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Postdocs
Can nature-inspired designs affect cognition and mood?
A team from the Center for Neuroaesthetics created a biophilic room to test the idea. Preliminary findings from a small pilot show promise, but also spur many questions about how to best use such a space.
How Penn’s School of Medicine supports students starting families
Juggling parenthood and studying is a lot easier with the formal support structures that the Perelman School of Medicine offers.
Art museums plant seeds of human flourishing
Researchers from the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project in the Positive Psychology Center at Penn have found that art museums are associated with wide-ranging benefits to human health.
Jamaal Green on geographic information systems, urban planning, and housing quality
The assistant professor of city and regional planning combines his expertise in city planning, housing, and mapping with his teaching, and conducts research on housing quality issues for low-income homeowners in Philadelphia.
An arms race that plays out in a single genome
School of Arts & Sciences biologist Mia Levine and Cara Brand, a postdoc, shed light on an example of coevolution in fruit flies that has implications for human health.
Genomic differences selected through evolution may offer clues as to why COVID-19 outcomes vary widely
A team from the University of Pennsylvania analyzed genomic data from global populations, including thousands of ethnically diverse Africans, to identify genetic variants that may be associated with clinical COVID-19 outcomes.
Penn Athletics hires Liz Nobis as first-ever mental health professional
Nobis earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Biola University’s Rosemead School of Psychology in 2021 and has been serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Penn’s Counseling Services for the past year.
People imitate accent features they expect to hear, even without hearing them
Research from postdoc Lacey Wade confirmed this idea, what she calls expectation-driven convergence, in a controlled experiment for the first time. The work reveals just how much the subconscious factors into the way people speak.
Researchers find topological phenomena at high technologically relevant frequencies
A collaborative new study led by researchers in the School of Arts & Sciences demonstrates topological control capabilities in an acoustic system, with implications for applications such as 5G communications and quantum information processing.
Decoding a material’s ‘memory’
A new study details the relationship between particle structure and flow in disordered materials, insights that can be used to understand systems ranging from mudslides to biofilms.
In the News
GLP-1s ‘modestly lower’ the risk for depression in adults with diabetes
A study by postdoc Huilin Tang of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues finds that GLP-1 hormones can reduce the risk of depression among older adults with diabetes.
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These two personality traits make you instantly more attractive, say studies of over 4,000 people
A study by postdoc Natalia Kononov of the Wharton School suggests that kindness and helpfulness can make someone more attractive, regardless of the situation or relationship.
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Scientists found a brain switch that could turn anxiety on and off
A study by postdoc Pei Wern Chin of the School of Arts & Sciences found that anxiety behaviors in mice could be controlled by either stimulating or inhibiting the neurons that release serotonin in the cerebellum.
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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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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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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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