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Unlocking the power of a molecule’s spin
three people in front of a white board with equations and chemical formulas

Unlocking the power of a molecule’s spin

New research provides a theoretical framework that could help experimentalists better control chemical reactions, with possible implications for recycling rare earth metals.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A call for a global ban on lead paint
A window with peeling paint

Lead paint can pose a threat to public health, particularly for children. In a new publication, Penn scientists and colleagues underscore the importance of implementing policies that ban the production and trade of lead paint to stop further problems before they start. (Image: Reto Gieré)

A call for a global ban on lead paint

In a paper for the United Nations Environment Programme, researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues make a case for ceasing production and use of lead paint worldwide.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Risk-taking behavior has a signature in the brain, big data shows
young person with beard lights a cigarette

Risk-taking behavior has a signature in the brain, big data shows

While there is no such thing as a single “risk area” of the brain, a study of 12,000 people led by the Wharton School’s Gideon Nave found a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter, and risky behavior.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Cornel West headlines the 20th annual MLK Lecture in Social Justice
Banner reads: "MLK Lecture in Social Justice. Cornel West in conversation with Margo Crawford" with images of King and the speakers to the right.

In the 20th annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in Social Justice, Cornel West invoked African American intellectualism and musical history to discuss King’s legacy and place in the rich tradition of Black artists and thinkers.

Cornel West headlines the 20th annual MLK Lecture in Social Justice

In the 20th annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in Social Justice, Cornel West invoked African American intellectualism and musical history to discuss King’s legacy and place in the rich tradition of Black artists and thinkers.

Kristina Linnea García

First ever ‘pioneer’ factor found in plants enables cells to change their fate
A close-up view of white flowers emerging from a plant

Using an experimental technique whereby flowers can be coaxed to form from plant roots, biologists led by Doris Wagner uncovered a protein that enables for the initial loosening of chromatin that can allow new proteins to be made and plants to take on different forms. (Image: Courtesy of the Wagner laboratory)

First ever ‘pioneer’ factor found in plants enables cells to change their fate

To start the process of unpacking tightly bundled genetic material, plants depend on the LEAFY pioneer protein, according to work led by biologist Doris Wagner.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Children persist less when parents take over
A young girl doing a math problem at a whiteboard. The numbers 25, 49, and 14 are visible.

Children persist less when parents take over

According to research from Penn psychologists, kids ages 4 to 7 persevere longer when allowed to struggle through a challenging activity than if a grown-up steps in.

Michele W. Berger

The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
International leaders celebrate the Paris Climate Accord

President Biden made good on his promise to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office. The agreement was originally adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. (Image: UNclimatechange)

The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration

Penn Today spoke with experts in various areas of science and environmental policy about what they anticipate will shift now that President Biden has assumed the nation’s leadership.

Katherine Unger Baillie