11.27
Science & Technology
From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion
From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion
Coral sperm require a specific pH to move, according to research from the School of Arts & Sciences, which identifies a signaling pathway that is shared by organisms including humans. The results inform how corals may fare with climate change.
Penn senior Max Wragan named George J. Mitchell Scholar
Penn senior Max Wragan named George J. Mitchell Scholar
Senior Max Wragan, a neuroscience major and chemistry minor, has been selected for a George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which covers one academic year of postgraduate studies in Ireland, including stipends for living and travel expenses.
In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger
In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger
A research team led by J. Nicholas Betley in the School of Arts & Sciences has identified an entirely new way the brain signals fullness after eating. The findings offer a novel target for therapies that could dramatically curb overeating.
Novel gene therapy for hemophilia A
Novel gene therapy for hemophilia A
The multicenter study, led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, showed improved and sustained production of a needed clotting factor and reduced bleeding events.
Taking a closer look at cryptocurrency
Taking a closer look at cryptocurrency
Experts across the University share their thoughts on how cryptocurrency has globally transformed businesses, research, and the environment.
‘Encrypted’ peptides could be wellspring of natural antibiotics
‘Encrypted’ peptides could be wellspring of natural antibiotics
An interdisciplinary team of Penn researchers have used a carefully designed algorithm to discover a new suite of antimicrobial peptides, or naturally occurring antibiotics, in the human genome.
Celebrating five years of innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity
Celebrating five years of innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity
Penn Today marks the anniversary of Pennovation Works, the University’s business incubator and laboratory space, with a look at the evolution of the site, its research and commercialization achievements, and a glimpse into the future.
With more kids eligible for vaccines, is the pandemic in a new phase?
With more kids eligible for vaccines, is the pandemic in a new phase?
With the FDA authorization last week, 28 million more children are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Experts from the School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine share their thoughts about what to expect in the weeks and months to come.
In These Times: Fear and loathing and science
In These Times: Fear and loathing and science
Season three of the School of Arts & Sciences podcast explores scientific ideas that get big reactions.
Supporting Philadelphia newcomers and longtime residents through Palms Solutions
Supporting Philadelphia newcomers and longtime residents through Palms Solutions
Founded by a Penn alum, the West Philadelphia-based nonprofit connects members from area African and Caribbean immigrant communities with students through mentoring and tutoring alongside social and cultural exchanges.
In the News
Wired
Can a digital reality be jacked directly into your brain?
Researchers led by Daniel Yoshor of the Perelman School of Medicine are developing better electrode arrays, which are used to induce neural activity. Current arrays approved for human use are bulky and contain around 1,000 electrodes, whereas the arrays Yoshor and colleagues are working on would have 64,000 electrodes, and eventually 1,000,000 electrodes.
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Times Higher Education U.K.
Progress on gender equality ‘set back by lost generation’
Scott Kim, a Ph.D. student at the Wharton School, worked with NYU’s Petra Moser on a study that found the post-WWII baby boom created a dearth of women scientists. “By eliminating a generation of female role models, this loss affects science to this day,” they wrote.
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The Washington Post
Fighting food waste, one apple at a time
Strella Biotechnology, a company housed in Pennovation and co-founded by then junior Katherine Sizov, a winner of the 2019 President’s Innovation Prize, is working to reduce food waste using biosensors to monitor ethylene, a natural gas that ripens fruits and vegetables. “If we don’t solve this food waste problem now, it will become a lot more expensive later,” Sizov said. “As our climate becomes more volatile, this is going to crop up more and more.”
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ABC News
Philadelphia doctor develops rapid COVID test with results on smartphone
A team of researchers led by Ping Wang of the Perelman School of Medicine is developing a more accurate rapid test for COVID-19 that uses smart phone cameras. “The PCR is great. It's sensitive, but at the same time it's only residing in the core laboratories,” she said. “So, you can't really do PCR at home for most settings.”
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The Washington Post
Facebook is like chairs. No, telephones. No, cars. No …
Zachary Loeb, a doctoral candidate in the School of Arts & Sciences, spoke about Facebook’s attempts to compare the platform to simpler, less threatening technologies. “There used to be this utopian aura where they had been trying to act as though they were the latest in the stream of these transformative [communication] technologies,” he said.
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The Scientist
Signaling dynamics fine-tune gene expressiong
Lukasz Bugaj of the School of Engineering & Applied Science comments on a systematic and quantitative look at how gene information is transmitted and what can influence the amount of expression.
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Wired
Now that machines can learn, can they unlearn?
Aaron Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about his research on machine unlearning, which seeks to answer the question, “Can we remove all influence of someone’s data when they ask to delete it but avoid the full cost of retraining from scratch?”
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Philadelphia Business Journal
Penn spinout Cogwear gets funding to develop ‘anxiety thermometer’ headband
Cogwear, a startup based at the Penn Center for Innovation and founded by PIK Professor Michael Platt and former postdoc Arjun Ramakrishnan, is developing a wearable device that monitors mental health.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Prizewinning photo by Penn biologist called metaphor for ‘spiraling crisis’ in the ocean
Kristen Brown, a postdoc in the lab of Katie Barott at the School of Arts & Sciences, won a contest with a photo she took while researching coral reefs.
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Forbes
COVID’s forgotten hero: The untold story of the scientist whose breakthrough made the vaccines possible
Vaccine technology developed by Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó of the Perelman School of Medicine relies on a lipid delivery system created by Ian MacLachlan, a Canadian scientist.
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