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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.
New microfluidic device delivers mRNA nanoparticles a hundred times faster
With a “liquid assembly line,” Penn researchers have produced mRNA-delivering-nanoparticles significantly faster than standard microfluidic technologies.
Collaborative report examines polling problems in the 2020 election
The Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies took a leading role in the newly released report on polling. The program’s faculty director, John Lapinski, shares his takeaways.
Amani Carter develops a new study on unmasking coded bias
The Class of 2022 law student works to identify biases and ‘stereotype threat’ in AI and help provide context for the conversation around mitigating those biases.
Online learning’s impact on student performance
Alex Rees-Jones of the Wharton School co-authored a study that found that online learning during the pandemic had a negative impact on student learning.
With remarkable similarities to MS, a disease in dogs opens new avenues for study
Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine led by Jorge Iván Alvarez and Molly Church found that the canine disease granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis shares many of the same pathological and immunological features as MS.
How project-based learning can prepare students for the 21st century
Penn GSE dean Pam Grossman and peers argue in a new book that project-based learning, a method of instruction that identifies a project or problem that students work on, should be at the center of American public education.
Higher COVID-19 mortality among Black patients linked to unequal hospital quality
If Black patients were admitted to the same hospitals that serve a majority of white patients, Penn Medicine researchers show their risk of death would drop by 10%.
Use of cell phones while driving may be tied to other risky road behaviors in young adults
Anew study finds that 18- to 24-year-olds who use cell phones while driving are more likely to engage in other risky driving behaviors associated with “acting-without-thinking,” a form of impulsivity.
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.
In the News
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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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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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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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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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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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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