11/15
Biology
5.5 million-year-old fossil turtle species sheds light on invasive modern relatives
A University of Pennsylvania paleontologist has described a 5.5 million-year-old fossil species of turtle from eastern Tennessee. It represents a new species of the genus Trachemys, commonly known as sliders, which are frequently kept as pets today.
To accept evolution, start with understanding
Prevailing theories about evolution state that belief in the concept is tied only to a person’s politics, religion or both. But according to new research, whether Americans accept or reject the subject also depends on how well they understand it.
Penn Engineers Make First Full Network Model of the Musculoskeletal System
Network science examines how the actions of a system’s individual parts affect the behavior of the system as a whole. Some commonly studied networks include computer chip components and social media users, but University of Pennsylvania engineers are now applying network science to a much older system: the human body.
Student Spotlight with Heather Kostick
Student Spotlight with Heather Kostick
The graduate student in environmental studies is running three “bioblitzes” as part of her capstone project.
In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change
In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change
For nearly a decade researchers from Penn have been studying two coral species in Hawaii to better understand their adaptability to the effects of climate change.
In the News
Nature
Is bird flu spreading among people? Data gaps leave researchers in the dark
Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine says that there are fears of bird flu spreading at low levels through humans in a Missouri community.
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Stat
Study of gender-affirming care reveals immune system sex differences
Montserrat Anguera of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine comments on the work to comprehensively examine the impact of gender-affirming care on the immune system.
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Medscape
The next frontier of antibiotic discovery: Inside your gut
César de la Fuente of the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Science says the main pillars that have enabled us to almost double our lifespan in the last 100 years have been antibiotics, vaccines, and clean water.
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Nature
Five ways science is tackling the antibiotic resistance crisis
César de la Fuente of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Perelman School of Medicine is using AI to identify antimicrobial peptides found in modern and extinct humans, as well as other extinct animals.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Philadelphia physician Dr. Ala Stanford publishes memoir on overcoming adversity and the health care system
In a Q&A, Ala Stanford of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses her new book, “Take Care of Them Like My Own,” which addresses inequalities and racial injustices in health care systems.
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Grid
University of Pennsylvania researchers comb the forest floor to understand tick life cycles and the diseases they carry
Dustin Brisson and postdoc Raquel Gonçalves of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues are studying tick life cycles to better understand how they transmit diseases.
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