10.20
Science & Technology
Penn cosmology team ready to field the largest ever cosmic microwave background camera
Penn cosmology team ready to field the largest ever cosmic microwave background camera
A new study details the inner workings of the Large Aperture Telescope Receiver, the cryogenic camera that will be installed at the Simons Observatory at 17,000 feet in northern Chile.
New mathematical tools to study opinion dynamics
New mathematical tools to study opinion dynamics
Using a class of network structures known as discourse sheaves, researchers describe a new, flexible framework for studying how opinions change over social networks.
Penn Engineering reveals new data science building will be named Amy Gutmann Hall
Penn Engineering reveals new data science building will be named Amy Gutmann Hall
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s new data science building unveiled its new name, Amy Gutmann Hall, honoring Penn’s eight and longest-serving president.
Penn Libraries opens newly renovated Biotech Commons
Penn Libraries opens newly renovated Biotech Commons
The Penn Libraries has transformed its former Biomedical Library into a newly renovated space with a new name, the Biotech Commons.
A microscopic worm may shed light on how we perceive gravity
A microscopic worm may shed light on how we perceive gravity
C. elegans shares more than half of its genes with humans, allowing genetic studies to give insight into which genes are responsible for similar traits in humans, such as pinpointing molecular pathways responsible for gravitaxis, the ability to move in response to gravity.
Reported anger, sadness, depression, and anxiety spiked after George Floyd killing
Reported anger, sadness, depression, and anxiety spiked after George Floyd killing
The police killing of George Floyd took an unprecedented toll on the emotional and mental health of Black Americans, according to a new study by LDI senior fellow Sharath Guntuku.
Mapping words to color
Mapping words to color
Researchers led by postdoc Colin Twomey and professor Joshua Plotkin developed an algorithm that can infer the communicative needs different linguistic communities place on colors.
Penn establishes the Center for Precision Engineering for Health with $100 million commitment
Penn establishes the Center for Precision Engineering for Health with $100 million commitment
The Center will conduct interdisciplinary, fundamental, and translational research in biomaterials that can create breakthroughs in improving health care and saving lives, including nanoparticle technologies to improve storage and distribution of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
Penn engineers will develop on-demand, on-site mRNA manufacturing
Penn engineers will develop on-demand, on-site mRNA manufacturing
With an NSF grant, Penn Engineering researchers are developing a new manufacturing technique that would be able to produce mRNA sequences in a way that removes the need for cryogenic temperatures.
Reimagining scientific discovery through the lens of an artist
The latest exhibition by Rebecca Kamen, Penn artist-in-residence and visiting scholar, at the American University Katzen Art Center explores curiosity and the creative process across art and science.
In the News
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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Discover Magazine
We’re not alone: Animals suffer from mental health issues too
Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine said, that while dogs certainly experience mental health issues like anxiety, their experiences differ from humans’ because they can’t plan for the future. “They’re not worrying if their buddies at the dog park are making fun of them,” he said. “Dogs aren’t obsessed in their thoughts like humans—as far as we know. They’re unlikely to be depressed in human terms.”
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Salon.com
Your dog has a rich interior life it's not telling you about
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about how dogs interact with and interpret the world around them, from barking to licking to sniffing. “While we derive most of the information about the world around us through our eyes and ears, dogs can access an additional layer of information via their noses that we are essentially ‘blind’ to,” he said.
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USA Today
Fact check: 62-mile-wide mega comet unlikely to hit Earth, will just pass by it in 2031
Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the giant comet they recently discovered. “There is no possibility of this thing getting any closer to Earth than Saturn gets,” said Bernstein.
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