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Erica K. Brockmeier
Science News Officer
ekbrock@upenn.edu
Physics
Shifting sands, creeping soils, and a new understanding of landscape evolution
Shifting sands, creeping soils, and a new understanding of landscape evolution
New experiments show that, even when undisturbed, piles of sand grains are in constant motion, challenging theories of how soils and other types of disordered materials behave.
Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation
Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation
Along with developing a new statistical method for studying exoplanets, researchers from Penn found that the majority of stars in their dataset are similar to the sun, implying that many stars in the Milky Way could host their own Earthlike planets.
Dark Energy Survey interim analysis sheds light on the evolution of the universe
Dark Energy Survey interim analysis sheds light on the evolution of the universe
Analysis of the survey’s first three years of data, which were used to make the most precise 3D map of the universe to date, is a key step towards understanding dark matter and dark energy.
Insights into new ‘dials’ for controlling a material’s magnetism
Insights into new ‘dials’ for controlling a material’s magnetism
New research demonstrates how small amounts of strain can be used to control a material’s properties, with possible applications ranging from spintronic devices to faster hard drives.
Beyond topological insulators
Beyond topological insulators
Charlie Kane and Eugene Mele’s groundbreaking theories on the existence of a new class of materials continues to inspire an upcoming generation of physics researchers.
27 million galaxy morphologies quantified and cataloged with the help of machine learning
27 million galaxy morphologies quantified and cataloged with the help of machine learning
Using data from the Dark Energy Survey, researchers from the Department of Physics & Astronomy produced the largest catalog of galaxy morphology classifications to date.
Developing a new platform for DNA sequencing
Research from the lab of Marija Drndić in the School of Arts & Sciences shows how solid state materials can be developed for large-scale automated sequencing by incorporating state-of-the-art fabrication and analytics.
How cells transport molecules with ‘active carpets’
How cells transport molecules with ‘active carpets’
New research provides insights into the process of diffusion in living systems, with implications from novel active coatings to understanding how pathogens are cleared from lungs.
Two Churchill Scholars for Penn
Two Churchill Scholars for Penn
Adam Konkol and Abigail Timmel have each been awarded Churchill Scholarships for a year of graduate research study at the University of Cambridge in England. Konkol and Timmel are among only 16 who were selected nationwide.
Five Penn faculty named 2021 Sloan Research Fellows
Five Penn faculty named 2021 Sloan Research Fellows
The fellowship recognizes extraordinary U.S. and Canadian researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders.
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In the News
Science
From rocks to icebergs, the natural world tends to break into cubes
Douglas Jerolmack of the School of Arts & Sciences commented on his research, which finds that when natural structures break apart, they tend to fragment into cube-like shapes. He said the findings could help geologists calculate the size of rocks breaking off cliff faces, among other applications.
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ScienceFriday.com
A squid’s eye view
Alison Sweeney of the School of Arts and Sciences discussed the complex structure of squids’ eyes, which have special lenses that allow for crisp vision in dark water. “The resolution of their eyes is approaching that of humans, their retinas are much more sensitive than ours are to light, and if you dig into the nitty-gritty of how nature figured it out, I’m forever blown away at the level of nuance to get it to work.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn's Electric Race Car Team Seeks Fourth Title in Four Years
Eighty undergrads from a variety of departments, including Connor Sendel of the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, are building an electric car with four-wheel drive with hopes of winning two competitions this June.
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