6.19
Science & Technology
Cowboys and neurons: HBO’s Westworld asks tough questions about artificial intelligence
A professor at Penn's Institute for Biomedical Informatics explores the possibility of an intelligent robotic being, what rights it may be entitled to, and how it might coexist with humans.
Digital humanities ‘summer camp’ comes to Penn
The Price Lab for Digital Humanities and the Penn Libraries hosted HILT, an annual national training institute that brings together professionals from a number of disciplines.
Envisioning campus as ‘living lab’ to improve bird habitat
The University’s 300 acres in West Philadelphia serve as welcoming habitat for dozens of bird species. Chloe Cerwinka is documenting the area’s feathered inhabitants to improve their habitat.
Gamers should expect a subdued E3 this year, says Wharton professor
Fewer new launches from big-league game publishers are expected at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, but the business of gaming will continue to grow and evolve online and with smaller games and upgrades.
Lauren Sallan honored by alma mater University of Chicago for achievements in paleobiology
The assistant professor in interdisciplinary studies at Penn is the first Ph.D. graduate to receive the Distinguished Service Award for Early Achievement award by her alma mater.
Digitized plant collection to answer how living in a megalopolis affects flora
Digital records of the roughly 800,000 plant specimens from five mid-Atlantic states will create a digital herbarium, a database covering 400 years of native flora.
Detecting distant stars: Q&A with Jose Maria Diego and Jesús Vega
While observing an exploding star in a galaxy cluster billions of light-years away, two visiting scholars noticed a curious speck of light in their images. The light was from an ancient star more than 9 billion years ago, the most distant star ever detected.
Leveraging Penn’s expertise to meet challenges in the water sector
A conference on campus brings together The Water Center at Penn and city officials and community members across the country to find solutions for better water utilities and access.
Paving the way for safer smaller batteries and fuel cells
A new solid polymer electrolyte may be the key to making energy storage devices like lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries more efficient.
Bringing health innovation to life
The Penn Center for Health, Devices and Technology weds health care professionals with visionary ideas and the technological know-how to build innovative medical devices.
In the News
Nature
Microsoft’s Purchase of GitHub Leaves Some Scientists Uneasy
Post-doc Daniel Himmelstein of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed problematic elements of GitHub’s model. “Regardless of the Microsoft acquisition, GitHub, as a centralized and closed company, possesses a dangerous level of control over the open-source ecosystem,” said Himmelstein.
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The Washington Post
The Cybersecurity 202: We Surveyed 100 Experts. A Majority Rejected the FBI's Push for Encryption Back Doors
Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke out against the FBI’s call to weaken encryption. “Strong encryption is absolutely critical for keeping our data safe from criminals. This is especially important for mobile devices such as cellphones, which are easily lost or stolen,” said Blaze.
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The Guardian
Tesla Fatal Crash: 'Autopilot' Mode Sped Up Car Before Driver Killed, Report Finds
The School of Design’s Erick Guerra said a Tesla crash was “clearly a technology failure.” Commenting on Tesla’s autopilot feature, Guerra said that “the technology is just not up to doing as much as people hope it can do.”
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Reuters
RPT-INSIGHT-Software and Stealth: How Carmakers Hike Spare Parts Prices
Aaron Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science discussed the continued use of software to establish the highest prices consumers are willing to pay, a common practice in retail and manufacturing.
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The Bees of Bandelier, Snail Memories, and the State of Science
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center was interviewed for a podcast about media coverage of the “so-called crisis in science.” (Audio)
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The New York Times
G.D.P.R., a New Privacy Law, Makes Europe World’s Leading Tech Watchdog
Michael Kearns of the School of Engineering and Applied Science weighed in on the E.U.’s advancements in cybersecurity and consumer privacy.
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Foreign Affairs
Keep CRISPR Safe
President Amy Gutmann and PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences co-authored an article emphasizing the importance of letting “global scientific and biological ethics communities” lead the charge in facilitating the implementation of gene-editing technology.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn's Electric Race Car Team Seeks Fourth Title in Four Years
Eighty undergrads from a variety of departments, including Connor Sendel of the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, are building an electric car with four-wheel drive with hopes of winning two competitions this June.
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Gizmodo
Astronaut Scott Kelly's DNA Did Not 'Change in Space' the Way You Think
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Mathias Basner joined the chorus of sleep experts dismissing initial reports that 7 percent of astronaut and identical twin Scott Kelly’s DNA “changed” while in space.
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The Verge
Crypto.com Is Not for Sale
After purchasing the domain name crypto.com in 1993, Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science has had to repeatedly fend off attempts by cryptocurrency enthusiasts to purchase the website for upwards of seven figures. Blaze has refused to sell, warning against the use of cryptocurrency as “investment vehicles.”
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