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Amanda Mott
Associate Director for News
ammott@upenn.edu
Climate Change
Extreme weather won’t sway climate skeptics
Experiencing extreme weather is not enough to convince climate change skeptics that humans are damaging the environment, according to a new study based on research at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Dry conditions may have helped a new type of plant gain a foothold on Earth
Plants reap energy from the sun using two photosynthesis pathways, C3 and C4. A new study led by Haoran Zhou, Erol Akçay and Brent Helliker suggests that water availability drove the expansion of C4 species, which may help to explain how different plant lineages came to be distributed on the planet today.
Monitoring heritage sites with drones and remote sensors
The Center for Architectural Conservation has been observing adobe ruins for three years as a harbinger for climate change. Any damage that the changing climate will do to exposed structures, it will do it to adobe first.
How plants cope with stress
With climate change comes drought, and with drought comes higher salt concentrations in the soil. Brian Gregory and graduate student Stephen Anderson have identified a mechanism by which plants respond to salt stress, a pathway that could be targeted to engineer more adaptable crops.
Can changing our diets save the planet?
Brian Berkey and Karen Glanz discuss how dietary changes could impact the overall health of the planet, following the United Nations’ recent report on climate change.
Want to reduce emissions? Start in the gut of a cow
As concern about climate change rises, Dipti Pitta of the School of Veterinary Medicine is working to develop innovative strategies to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Can social media networks reduce political polarization on climate change?
A study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows that exposure to anonymous, bipartisan social networks can lead liberals and conservatives to improve their forecasting of global-climate trends.
Penn filmmakers capture less-told stories of climate change
As part of two CURF grants, students Kyle Rosenbluth and Daniel Fradin traveled to the Arctic to explore a Canadian Inuit community for a documentary—and came back with ample story to tell.
The changing landscape of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases
Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Zika, chikungunya, and dengue are among the vector-borne infections making headlines. Penn researchers shed light on what’s behind the spread and how to stay safe.
Five things to know about the new EPA acting administrator
Following Scott Pruitt’s resignation, will Andrew Wheeler stay the course or chart a new path for the agency, and what does it mean for the environment?
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