9/27
Science & Technology
The crisis of climate-driven extinction
The crisis of climate-driven extinction
In a session moderated by Simon Richter, panelists Erol Akçay, Michael Mann, and Zinta Zommers discussed the impact of climate change on efforts to conserve biological diversity.
Removing the barrier surrounding solid tumors clears path for T cells
Removing the barrier surrounding solid tumors clears path for T cells
Penn researchers uncover a new way to target solid tumors. Using CAR T cells to remove cancer-associated fibroblasts surrounding pancreatic tumors allows T cells to infiltrate and attack the tumor cells.
Engineering changemakers: Honoring Cora Ingrum and Donna Hampton
Engineering changemakers: Honoring Cora Ingrum and Donna Hampton
Sharing a legacy of leadership and decades of service in Penn Engineering’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cora Ingrum and Donna Hampton had a transformative impact on academic life at the school.
Biophysics summer school in Crete
Biophysics summer school in Crete
Eleni Katifori and Arnold Mathijssen spent a week in Crete, introducing students from Penn and other institutes to various topics and ideas in active biophysics research.
Genetic switch turns tumor suppressor into oncogene in colorectal cancer
Genetic switch turns tumor suppressor into oncogene in colorectal cancer
Researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine have shown that an enzyme that suppresses early-stage colorectal cancer switches to become an oncogene as the cancer progresses.
A low-cost, eco-friendly COVID test
A low-cost, eco-friendly COVID test
César de la Fuente and a team of Penn engineers work on creative ways to create faster and cheaper testing for COVID-19. Their latest innovation incorporates speed and cost-effectiveness with eco-friendly materials.
Trading decisions are observable in the eyes of buyers and sellers
Trading decisions are observable in the eyes of buyers and sellers
In a new collaborative study, PIK Professor Michael Platt models how the decision-making process unfolds in the brains of buyers and sellers considering a deal. These decisions were observable in eye movements and pupil dilation.
The physics of fat droplets reveal DNA danger
The physics of fat droplets reveal DNA danger
Penn Engineers are the first to discover fat-filled lipid droplets’ surprising capability to indent and puncture the nucleus, the organelle which contains and regulates a cell’s DNA.
A hub for water innovation and leadership
A hub for water innovation and leadership
As the Water Center marks five years on campus, Penn Today takes a look at its achievements, ongoing projects, and plans for the future.
For a new generation of antibiotics, scientists are bringing extinct molecules back to life
For a new generation of antibiotics, scientists are bringing extinct molecules back to life
Marrying artificial intelligence with advanced experimental methods, Penn Engineering’s Machine Biology Group has mined the ancient past for future medical breakthroughs, bringing extinct molecules back to life.
In the News
USA Today
Stop the doom. We failed to prevent climate change—but we will decide how bad it’ll get
In an Op-Ed, Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that climate doom and denial can lead people down a path of disengagement, benefiting fossil fuel interests that profit from climate inaction.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Earth’s ‘fragile moment’ with Michael Mann, latest on Irizarry police shooting
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses what can be done to slow the warming of the planet and the politics that get in the way.
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Philadelphia Business Journal
As One uCity Square nears capacity, developer plots surrounding innovation campus and hotel addition
David Meaney of the School of Engineering and Applied Science is quoted on a building project that will mark the first time Penn Engineering and Penn Medicine will have operations under the same roof.
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Salon.com
Climate change “undoubtedly” played a role in Libyan floods that killed over 11,000 people: experts
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that human-caused climate change is favoring stalled weather systems that remain in place for longer periods of time, leading to more persistent heat and flooding events.
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USA Today
How close is Earth to becoming unlivable? Humans push planet to brink, study warns
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that humanity is coming up against the limits of environmental sustainability and must take immediate action.
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Salon.com
Humans are dangerously pushing the limits of our planet in ways other than climate change
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that dangerous extreme weather events will only get worse if we continue to burn fossil fuels and generate carbon pollution.
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Associated Press
California lawmakers approve the nation’s most sweeping emissions disclosure rules for big business
Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that California’s new emissions disclosure bill could lead to similar proposals in other states.
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Bloomberg
Microsoft sees low risk for customers in AI copyright lawsuits
Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that Microsoft’s indemnification commitment for AI end-users is a good move for PR and reassurance.
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Wired
Big batteries are booming. So are fears they’ll catch fire
Sanya Carley of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that people will fixate on even rare battery fires and explosions, connecting them to new infrastructure proposed in their community.
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NBC News
Here’s why Hurricane Lee is alarming even if it doesn’t make landfall
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that rapid storm intensification is alarming because it means government officials and communities have less time to prepare and face more uncertainty in evacuation planning.
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