Postdocs

A physical model for forming patterns in pollen

Physicists have developed a model that describes how patterns form on pollen spores, the first physically rigorous framework that details the thermodynamic processes that lead to complex biological architectures.

Erica K. Brockmeier , Erica K. Brockmeier

Up, up, and away

Mark Devlin and his team behind BLAST are about to embark on another scientific adventure in Antarctica, this time measuring how stars form in our galaxy.

Lauren Hertzler

Extreme weather won’t sway climate skeptics

Experiencing extreme weather is not enough to convince climate change skeptics that humans are damaging the environment, according to a new study based on research at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Penn Today Staff



In the News


The Washington Post

Dogs may be able to communicate by pressing buttons, research suggests

Postdoc Amritha Mallikarjun of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that dogs use buttons as a trained behavior to try and get the things they want.

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Popular Science

Dogs really are communicating via button boards, new research suggests

Postdoc Amritha Mallikarjun of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that dogs are using button boards to communicate non-randomly and with intent, although they don’t necessarily have formal language ability.

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HealthDay

Keto diet supplement could boost a cancer treatment's effectiveness

A study by Perelman School of Medicine student Puneeth Guruprasad and postdoc Shan Liu suggests that a component of the keto diet could boost CAR T cell therapy to help treat cancer.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Is an Alzheimer’s blood test right for me?

Postdoc Claire Erickson and Emily Largent of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Leonard Davis Institute discuss which people should take an Alzheimer’s blood test.

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Live Science

The brain may interpret smells from each nostril differently

A study by postdoc Gulce Nazli Dikecligil in the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that the smells flowing through each nostril are processed as two separate signals in the part of the brain that receives smell inputs.

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The New York Times

One graceless tweet doesn’t warrant cancellation

Elle Lett, a postdoc in the Perelman School of Medicine, wrote about how the word “freak” has been used to dehumanize Black women. “There is a history that dates back to the antebellum South” of “fetishizing, hypersexualizing and otherizing Black women in freak shows and displays to media and even medical textbooks,” Lett wrote. “Black women are consistently dehumanized in America. By using ‘freak of nature,’ you separate Black women from the rest of human existence.”

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