ryan’s time at the ICA so far and what’s ahead for the institution.