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Library research in action: Wandering the stacks with Mengliu Cheng
Mengliu Cheng.

History doctoral student Mengliu Cheng.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Libraries)

Library research in action: Wandering the stacks with Mengliu Cheng

The history doctoral student is working on a dissertation about agricultural science in modern China with the help of Penn Libraries’ Zilberman Family Center for Global Collections.

From Penn Libraries

2 min. read

Annenberg School launches Master of Communication and Media Industries program
Annenberg School for Communication exterior and the silhouette of a student.

Image: Eric Sucar

Annenberg School launches Master of Communication and Media Industries program

For the first time in 25 years, Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication will offer a master’s program. The new Master of Communication and Media Industries (MCMI) is a reimagining of the Annenberg School’s inaugural academic program in 1954; its curriculum will be defined by its exploration of rapid technological change, global interconnectivity, and evolving professional demands.

From Annenberg School for Communication

1 min. read

Can data from the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?
Close-up of ATLAS detector at CERN.

ATLAS’s wheel-like end-cap reveals the maze of sensors primed to catch proton smash-ups at the LHC. Researchers comb through billions of events in search of fleeting “ghost” tracks that might expose cracks in string theory.

(Image: Courtesy of CERN)

Can data from the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Theoretical physicist Jonathan Heckman of the School of Arts & Sciences has put a spin on ideas related to testing string theory: Rather than looking to verify it, he and his collaborators sought a novel way to falsify it. Heckman and Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Hicks explain string theory, researchers’ quest to unify physics, and what their new paper puts forward.

10 min. read

Lauder Institute launches expanded summer immersion for Class of 2027, introducing new geopolitical themes

Lauder Institute launches expanded summer immersion for Class of 2027, introducing new geopolitical themes

This year’s program, a cornerstone of the Institute’s Master of Arts in International Studies—a joint degree offered in combination with the Wharton MBA—offers a six-week deep dive into the Institute’s newly introduced geopolitical themes, with an additional week at the start of the immersion dedicated to contextualizing the geopolitical challenges shaping today’s business landscape.

Want more women in leadership? Tell them they’re losing out

Want more women in leadership? Tell them they’re losing out

A Wharton study finds that highlighting the gender gap in competition on a job platform increased women’s applications for leadership roles by over 20%.

From Knowledge at Wharton

2 min. read

Decoding ancient immunity networks
Hand holding a blood vial that reads "complement (C3 + C4)"

A collaborative team from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine have unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that acts like the body’s bouncer, “deciding” which foreign materials get degraded by immune cells and which are allowed entry.

(Image / iStock Md Saiful Islam Khan)

Decoding ancient immunity networks

A collaborative team from Penn Medicine and Penn Engineering have  unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that “decides” which foreign materials are friend or foe.

Nathi Magubane , Ian Scheffler , Holly Wojcik , Matt Toal

5 min. read

Who, What, Why: Xiao Schutte Ke on Tibetan pastoralists and citizen science
Xiao Schutte Ke.

Image: Courtesy of Xiao Schutte Ke

Who, What, Why: Xiao Schutte Ke on Tibetan pastoralists and citizen science

Schutte Ke, a sixth-year linguistic anthropology doctoral candidate in the School of Arts & Sciences, explains the importance of Indigenous citizen scientists in understanding a crucial ecosystem of nomadic livestock herders on the mountainous region of the Tibetan Plateau.

3 min. read

What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles?
Leafcutter ants moving around a bright green leaf.

In eusocial superorganisms like leafcutter ant colonies, labor is divvied up according to body shape and size, but PIK Professor Shelley Berger and her team discovered that molecular signals can override that blueprint. Their findings reveal how simple neuropeptides can reprogram ant behavior, reshuffling roles in nature’s most disciplined workforce.

(Image: Courtesy of Tierney Scarpa)

What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles?

PIK Professor Shelley Berger and colleagues explored the genetic basis of labor distribution in communal-dwelling species and discovered that pathways dating back hundreds of millions of years are conserved across animal kingdoms. Their findings offer fundamental insights into complex social behaviors.

5 min. read

Native plants from afar
A diagram of areas where marigolds are native plants.

Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News

Native plants from afar

In a course led by 2024-25 McHarg Fellow Leah Kahler, students explored the movement of plants across cultures and climates, as well as the relationships between recreational and productive landscapes.

From the Weitzman School of Design

2 min. read

How cable news has diverged from broadcast news
Person sitting on couch watching news.

Image: simonkr via Getty Images

How cable news has diverged from broadcast news

A team of researchers from the Computational Social Science Lab at the University of Pennsylvania find that cable news has increasingly diverged from broadcast news in the topics covered and language used.

3 min. read