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Supersonic whale calls and special relativity
A humpback whale breaching.

Humpback whales, like the one pictured here off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, are routinely located by analyzing when their calls reach underwater microphones. In a recent paper, oceanographer John Spiesberger and a colleague identified a theoretical wave-interference effect that can make energy from sound waves outrun fundamental speed limits without violating the laws of physics. Their findings could improve whale tracking.

(Image: Courtesy of Bryce Flynn / Getty)

Supersonic whale calls and special relativity

Researchers noticed a wave-interference effect that makes sound energy appear to outrun fundamental limits without breaking physics. Their findings could improve whale tracking.

3 min. read

The hidden waves at the beach
Two people are standing at Avalon Beach in Sydney, Australia

Image: Jenny Evans / Stringer via Getty Images

The hidden waves at the beach

Electromagnetism researcher Nader Engheta explains the physics behind invisible waves washing over beachgoers at the shore.

3 min. read

Awards for Penn faculty
Fisher Fine Arts library in summer.

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Awards for Penn faculty

The latest awards roundup for faculty in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, Penn Carey Law, and the Perelman School of Medicine.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

How quickly can a bubble pop?

How quickly can a bubble pop?

Assistant professor of physics and astronomy Saurabh Nath designed an “air-loving” membrane that can pop underwater bubbles in milliseconds, while discovering a fundamental law that governs these ephemeral spheres.

From Omnia

Making ‘light’ work of computing  
Futuristic digital intelligent chip data processing technology

Image: Chayanan via Getty Images

Making ‘light’ work of computing  

Penn physicists led by Bo Zhen have created hybrid light-matter particles that interact strongly enough to compute, pointing toward ultrafast, low-energy optical AI hardware.

2 min. read

What happens when an iceberg melts?
An iceberg in Iceland.

Research from Hugo Ulloa, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth & Environmental Science, and Daisuke Noto of Hokkaido University, models how icebergs melt and move in their environments.

(Image: Gabi Musat / 500px via Getty Images)

What happens when an iceberg melts?

With ice balls, lasers, and cameras, School of Arts & Sciences’ Hugo Ulloa recreated a melting iceberg in his lab. This project revealed that icebergs don’t sit passively on the water’s surface but actually release dense, cold water and jet across the surface, churning and mixing everything in their paths.

From Omnia

2 min. read

Penn Medicine, CHOP team awarded Breakthrough Prize for developing gene therapy for inherited blindness
Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire

Physician-scientists Jean Bennett and Al Maguire (right and left, respectively, pictured in their home), and Katherine High received the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for their trailblazing work on the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited condition, which dramatically improves sight in people with a form of blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis.

(Image: Peggy Peterson)

Penn Medicine, CHOP team awarded Breakthrough Prize for developing gene therapy for inherited blindness

Jean Bennett, Albert Maguire, and Katherine High have been honored for their trailblazing work on the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited condition.

From Penn Medicine News , Frank Otto

2 min. read