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Pardon power: Rogers Smith on presidential privilege
Person stands with arms crossed looking at the camera.

Rogers Smith, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science. (Image: Scott Spitzer)

Pardon power: Rogers Smith on presidential privilege

The political science professor discusses the legality of the current president applying the power of presidential pardon to himself, and concludes that there's no definitive constitutional answer.

Penn Today Staff

A physics treasure hidden in the pattern of wallpaper
Kane.Wallpaper pattern

The unusual symmetries present in everyday wallpaper and wrapping paper played a role in the discovery of a new type of insulating material.

A physics treasure hidden in the pattern of wallpaper

Charles Kane and Andrew Rappe of the School of Arts and Sciences were part of an international team that has identified a new form of insulating material that may one day provide a basis for quantum computing. The patterns found in everyday wallpaper played a role in the discovery.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The changing landscape of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases
James Lok, Penn Vet

Parasitology professor James Lok’s studies of the development and basic biology of parasites, particularly the roundworm Strongyloides, have implications for finding new drug candidates. Veterinary schools have traditionally been strongholds of parasitology research, and Penn Vet is no exception. (Image: Eric Sucar)

The changing landscape of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases

Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Zika, chikungunya, and dengue are among the vector-borne infections making headlines. Penn researchers shed light on what’s behind the spread and how to stay safe.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Understanding the social dynamics that cause cooperation to thrive, or fail
Akcay hyenas cooperation

Despite their reputation, spotted hyenas are often cooperative animals, dwelling in large groups and assisting one another during hunts. Penn biologist Erol Akçay modeled a theoretical social group to show how cooperation can arise or collapse. (Photo: Amiyaal Ilany)

Understanding the social dynamics that cause cooperation to thrive, or fail

Many examples of cooperation exist in nature, but it’s far from a universal characteristic of human or animal groups. Using a mathematical model, Erol Akçay showed that less randomly connected social networks make cooperation more likely, but those dynamics may ultimately lead to cooperation’s collapse.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Philly as lab, classroom, and collaborator
Sayre Health Clinic

Philly as lab, classroom, and collaborator

Philadelphia’s rich history and forward momentum make it ripe for scientific inquiry for a number of Penn schools and departments, from urban and population studies to medicine and anthropology.

Michele W. Berger

Penn One Health goes abroad
James Ferrara

James Ferrara will lead an interdisciplinary team of Penn students to Kathmandu, Nepal this summer to study a bacteria called Campylobacter.

Penn One Health goes abroad

In August, Penn Vet student James Ferrara will combine veterinary research and public health outreach in Nepal, where he will join a team of graduate students conducting research on Campylobacter, a bacteria found in unpasteurized milk, that is prone to cause infection.

Jacob Williamson-Rea

Academic ‘boot camp’
Warrior 3

From left to right: Jorge Pintado and Jahbril Jauregui participate in writing instruction during the Warrior-Scholar Project at Penn.

Academic ‘boot camp’

A group of 13 active-duty service members and veterans took part in the Warrior-Scholar Project, which introduces enlisted personnel toward an undergraduate program at a top-tier institution with a weeklong academic program.
Serving those who serve
Ryan Leone

Serving those who serve

In preparation for a career as a physician with the Military Health System, Ryan Leone is spending his summer in Falls Church, Va., interning with the Defense Health Agency.
Frigid polar oceans, not coral reefs, are hot spots for formations of fish species
Sallan.parrot fish

The bicolor parrotfish is a member of a group of fish that dwells in the tropics, which a new study found to be, counterintuitively, slower-evolving than fish in colder ocean waters. (Image: Richard Ling/Wikipedia)

Frigid polar oceans, not coral reefs, are hot spots for formations of fish species

Tropical waters contain a dazzling diversity of fish species compared to colder ocean areas. Yet a new study paradoxically indicates that the colder waters are home to the highest species formation rates.

Katherine Unger Baillie