School of Arts & Sciences

a person wearing darkened glasses adjusting lenses on an optics table

First-ever evidence of exotic particles in cobalt monosilicide

The discovery of fourfold topological quasiparticles in this metallic alloy could be used to engineer topological materials with unique and controllable properties in the future.

Penn Clubs online platform helps students find extracurricular groups and activities

Discovering and joining extracurricular groups and activities is now easier with the new Penn Clubs online platform, developed and managed by students for students.

Person sitting cross-legged on an airport chair looking at a phone. A suitcase is in front of the image. A chair next to the person has a large, red X and read "Social Distancing."

How have new social norms emerged as COVID-19 has spread?

In a study of nine countries, researcher Cristina Bicchieri found that motivating people to modify behavior requires changing their expectations about the actions and thoughts of those who matter to them.

Two men shake hands and two others look on behind them in a black and white photo from the 1940s

Q&A

Iran-China partnership: A reported new deal for a relationship going back to antiquity

William Figueroa, who recently earned his doctoral degree in history, shares his take on the past relations and what the new partnership could mean.

Large crowd wearing masks protesting in the streets of D.C., person in foreground holds a sign reading BREONNA’S LIFE MATTERED.

Protests matter, and here’s why

As part of the Provost’s Lecture on Diversity, political science professor Daniel Gillion gave insight into how demonstrations affect elected officials, shape policy, increase engagement, and motivate voter turnout.

Pope Francis supports same-sex unions

The Catholic Church has long stated that marriage is between a man and a woman, a position Pope Francis supports. Melissa Wilde and Anthea Butler discuss the Pope’s recent support of civil unions that ensure legal rights for same-sex couples.

Two people, one sitting in the woods, and the other playing the drums.

Pew Center for Arts & Heritage awards 2020 grants to Penn projects

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage announced 41 grants totaling $10.5 million in support of the Institute for Contemporary Art and Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and a Girard College project involving theater director Brooke O’Harra and music composer Tyshawn Sorey.

Statue of Liberty in shadow in New York Harbor as the sun sets behind

Q&A

Is American democracy at a breaking point?

Amidst a backdrop of protests, the pandemic, and presidential politics, historian Anne Berg shares her thoughts on whether American democracy is at risk, historical parallels to the current situation, and what ordinary people can do.

snails and barnacles on a rock on the seashore

Declines in shellfish species on rocky seashores match climate-driven changes

Mussels, barnacles, and snails are declining in the Gulf of Maine, according to a new paper by biologists Peter Petraitis of the School of Arts & Sciences and Steve Dudgeon of California State University, Northridge. Their 20-year dataset reveals that the populations’ steady dwindling matches up with the effects of climate change on the region.

Evidence of broadside collision with a dwarf galaxy discovered in the Milky Way

“Shell structures,” the result of a collision with another galaxy nearly 3 billion years, have been confirmed in the Milky Way galaxy for the first time.

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