Research

Aman Husbands inspects plants in his lab

From one gene switch, many possible outcomes

A team of researchers led by Aman Husbands of the School of Arts & Sciences has uncovered surprising ways transcription factors—the genetic switches for genes—regulate plant development, revealing how subtle changes in a lipid-binding region can dramatically alter gene regulation.

The hidden risk factor investors may be missing in stocks, bonds, and options

A study by Nikolai Roussanov of the Wharton School and colleagues finds that stocks, bonds, and options strategies could have more correlated risk than is evident on the surface.

A person taking food out of the fridge late at night.

A link between liver-brain communication and daily eating patterns

A new study by researchers at Penn Medicine finds that disconnecting a connection in the vagus nerve corrects overeating and weight gain caused by a defective “liver clock.”

Why the return to office workforce is coming back less diverse

A study by the Wharton School found that changing job openings to remote work at startups increased female applicants by 15% and minority applicants by 33%.

The more students miss class, the worse teachers feel about their jobs

A study co-authored by Michael Gottfried of the Graduate School of Education finds that teacher satisfaction steadily drops as student absenteeism increases.

Diversity will suffer with five-day office mandates, research suggests

A 2024 Wharton School study found that changing job openings to remote work at startups increased female applicants by 15% and minority applicants by 33%.

Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes

Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.

Rising student absenteeism may be hurting teacher job satisfaction

A study by Michael Gottfried and Ph.D. student Colby Woods of the Graduate School of Education finds that student absences are linked to lower teacher job satisfaction, which could exacerbate growing teacher shortages.

Scientists unveil 16+ distinct nerve cell types behind human touch

A study by Wenqin Lo of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues used detailed analyses of the genes used by individual nerve cells to identify 16 distinct types of nerve cells in humans.

Can honeybees and dogs detect cancer earlier than technology?

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center are training dogs to recognize certain cancer odors.

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