Ecology

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

Declines in shellfish species on rocky seashores match climate-driven changes

Mussels, barnacles, and snails are declining in the Gulf of Maine, according to a new paper by biologists Peter Petraitis of the School of Arts & Sciences and Steve Dudgeon of California State University, Northridge. Their 20-year dataset reveals that the populations’ steady dwindling matches up with the effects of climate change on the region.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Merging big data and marine biology

Junior Ashna Sethi found an opportunity to delve into one of her passions this summer with paleobiologist Lauren Sallan’s lab in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Urban planning for biodiversity after bushfires

The Weitzman School’s Richard Weller visited Sydney for a two-week intensive on critical urban challenges and converting a parkland into an incubator for wildlife.

Penn Today Staff

‘An Atlas for the Green New Deal’

The McHarg Center releases a new collection of maps and datascapes capturing the spatial consequences of climate change in support of a coordinated national response.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Exploring cryptocurrency and blockchain in Iceland

A virtual reality film, photo series, and soundscape from Penn and Rutgers document the effect this fast-growing tech industry is having on the country’s natural resources and people.

Michele W. Berger

Fruit flies’ microbiomes shape their evolution

In just five generations, an altered microbiome can lead to genome-wide evolution in fruit flies, according to new research led by Paul Schmidt and postdoc Seth Rudman of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Inferno in the rainforest

Satellite images have detected more than 100,000 points of fire in the Amazon this year. Scientists Reto Gieré and Alain Plante illuminate some less obvious impacts of the fires, including health threats and climate impacts.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


The New Yorker

The little-known world of caterpillars

Dan Janzen of the School of Arts & Sciences explains how the climate crisis has led to catastrophic declines in insect numbers.

FULL STORY →



CNN

Wealthy American homes have carbon footprints 25% higher than low-income residences, study says

Vincent Reina of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design said that the large homes owned by wealthy people require excess energy, but that low-income homes may also produce significant emissions because of the high cost of energy-efficient renovations and new appliances.

FULL STORY →



Bloomberg

How to grow green

Daniel Aldana Cohen of the School of Arts & Sciences has proposed that grants be made to help replace aging utility systems in low-income and public housing.

FULL STORY →



WHYY (Philadelphia)

Not over the hill: ‘Design With Nature,’ Ian McHarg’s landmark book of ecological design turns 50

Bill Whitaker of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design spoke about Penn landscape architect Ian McHarg’s influence on ecological design and city planning. “He realized that people paid attention when you had scientific information and you had hard facts,” said Whitaker.

FULL STORY →