Biology | Penn Today

Worker ants: You could have been queens

The Perelman School’s Roberto Bonasio discussed the difficulties of studying insulin signaling in ants. The relevant genes, said Bonasio, are involved in numerous bodily functions, making it tough to isolate their role in differentiating queens from workers.

Understanding the social dynamics that cause cooperation to thrive, or fail

Many examples of cooperation exist in nature, but it’s far from a universal characteristic of human or animal groups. Using a mathematical model, Erol Akçay showed that less randomly connected social networks make cooperation more likely, but those dynamics may ultimately lead to cooperation’s collapse.

Frigid polar oceans, not coral reefs, are hot spots for formations of fish species

Tropical waters contain a dazzling diversity of fish species compared to colder ocean areas. Yet a new study paradoxically indicates that the colder waters are home to the highest species formation rates.

Boosting testosterone makes men prefer higher-status products

A study out of the Wharton School found that a single dose of testosterone increased men's preference for luxury, high-status items, mimicking animal behavior.

Using statistics to uncover the truth about individual cells

Researchers at Penn have developed a better method for interpreting data from single-cell RNA sequencing technologies.

Fine arts professor marries art and science on the Schuylkill River banks

Fine Arts lecturer Deirdre Murphy answered a call for artists for Penn's Ecotopian Toolkit project with a piece based on the migratory patterns of birds on the Schuylkill River, right in her backyard.

Digitized plant collection to answer how living in a ‘megalopolis’ affects flora

Digital records of the roughly 800,000 plant specimens from five mid-Atlantic states will create a digital herbarium, a database covering 400 years of native flora.

The varying skin colors of Africa: Light, dark, and all in between

A team of geneticists led by Sarah Tishkoff, a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, has shown that there is a huge amount of variation of skin color within Africa, ranging from skin as light as some Asians to the darkest skin on a global level.

Two faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences

Shelly Berger and Karen Goldberg are among 84 new members elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for a scientist.

Shepherding discoveries from the lab to the pharmacy

In a new book, a biochemist, a sociologist, and an economist share insights into how biomedical discoveries become marketable innovations.

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