Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

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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.

A person standing on a stairwell, being photographed from above.

A link between childhood stress and early molars

Penn researchers discovered that children from lower-income backgrounds and those who go through greater adverse childhood experiences get their first permanent molars sooner.

Panoramic view of the village of Gangotri at the shore of a river.

‘Cities in water’

Architect and landscape architect Anuradha Mathur and anthropologist Nikhil Anand are collaborating on questions of design and human practices to create new ways of thinking about low-lying coastal cities in India and around the world.

A young person wearing a mask and polka dot t-shirt leaning against a faux wooden wall.

A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID

As a whole, this group experienced a significant short-term psychological toll. Though the long-term consequences aren’t yet known, particularly given how the year disproportionately exacerbated adverse childhood experiences, Penn experts remain cautiously optimistic.

a person wearing a mask with a QR code on their phone scanning their ticket in an airport

The potential role of vaccine certificates in the next phase of the pandemic

Public health law expert Eric Feldman and medical ethicist Emily Largent discuss the legal and ethical implications of companies and organizations requiring proof of vaccination to reengage with different sectors of the economy.

An updated understanding of how to synthesize value-added chemicals

New research provides key insights on how to add functional groups onto simple hydrocarbons including methane, a crucial first step towards designing the next generation of catalysts.

Melissa G. Hunt is the associate director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences. She is also author of the book “Reclaim Your Life from IBS: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Relief without Restrictive Diets.”

A more effective at-home treatment for IBS

In a randomized control trial, researchers found that after eight weeks, participants with irritable bowel syndrome who used an app focused on cognitive behavioral therapy experienced better health-related quality of life, fewer GI symptoms, and less anxiety.

After the pandemic, how will society remember more than 3 million lives lost to COVID-19?

To date, more than 3 million people worldwide have lost their lives to COVID-19.

Rows of houses with corrugated metal roofs are interspersed with trees. A mountain range is in the background

India’s COVID crisis

Political scientist Tariq Thachil of the School of Arts & Sciences and economist and public health expert Harsha Thirumurthy of the Perelman School of Medicine take a look at what’s happening in India with the pandemic's second wave and what can be done to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

the philadelphia city skyline looking north on a sunny day

How has COVID-19 changed ‘superstar cities’?

A new analysis found that overall mobility in large U.S. cities has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, and some are also experiencing changing segregation patterns, with potential implications that could last well beyond the pandemic.

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