Research

Protein’s ‘silent code’ affects how cells move

A School of Veterinary Medicine-led study shows how, despite having nearly identical amino acid sequences, two forms of the protein actin differ in function due their distinct nucleotide sequences.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Designing public institutions that foster cooperation

People are more likely to cooperate with those they see as “good.” Using a mathematical model, School of Arts & Sciences researchers found it’s possible to design systems that assess and broadcast participants’ reputations, leading to high levels of cooperation and adherence.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


HealthDay

Dementia may not be as common among Parkinson’s patients as thought

A study by Daniel Weintraub of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that dementia is not inevitable with Parkinson’s and is actually less common than presumed.

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WBUR Radio (Boston)

If you’re not getting a good night’s rest, it might be time for sleep ‘physical therapy’

According to a 2018 study from the Perelman School of Medicine, a quarter of Americans develop acute insomnia every year.

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NextCity.org

What happened to crash rates when one state legalized speed cameras?

A study by Erick Guerra of the Weitzman School of Design and colleagues suggests that speed cameras lead to a substantial and statistically significant reduction in fatalities and crashes.

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Philadelphia Citizen

Want students to succeed? Give them safe homes

A 2021 Penn study showed that home repairs in low-income, predominantly Black neighborhoods led to a decrease in crime.

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Los Angeles Times

Study details ‘transformative’ results from L.A. pilot that guaranteed families $1,000 a month

Amy Castro of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the School of Social Policy & Practice and colleagues found that participants in a guaranteed income pilot program in Los Angeles experienced a host of financial benefits.

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Politico.com

The political shockwaves of America’s falling birth rates

Jagadeesh Gokhale of the Penn Wharton Budget Model has built demographic models that show immigration’s huge growth impacts on the nation’s population levels.

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