Neuroscience | Penn Today

Network schematic of peoples' browsing activity on Wikipedia.

Studying Wikipedia browsing habits to learn how people learn

A collaborative team of researchers analyzed the information-seeking styles of more than 480,000 people from 50 countries and found that gender and education inequality track different types of knowledge exploration. Their findings suggest potential cultural drivers of curiosity and learning.

Person scratching an itch on their right arm.

Scratching beneath the surface of itchy skin

Researchers from Penn Vet provide insights into how a species of worms found a way around the mammalian urge to scratch an itch.

Alzheimer’s patients and their families hear a new word: Progress

Jeffrey Maneval of the Perelman School of Medicine classifies two new drug treatments for Alzheimer’s as “a double, not a home run.”

The next frontier of antibiotic discovery: Inside your gut

César de la Fuente of the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Science says the main pillars that have enabled us to almost double our lifespan in the last 100 years have been antibiotics, vaccines, and clean water.

Five ways science is tackling the antibiotic resistance crisis

César de la Fuente of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Perelman School of Medicine is using AI to identify antimicrobial peptides found in modern and extinct humans, as well as other extinct animals.

Flavia Vitale holding a vial with a gloved hand.

Building solutions for brain disorders

Penn Engineering’s Flavia Vitale’s work developing devices that help people living with brain disorders has earned her a CAREER award, which will support her lab’s research in materials and devices that interface with different chemical and electrical signals inside the brain.

Breaking through the mysteries of predicting coma recovery

Penn Medicine’s David Fischer created the RECOVER (REcovery of COnsciousness Via Evidence-Based Medicine and Research) program to provide specialized, comprehensive, and ongoing care for coma patients in various stages of coma recovery.

Wildfire smoke is probably harming your brain

A study by Holly Elser of the Perelman School of Medicine finds that wildfire smoke exposure can significantly increase the risk of dementia.

How wildfire smoke could cause dementia