News from

Natural Sciences

Reset All Filters
93 Results
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

    Lynn Meskell elected Fellow to the British Academy
    Lynn Meskell

    Meskell is the Richard D. Green Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor with joint appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Weitzman School of Design, and the Penn Museum.

    nocred

    Lynn Meskell elected Fellow to the British Academy

    The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.

    3 min. read

    Cracking the code of force-driven chemistry

    Cracking the code of force-driven chemistry

    Penn Engineering’s Robert Carpick, Cangyu Qu, and Lu Fang have developed a theoretical model that overcomes previous challenges in accurately describing the relationship between mechanical stress and chemical reactions. Their new study fills in the gap for describing the forces that occur when molecules are squeezed between two surfaces. This result helps make it easier to predict mechanochemical reactions, which are promising for the green manufacturing of plastics, metallic compounds, lubricants and more.

    A hands-on education of Pennsylvania and New Jersey ecology
    Three people walking through a field.

    One of six field trips in Sally Willig’s Regional Field Ecology class took students to Natural Lands’ Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary.

    (Image: Chi-Hyun Kim)

    A hands-on education of Pennsylvania and New Jersey ecology

    Sally Willig has been teaching Regional Field Ecology at Penn since 1999, educating students about plants, soils, and more at sites such as Ringing Rocks County Park and the Pine Barrens.

    4 min. read

    Strongest nor’easters getting stronger
    A map showing increase in nor’easters.

    Image: Courtesy of Michael Mann

    Strongest nor’easters getting stronger

    Research from Professor Michael Mann and Ph.D. students Annabelle Horton and Mackenzie Weaver shows that as the worst of these East Coast winter storms intensify, so does their destructive potential—a facet that current coastal risk assessments often ignore.

    Michele W. Berger

    2 min. read

    Designing cleaner, greener concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide
    Masoud Akbarzadeh holding up one of the fabricated materials.

    The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.

    nocred

    Designing cleaner, greener concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide

    Penn engineers, materials scientists, and designers have developed a 3D-printed concrete solution based on diatomaceous earth that has enhanced carbon capture, is stronger, and uses fewer materials like cement.

    6 min. read

    $2.6M NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

    $2.6M NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

    Sherry Gao, Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and in bioengineering at Penn Engineering is the co-recipient of a $2.6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to develop new gene editing tools that could address one of the underlying mutations that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic disease that thickens the heart’s walls, making it harder for the organ to pump blood.

    Can data from the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?
    Close-up of ATLAS detector at CERN.

    ATLAS’s wheel-like end-cap reveals the maze of sensors primed to catch proton smash-ups at the LHC. Researchers comb through billions of events in search of fleeting “ghost” tracks that might expose cracks in string theory.

    (Image: Courtesy of CERN)

    Can data from the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

    Theoretical physicist Jonathan Heckman of the School of Arts & Sciences has put a spin on ideas related to testing string theory: Rather than looking to verify it, he and his collaborators sought a novel way to falsify it. Heckman and Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Hicks explain string theory, researchers’ quest to unify physics, and what their new paper puts forward.

    10 min. read