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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor
A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor
The visiting scholar discusses the social innovation class he is teaching, plus why it’s key to focus on local civil rights victories and the need to take a long view of history.
Understanding what makes a fact a fact
Understanding what makes a fact a fact
Professor of History Sophie Rosenfeld and Professor of Education Sigal Ben-Porath unite their perspectives on truth for Penn Today's first “Understand This ...” podcast episode.
The history behind International Women’s Day
The history behind International Women’s Day
Kristen R. Ghodsee, professor of Russian and East European studies, talks to Penn Today about the global holiday’s history, and why America has been late to embrace it.
A friendship born through marginalization
A friendship born through marginalization
At the turn of the 20th century, Julian Abele and Louis Magaziner—a Black man and an immigrant Jew—were standouts in Penn’s School of Fine Arts about to launch distinguished careers in architecture. They were also beginning what would be a lifelong friendship. A Magaziner descendant and Abele admirer investigates what brought them together.
Super Tuesday takeaways
Super Tuesday takeaways
Super Tuesday votes in 14 states offered some surprises and seem to have dramatically transformed the Democratic bid for president.
The curious case of ancient bear bones at a Mississippi dig site
The curious case of ancient bear bones at a Mississippi dig site
Penn and UNC Chapel Hill researchers theorize that the considerable black bear remains indicate an animal that was a food source and considered close kin to the people who lived there 1,300 years ago.
With ‘The Sacramento of Desire,’ Julia Bloch completes a personal trilogy
With ‘The Sacramento of Desire,’ Julia Bloch completes a personal trilogy
The creative writing professor’s most recent book of poetry focuses on her desire for making a family as a member of the queer community.
Documentary filmmaking in the Himalayas
Documentary filmmaking in the Himalayas
Supported by National Geographic and other grants, seniors Alina Peng and Charles Zhang traveled to Bhutan to discover how villagers are coping with the effects of water scarcity and climate change.
Ecuador’s vice president talks biodiversity protection
Ecuador’s vice president talks biodiversity protection
Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner spoke to a packed Perry World House about protecting the environment while balancing economic growth.
Working on ‘the human side’ of heritable cancers
Working on ‘the human side’ of heritable cancers
How do you talk about cancer risk? How do you make major life decisions knowing you are likely to develop cancer? Allison Werner-Lin looks at these questions, studying the intersection of genetics and family life.
In the News
Marketplace (NPR)
What did you do at work last week? Monitoring performance doesn’t improve it, expert says
Adam Grant of the Wharton School says that people do their best work when they’re given a chance to pursue autonomy, mastery, belonging, and purpose.
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Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
‘Marry or be fired’ and other global efforts to boost fertility
Jesús Fernández-Villaverde of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the world population will peak in 2055, followed by a systematic decline at a rapid rate.
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Men’s Health
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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Philadelphia Inquirer
After years of anti-vaccine advocacy, RFK Jr. said vaccines protect children. But experts say he must go further amid measles outbreak
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and Jessica McDonald of APPC’s Factcheck.org comment on the need to debunk vaccine misinformation in public health messaging.
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The Guardian
Formerly anti-vax parents on how they changed their minds: ‘I really made a mistake’
According to surveys from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the proportion of respondents who believe vaccines are unsafe grew from 9% in April 2021 to 16% in the fall of 2023.
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