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Science & Technology
A ‘perfect blend’ of cutting-edge technology and real-world vision
As a high school student, Angela Lin founded an organization to bring students and technology leaders together. At Penn, she’s surrounded by the culture she craved.
On ENIAC’s anniversary, a nod to its female ‘computers’
Six women were the original operators of Penn’s pathbreaking ENIAC, the world’s first computer. On ENIAC Day, you can see a documentary featuring some of their stories that were originally obscured from history.
Celebrating 150 years of the periodic table
Judith Currano of Penn Libraries and Jenine Maeyer of the School of Arts and Sciences share their perspectives on how all types of chemists still use the periodic table of elements.
Wired up at FemmeHacks
Penn President Amy Gutmann and Vijay Kumar, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, visited the all-women collegiate hackathon this weekend.
The art of talking about science
Paul Offit of Penn Medicine and CHOP offers five tips for better communicating tough scientific topics to the public—and standing up for science in the process.
A physical model for forming patterns in pollen
Physicists have developed a model that describes how patterns form on pollen spores, the first physically rigorous framework that details the thermodynamic processes that lead to complex biological architectures.
The dynamics of light-harvesting chemistry
A new paper provides insights into the chemistry that underlies human-made, light-driven catalytic systems and paves the way to better understand how light-induced reactions can be controlled more effectively.
How one gene in a tiny fish may alter an aquatic ecosystem
Linking genomics to evolution to ecology, the work takes an unusual approach to reveal broad implications of how species adapt to their local environment.
Supreme Court decision a boon for truck drivers and, potentially, the gig economy
Three Penn experts discuss the ruling, which gives transportation workers the ability to sue their employers in class-action lawsuits, sidestepping forced arbitration.
Infection-resistant catheter plan wins Y-Prize
The team of four undergraduates propose reinventing the catheter to prevent urinary tract infections at the source, using a wrinkle printing technology developed at Penn.
In the News
Science News
Physics explains how pollen gets its stunning diversity of shapes
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Alison Sweeney explained how phase separation contributes to the unique shapes of pollen grains.
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NBC News
Mood-forecasting tech could help stop bad moods before they even strike
Sharath Guntuku of Penn Medicine’s Center for Digital Health said that “based on how we use technology, our mental state can be predicted.”
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Science News
A new insulation material is practically weightless yet still durable
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Deep Jariwala commented on a new, nearly weightless insulation material made of porous aerogel capable of withstanding temperature shifts of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. “It’s notoriously hard to make materials that are not just lightweight but can also be heavily heat resistant.”
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Christian Science Monitor
Have you heard the buzz? Honeybees can count
Elizabeth Brannon and postdoc Rosa Rugani of the School of Arts and Sciences discussed new research about honeybees’ ability to add and subtract numbers. Brannon said bees use ratios, rather than exact digits, to understand quantities. “When animals are comparing two numerical values, they’re much better if they differ by a large ratio than if they differ by a very small ratio,” she said.
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The Conversation
People don’t trust blockchain systems—Is regulation a way to help?
The Wharton School’s Kevin Werbach wrote about blockchain and the contradiction between its “allegedly trust-less technology and its trust-needing users.”
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Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane (WHYY-FM)
Protecting your privacy online
The Annenberg School for Communication’s Joseph Turow joined a conversation on about data mining and online privacy.
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The Hill
The false trade-offs of personal data protection
The Annenberg School for Communication’s Joseph Turow was cited for his research, which found that most Americans don’t believe trading data for discounts is “a square deal.”
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Technical.ly Philly
For a glimpse into the future, look at aerial robotics
An event about aerial robotics with the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s dean Vijay Kumar is featured.
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Gizmodo
Blue pigment in 1,000-year-old teeth links women to the production of medieval manuscripts
The Libraries’ Nicholas Herman offered commentary on a study that used bio-archaeology to identify ultramarine in the dental tartar of an 11th-century woman in rural Germany. “Only by looking very closely at new kinds of evidence can we begin to discover the true importance of female artisans,” said Herman.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Are bigger brains smarter? Barely, says study led by Penn scholar
A new study co-led by the Wharton School’s Gideon Nave and the School of Arts and Sciences’ Joseph Kable found that brain size has a slight, but ultimately insignificant, correlation to intelligence.
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