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Centuries after discovery, red blood cells still hold surprises
Four microscopic views of red blood cells.

In these microscopic close-ups, samples of red blood cells aggregate from left to right, becoming more compact despite the absence of platelets, long thought essential to clotting.

(Image: Rustem Litvinov)

Centuries after discovery, red blood cells still hold surprises

In a new collaborative study, researchers at Penn turned to mechanical engineering to understand how blood clots can compact, even without platelets.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

A nature-inspired leap in water harvesting technology

A nature-inspired leap in water harvesting technology

Penn Engineering’s Shu Yang and postdoctoral fellow Yunchan Lee are working to develop a new material and device that imitate raspberries and sunflowers. Together, these bio-inspired forms make clean, sustainable water harvesting possible by using just the moisture in the air and the heat of the sun.

Three undergraduates map climate and health education opportunities across campus
Wendy Hernandez Higarede and Veronica Baladi look at glass case in Houston Hall.

Wendy Hernandez Higarede and Veronica Baladi made observations in Houston Hall as part of their fieldwork.

nocred

Three undergraduates map climate and health education opportunities across campus

For a Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program project, Wendy Hernandez Higarede, Veronica Baladi, and Faith Amolo Owino are engaging with Penn’s Climate and Health Education Working Group and learning ethnographic methods.

2 min. read

Hunting for relics of a universe past
a spherical halo created by dark matter.

Image courtesy of ESO/L. Calçada

Hunting for relics of a universe past

In the lab of associate professor of physics and astronomy Robyn Sanderson, Alexandra DiMauro and Mariam Tskitishvili search for hints about dark matter and analyze data that could inform what is known about how stars form.

Laura Dattaro

2 min. read

Could exoplanets locked in eternal day and endless night support life?
Artist depiction of exoplanet LHS 3844 b.

Image: Courtesy of NASA

Could exoplanets locked in eternal day and endless night support life?

Ever so slightly bigger than Earth, the exoplanet LHS 3844b orbits its parent star, LHS 3884, a red dwarf 48.5 light-years away from our solar system, in such a way that the speed of its axial spin mirrors the speed of its orbit. The result? One side of LHS 3844b is perpetually bathed in scorching sunlight, locked into a never-ending, blistering hot day, while the other is forever shrouded in darkness so cold that particles are incapable of movement, a state known as absolute zero (zero Kelvin).

7 min. read

What ever-growing incisors can teach us about genetic disease
Microscopic view of a mouse incisor.

An image taken through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows a polished sagittal section through a mouse mandibular incisor, showing the different mineralized tissue layers.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering Today)

What ever-growing incisors can teach us about genetic disease

An interdisciplinary team of researchers approaches the question ‘How do teeth mineralize?’ by analyzing the physical, biological, and genetic properties of teeth for real-world clinical applications in the future.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

The global threat of salt contamination to water supplies
Green, diatom and blue-green algae in the blooming water of a coastal salt puddle on the shore

Image: Oleg Kovtun via Getty Images

The global threat of salt contamination to water supplies

Research from Weitzman’s Allison Lassiter and an international team of researchers highlights how a combination of climate change impacts and localized human activities are intensifying the increase in salt in vital freshwater sources.

From the Weitzman School of Design

2 min. read

Beneath the surface: Diving into water’s hidden carbon-cleaning capabilities
3D rendering of water molecules on a copper surface.

Water molecules become increasingly disordered at the surface of a catalyst. Researchers found that this disordered interfacial water, shown transitioning from structured (left) to disorganized (right), plays a key role in speeding up the conversion of carbon monoxide into ethylene, a valuable fuel and chemical building block.

(Image: Courtesy of Shoji Hall)

Beneath the surface: Diving into water’s hidden carbon-cleaning capabilities

Penn materials scientist Shoji Hall and colleagues have found that manipulating the surface of water can allow scientists to sustainably convert greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to higher energy fuel sources like ethylene.

5 min. read

A new recipe for safer, stronger mRNA vaccines
Emily Han and Dongyoon Kim in the research lab filled with bottles and other lab equipment..

Bioengineering researchers Emily Han (left) and Dongyoon Kim.

(Image: Bella Ciervo)

A new recipe for safer, stronger mRNA vaccines

Penn engineers have found a way to redesign mRNA vaccines that sidestep the the most common side effects.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Staff Q&A with Peter Fixler
Peter Fixler stands among the trees and greens at the Morris Arboretu.

Image: Eric Sucar

  • Q&A

    • Staff Q&A with Peter Fixler

    The lead arborist at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens discusses his interest in tree work, how trees benefit the planet, the tallest tree he has climbed, current research at the Morris, and its impact in America and beyond.

    6 min. read