School of Arts & Sciences

Penn Biologists Establish New Method for Studying RNA’s Regulatory ‘Footprint’

Increasingly, biologists have come to realize that RNA is not merely a transitional state between DNA and proteins but plays a major role in determining whether and how genes are turned into a protein product. Gaining a deeper understanding of RNA regulation can help scientists shed light on diseases that arise when this function goes awry.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn’s 2014 Kelly Writers House Fellows Announced

The University of Pennsylvania will host three celebrated writers as Kelly Writers House Fellows during the 2014 spring semester.Journalist and essayist Buzz Bissenger will visit Penn Feb. 17-18, followed by fiction writer T.C. Boyle March 31-April 1 and poet Rae Armantrout April 28-29.

Jacquie Posey

Penn Women’s Rugby Levels the Playing Field

So much for sugar and spice. For the nearly 30 undergraduate student-athletes who are members of the Women’s Rugby Club at the University of Pennsylvania, playing nice is not part of the approach. Rugby, a blend of football, soccer and wrestling, requires bold athleticism and a military-like strategy. In this tough-as-nails sport, there’s no room for niceties.“Rugby is the toughest sport out there; no doubt about it,” says Lucy Dawson, the co-president of the club and a junior majoring in cognitive neuroscience in the College.

Jill DiSanto

An Icy Journey Gave Penn’s Leah Davidson a Worldly Perspective

Leah Davidson, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, plans to pursue a career in business. But she wants to do so in an environmentally conscientious manner. So when, as a high school senior, she learned of an opportunity to visit one of the most untouched habitats on Earth, she jumped at the chance.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Freshman Shines on the Soccer Field

Playing soccer brought Alec Neumann to the University of Pennsylvania, and, since arriving on campus in the fall, the freshman has relished in the game and in the ability to pursue additional interests as well.

Jeanne Leong

Penn’s Strong Global Community Attracts Growing Number of International Students

During the past five years, the number of international students at the University of Pennsylvania has seen record growth at the undergraduate and the graduate level. Penn is among the top destinations for international students from around the world seeking to study in the United States. Currently, the University hosts 5,751 international students from 137 different countries, including China, Japan, Thailand, Canada, Taiwan and Singapore.  

Jill DiSanto

Penn Team Reduces Toxicity Associated With Lou Gehrig’s Disease in Animal Models

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a devastating illness that gradually robs sufferers of muscle strength and eventually causes a lethal, full-body paralysis. The only drug available to treat the disease extends life spans by a meager three months on average.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Researcher Traces the History of the American Urban Squirrel

Until recently, Etienne Benson, an assistant professor in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of History and Sociology of Science, has trained his academic eye on the history of conservation of large, charismatic wildlife, such as tigers, grizzly bears and orc

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

Scholars at risk in their own countries find a new home at Penn

Penn Global’s Scholars-at-Risk program is featured. Global’s Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Scott Moore, Penn Carey Law’s Eric Feldman, and Wharton’s Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, along with former and current scholars Angel Alvarado, Pavel Golubev, and Jawad Moradi are interviewed.

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Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

Scientists struggle to explain ‘really weird’ spike in world temperatures

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that tendencies to exaggerate climate science in favor of “doomist” narratives helps no one except the fossil fuel industry.

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Axios

Report: Latin America’s progress on helping sex abuse victims

Marci Hamilton of the School of Arts & Sciences points to Chile as an international example of a large sex abuse scandal turning into effective activism.

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BBC

Gordion: A lost city of legends in central Turkey

Brian Rose of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Museum has led excavations at the ancient Turkish city of Gordion since 2007.

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Vox.com

Spring is here very early. That’s not good

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that plant-flowering, tree-leafing, and egg-hatching are all markers associated with spring that are happening sooner.

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