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Revealing the mysterious biology of a fundamental process: reproduction
Side by side images show abnormal clustering of chromosomes, labeled with florescent purple and yellow

Revealing the mysterious biology of a fundamental process: reproduction

New findings from the lab of P. Jeremy Wang in the School of Veterinary Medicine shed light on the cell division process that creates eggs and sperm, recurrent pregnancy loss, and the mechanism by which sperm move.

Katherine Unger Baillie

On the Galápagos, an underwater exploration of marine life
sea lion with divers

Homepage image: The diving project is part of a larger initiative called Projecto Laboratorio para Apreciar la Vida y el Ambiente or Project LAVA, which also includes research about the effect humans are having on sea lions in the Galápagos.

On the Galápagos, an underwater exploration of marine life

In collaboration with a local dive instructor and the students he trained, researchers from Penn and Villanova are learning how human presence affects life on the seafloor around these islands.

Michele W. Berger

Need to break up with someone? Baboons have found a good way to do it, study finds
NPR

Need to break up with someone? Baboons have found a good way to do it, study finds

Robert Seyfarth of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how and why groups of primates “break up” and warned not to project that information onto human relationships. "You always find somebody who says, yeah, the baboons are showing us that you shouldn't have a despotic breakup and it's bad to just dump somebody and walk off," he said. "But I guess I'm not going to go into that territory."

The inner lives of cats: what our feline friends really think about hugs, happiness and humans
The Guardian

The inner lives of cats: what our feline friends really think about hugs, happiness and humans

Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine said cats are capable of bonding with people, contrary to claims that they’re merely using their owners for food and shelter. “Humans hug and kiss. Dogs become very excited and jump around. Cats don’t do anything like that. They are much more elegant,” he said. “They approach us. They bump their heads. Then they have some contact with us and walk away.”

A better estimate for tick numbers with ‘citizen science’ data
Side by side maps of the northeastern United States representing 2016 and 2015 with darker shading in certain counties.

A better estimate for tick numbers with ‘citizen science’ data

A team led by School of Arts & Sciences biologists found a way to account for biases in data collected by members of the public, using it to create a comprehensive abundance map of the tick responsible for transmitting Lyme disease.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Common gene variants linked to sepsis and COVID-19 severity in African Americans
Microscopic rendering of sepsis cells.

Common gene variants linked to sepsis and COVID-19 severity in African Americans

Two genetic risk variants that are carried by nearly 40% of Black individuals may exacerbate the severity of both sepsis and COVID-19. A Penn Medicine study identifies two potential pathways to reduce the health disparities driven by these gene mutations.

Lauren Ingeno

From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion
coral diving

With coral reefs under threat from climate change, pollutants, sedimentation, and other factors, Barott and colleagues hope to continue investigating how such challenges may influence coral reproduction and persistence. (Image: Courtesy of Kelsey Speer)

From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion

Coral sperm require a specific pH to move, according to research from the School of Arts & Sciences, which identifies a signaling pathway that is shared by organisms including humans. The results inform how corals may fare with climate change.

Katherine Unger Baillie

In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger
A graphic with a stomach and a brain next to one another

Signals between the brain and stomach help animals decide when and how much to eat. A research collaboration involving Penn neuroscientists has uncovered a sensor for fullness in an area of the brain never before associated with satiation: the cerebellum. (Image: Courtesy of the Betley laboratory)

In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger

A research team led by J. Nicholas Betley in the School of Arts & Sciences has identified an entirely new way the brain signals fullness after eating. The findings offer a novel target for therapies that could dramatically curb overeating.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The protein that keeps worker ants in line can also make them queen
Popular Science

The protein that keeps worker ants in line can also make them queen

Research by PIK Professor Shelly Berger and Roberto Bonasio of the Perelman School of Medicine found a protein in the brains of ants is responsible for regulating social behavior. “Kr-h1 is required to maintain the boundaries between social castes and to ensure that workers continue to work while gamergates continue to act like queens,” said Berger.