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Science & Technology
University of Pennsylvania’s first NFT commemorates mRNA research
University of Pennsylvania’s first NFT commemorates mRNA research
Proceeds from the July auction of the non-fungible token—a digital asset—will benefit ongoing research at Penn.
Penn and the Science History Institute to serve as new hosts of History of Science Society
Penn and the Science History Institute to serve as new hosts of History of Science Society
The arrangement highlights Philadelphia as a hub for history of science scholarship and will provide mentoring opportunities for Penn students.
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
In research done using rats, Penn Nursing’s Heath Schmidt and colleagues found that males that engaged in voluntary nicotine use had offspring more likely to do so, too. Some offspring also developed impaired memory and anxiety-like behavior.
A $365 million development will expand the life sciences hub at Pennovation Works
A $365 million development will expand the life sciences hub at Pennovation Works
Penn Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli speaks with Penn Today about the evolution of the research and manufacturing project, led by Longfellow Real Estate Developers, and its value for Penn and the region.
Center for Engineering Mechanobiology 2.0: Developing ‘mechanointelligence’
Center for Engineering Mechanobiology 2.0: Developing ‘mechanointelligence’
The new interdisciplinary Center for Engineering Mechanobiology brings together researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine together with those from across campus and beyond around the concept of “mechanointelligence.”
Engineering a solution for microplastic pollution
Engineering a solution for microplastic pollution
May graduates Sarah Beth Gleeson, Shoshana Weintraub, and Julia Yan will use their President’s Sustainability Prize to create a device for trapping microfibers in laundry machines to reduce ocean microplastic pollution.
A chip that can classify nearly two billion images per second
A chip that can classify nearly two billion images per second
Using a deep neural network of optical waveguides, a new chip developed by Penn engineers—smaller than a square centimeter—can detect and classify an image in less than a nanosecond, all without the need for a separate processor or memory unit.
How bacteria store information to kill viruses (but not themselves)
How bacteria store information to kill viruses (but not themselves)
Researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences have discovered that the balance between fighting viruses and avoiding autoimmunity has a key role in shaping how bacteria “remember” old infections.
A new method could enable a patient’s own antibodies to eliminate their tumors
A new method could enable a patient’s own antibodies to eliminate their tumors
A team of researchers at Penn Engineering has developed a new methodology to help differentiate tumors from healthy, normal tissues.
Soft ‘rotini’ robots navigate with a snap
Soft ‘rotini’ robots navigate with a snap
Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed soft robots that are capable of navigating complex environments, such as mazes, without input from humans or computer software.
In the News
Technical.ly Philly
What does the rise in remote work mean for research-based innovation?
John Swartley and Bhavana Mohanraj of the Penn Center for Innovation discuss how research center hubs are changing and how they’re staying the same.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly hosts a robot lollapalooza, attracting 4,500 roboticists and showing off devices that fly, swim, and enter the body
Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science is quoted on the International Conference on Robotics and Automation and how robotics has become a fundamental discipline in engineering education.
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Technical.ly Philly
What can Philly do to make a home for robotics to flourish? Scenes from ICRA 2022’s mad dash
Dean Vijay Kumar and Avik De of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Laurie Actman of the Penn Center for Innovation are quoted on their participation in the International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
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Daily Beast
Watch this noodle-shaped robot autonomously escape a maze
Researchers at Penn and North Carolina State University have created a rotini-shaped robot that can tumble through a maze without any help or guidance from a computer or human being.
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NBC News
Triceratops tussle: ‘Big John’ skull shows signs of battle, scientists say
Julie Engiles of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on new research regarding triceratops anatomy, calling the team’s methodology “elegant and thorough.”
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Scientific American
Where rising seas threaten drinking water, scientists look for affordable solutions
Research led by Allison Lassiter of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design aims to identify water systems along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. “Besides being unpleasant to drink, salinized water can harm vulnerable populations, including people with hypertension and pregnant women,” she said.
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The New York Times
Ty Haney is doing things differently this time
Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School said “web3,” a block-chain-centered iteration of the internet, won’t be as democratized or utopian as some believe. “There’s a web3 that’s out there which is wonderful and trying to make the world a better place, but just by labeling something web3, it doesn’t mean power dynamics will magically reverse,” Werbach said.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Got an idea to address the impacts of climate change along the Delaware? You could win money to make it happen
The Penn Program in Environmental Humanities’ Ecotopian Toolkit competition is soliciting proposals for tools to help the greater Philadelphia region address impacts of climate change. “One of the things that the project is really keen to develop is helping Philadelphians, and people really across the whole watershed, understand the ways that the water really connects to them and to their lives,” said Bethany Wiggin.
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Scientific American
Why some fluids flow slower when pushed harder
Paulo Arratia of the School of Engineering and Applied Science commented on a study that explored how fluids flow under different pressures. “Visualizing flow inside a 3-D porous media literally gives a window into something that was impossible to see,” he said. “If you could actually see the molecules stretching and recoiling, that would be wonderful [to] connect the molecular point of view to the microscopic.”
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Popular Science
Even dinosaurs couldn’t escape the sniffles
Ali Nabavizadeh of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on research that found evidence of respiratory infections in dinosaurs. “This paper provides yet another piece of evidence to show just how modern dinosaurs—the birds—are biologically so similar to their extinct non-avian dinosaurian relatives, even to the point of showing similar diseases,” he said.
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