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Physics of foam strangely resembles AI training
Six separate piles of foam.

Image: Dowprasook Deenu via Getty Images

Physics of foam strangely resembles AI training

Research by Penn Engineers reveals that as foams flow ceaselessly inside while holding their external shape, and this internal motion resembles the process of deep learning, the method typically used to train modern AI systems.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Why are icy surfaces slippery?
An icy bench in a city.

Despite the commonality of water and ice, says Penn physicist Robert Carpick, their physical properties are remarkably unique.

(Image: mustafahacalaki via Getty Images)

Why are icy surfaces slippery?

Winter Storm Fern brought icy and snowy conditions to the Northeast and other parts of the country over the weekend. Penn Today asks physicist Robert Carpick about the unique properties of ice, the science of curling, and how close we are to ‘nonslip’ ice. 

5 min. read

How interdisciplinary teaching becomes climate action

How interdisciplinary teaching becomes climate action

Penn graduate students are learning that net zero is a systems challenge requiring fluency across disciplines, and why interdisciplinary teaching is climate action—including how it builds the human capital the clean energy transition demands.

From Kleinman Center for Energy Policy

2 min. read

Lifesaving breakthrough in bacterial behavior
Artist's rendering of bacteria moving through a nanofabricated tube.

(Pictured) An artist’s depiction of a single cell moving through the nanofabricated mictostrucures biophysicist Arnold Mathijssen’s team used to study E. coli.

(Image: Courtesy of Ruoshui Liu/Cylos Studio)

Lifesaving breakthrough in bacterial behavior

Bacteria can actively swim upstream, leading to severe infections in places like the urinary tract and respiratory system and contamination of medical devices like catheters. Biophysicist Arnold Mathijssen and colleagues have uncovered how and why this happens, revealing that E. coli actually “thrives under pressure.” Their findings point to new strategies for designing safer, more effective biomedical tools and treatments.

3 min. read

Weighing sustainability of real vs. fake Christmas trees
A person putting ornaments on an artificial Christmas tree.

Image: Dmytro Betsenko via Getty Images

Weighing sustainability of real vs. fake Christmas trees

Engineering professor Lorena Grundy says people looking to make a sustainable decision should consider how many years they would use an artificial tree, how they plan to dispose of a real tree, and how the tree was transported.

2 min. read

Penn Engineering launches new master’s in energy and sustainability

Penn Engineering launches new master’s in energy and sustainability

In December, Penn Engineering launched Master of Science in Engineering in Energy and Sustainability, a new graduate program designed to prepare engineers to lead the transition toward a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable energy future.

How one molecule keeps plants youthful
flowering acacia plant.

Image: Courtesy of Omnia.

How one molecule keeps plants youthful

In a career-defining paper, Scott Poethig, a biologist at the School of Arts & Sciences, has discovered that a single molecular switch can freeze plants in their juvenile state.

Marilyn Perkins

2 min. read

One School, many schools of thought
Mark Trodden.

School of Arts & Sciences dean Mark Trodden joins faculty in discussion for Omnia’s latest podcast series.

nocred

One School, many schools of thought

A special edition of the Penn Arts & Sciences “Ampersand” podcast features Dean Mark Trodden in conversation with SAS faculty from different disciplines.

Alex Schein

2 min. read

Evolution at a molecular level

Biologist Mia Levine and colleagues have demonstrated how a pair of essential protein partners undergo rapid evolutionary change to counter fast-evolving parasitic DNA while maintaining core cellular functions. The work presents novel insight into how evolution works at the molecular level.

(Image: Getty images/Joao Paulo Burini)

Evolution at a molecular level

Research led by Mia Levine shows how a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising essential functions.

3 min. read

An ‘illuminating’ design sheds light on cholesterol
A researcher scribbles an organic molecule

nocred

An ‘illuminating’ design sheds light on cholesterol

High levels of cholesterol are linked to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. However, this complex and vital fatty, water insoluble molecule—a lipid—is found in every cell of the body and is not all bad news. It also regulates crucial processes that science has yet to map.

3 min. read