4/16
Biology
Biophysics summer school in Crete
Biophysics summer school in Crete
Eleni Katifori and Arnold Mathijssen spent a week in Crete, introducing students from Penn and other institutes to various topics and ideas in active biophysics research.
A link between memory and appetite in the brain to explain obesity
A link between memory and appetite in the brain to explain obesity
Penn Medicine researchers have found the hippocampal subnetwork, located within the memory center of the brain, is more dysregulated in patients with higher body mass indexes, leading to an inability to control or regulate eating habits.
Social ecology and community work in the Galápagos
Social ecology and community work in the Galápagos
Undergraduate and graduate students spent two months on San Cristóbal Island this summer, doing research on antibacterial resistance, vectors of disease, climate change adaptation, and the impact of climate change on mental health.
Searching for resilience in our reefs
Searching for resilience in our reefs
Some corals survive hotter temperatures better than others. In the lab of biologist Katie Barott, School of Arts & Sciences second-year students Alex Piven and Angela Ye have spent the summer trying to understand why.
Chasing the mysteries of microbiome communication in our bodies
Chasing the mysteries of microbiome communication in our bodies
Penn Medicine’s Maayan Levy and Christoph Thaiss, both assistant professors of microbiology, pursue an understanding of the the microbiome, the entirety of microbial organisms associated with the human body, and its relation to fundamental bodily systems.
Using marine bacteria to detoxify asbestos
Using marine bacteria to detoxify asbestos
Researchers from the School of Arts and Sciences have shown that bacteria from extreme marine environments can reduce asbestos’ toxic properties.
Exploring the relationship between cooking and scientific discovery
Exploring the relationship between cooking and scientific discovery
Penn physicist Arnold Mathijssen and colleagues have authored a review article discussing the history of food innovations and the current scientific breakthroughs that are changing the way we eat.
The evolution of societal cooperation
The evolution of societal cooperation
Research led by the School of Arts & Sciences’ Joshua Plotkin and Taylor Kessinger sheds light on the impact of social contexts and multilayered societies on promoting cooperative behavior.
Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Researchers led by former postdoc Bryce Morsky and Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences have produced a model for disease transmission that factors in the effects of social dynamics, specifically, how masking and social distancing are affected by social norms.
Beyond the pipette and the stethoscope, students explore biology’s societal impacts
Beyond the pipette and the stethoscope, students explore biology’s societal impacts
The new Biology and Society course, supported by SNF Paideia, gave biology majors the chance to explore how scientists must contend with subjects such as health equity and vaccine hesitancy.
In the News
Good Housekeeping
When is the best time to take L-theanine—morning or night?
According to Colleen Tewksbury of the School of Nursing, research suggests that L-theanine may help support stress management, sleep, and potentially weight management.
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Stat
Is the flu shot market a slam dunk for mRNA vaccines? Experts aren’t so sure
Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine is working on a flu vaccine to provide protection against 20 subtypes of flu that may pose a pandemic threat in the future.
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NPR
Thanks, Neanderthals: How our ancient relatives could help find new antibiotics
A study by César de la Fuente of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues used AI to recreate molecules from ancient humans that could be potential candidates for antimicrobial treatments.
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NPR
Long COVID brain fog may originate in a surprising place, say scientists
A study by Christoph Thaiss and Maayan Levy of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues finds that long COVID’s neurological symptoms, like brain fog, memory loss, and fatigue, may stem from serotonin reduction.
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Time
Long COVID research is in its ‘most hopeful’ phase yet
A study by Christoph Thaiss and Maayan Levy of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues suggests that serotonin could be a target for long COVID treatment.
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ScienceAlert
A crucial pattern behind long COVID may have been identified
A study by Christoph Thaiss and Maayan Levy of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues suggests that several current hypotheses for the pathophysiology of long COVID are linked by a single pathway that is connected by serotonin reduction.
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