Biology | Penn Today

A link between obesity and sleep loss may lie in studying worm metabolism

Penn researchers find microscopic worms offer a surprisingly good model for studying how metabolism regulates sleep in humans and other mammals.

Penn labs get creative to stay productive, connected

In the face of a pandemic that has shuttered most physical laboratories across campus, researchers have shifted gears, maintaining work and social ties through grant- and manuscript-writing, virtual journal clubs, online coffee breaks, and more.

Horses and dogs share a surprisingly common language of play

Sue McDonnell of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on new research that finds shared play language between dogs and horses. “It’s a wonderful study, and takes the questions surrounding play behavior to a new level,” she said.

David Roos taking a selfie while teaching a class online, with scientific materials on the screen behind him

A quick pivot turns an infectious disease class into timely education

Students in David Roos’ upper-level biology course had been studying pandemics. Now they get to learn in real time how public health scientists attempt to understand COVID-19.

Side-by-side microscopic images of cell spindle during meiosis. Left image shows green with pink in the middle, right shows green with pink spots throughout.

A critical enzyme for sperm formation could be a target for treating male infertility

The protein, SKP1, drives a key transition step in male meiosis, the type of cell division process that results in sperm, School of Veterinary Medicine researchers found.

Two gloved hands hold a syringe and needle in a lab setting

Penn establishes center to accelerate coronavirus research

The Center for Research on Coronaviruses and Other Emerging Pathogens aims to advance research efforts and support development of new therapies and vaccines.

Gloved hands hold a dropper over a tray of glass vials in a lab

The biology of coronaviruses: From the lab to the spotlight

The recent coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, has been swift, but according to microbiology professor Susan Weiss, it didn’t come out of nowhere. Coronaviruses have been around for a long time, and new strains have transformed and may continue to emerge.

Coronavirus vs. flu: Which virus is deadlier?

Neil Fishman of the Perelman School of Medicine weighed in on the novel coronavirus and how it differs from the flu. “I think what we’re seeing with Covid-19 is what influenza would look like without a vaccine,” he said.

Helpful interactions can keep societies stable

New work by Erol Akçay of the School of Arts and Sciences and Jimmy Qian, a recent alum, challenges 50-year-old predictions that mutualistic interactions make a community unstable.

A promising new strategy to help broken bones heal faster

To improve how broken bones heal in people with diabetes, the School of Dental Medicine’s Henry Daniell, Sheri Yang, and colleagues are leading work to develop an affordable oral therapy—grown in plants.

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