9/22
Science & Technology
A new connection between topology and quantum entanglement
A new connection between topology and quantum entanglement
The theoretical work led by physicist Charles Kane reveals an unexpected link between two major principles in physics that may inform future experimentation and an understanding of how to harness quantum information.
Marrying models with experiments to build more efficient solar cells
Marrying models with experiments to build more efficient solar cells
Penn chemist Andrew M. Rappe, in collaboration with former postdoc Arvin Kakekhani and researchers at Princeton University, has gained insight into how the molecular make up of solar cells can affect their properties and make them more efficient.
Deploying microrobotics for dental treatments and diagnostics
Deploying microrobotics for dental treatments and diagnostics
Penn Dental Medicine and its Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry show that microrobots can access the difficult to reach surfaces of the root canal with controlled precision.
Combating urban heat
Combating urban heat
Through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program, rising junior Sarah Sterinbach has spent the summer learning about the policies Philadelphia has used to protect its citizens from extreme heat and how those efforts might improve in the future.
A fish harvest that’s more sustainable—and tastier, too
A fish harvest that’s more sustainable—and tastier, too
December graduate Saif Khawaja’s President’s Sustainability Prize is helping him build Shinkei Systems, a company that has developed a robotics-based system for minimizing waste in the fishing industry.
Cancer cells selectively load ‘drones’ to keep T cells from infiltrating tumors
Cancer cells selectively load ‘drones’ to keep T cells from infiltrating tumors
Biologist Wei Guo and colleagues elucidate the process of sorting and loading cargo for these biological drones with implications for a more targeted and effective use of checkpoint inhibitor drugs in cancer treatment.
Progress toward a stem cell–based therapy for blindness
Progress toward a stem cell–based therapy for blindness
A multi-institutional effort led by researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine is taking steps to develop an effective technique to regenerate photoreceptors cells and restore sight in people with vision disorders.
TV news top driver of political echo chambers in U.S.
TV news top driver of political echo chambers in U.S.
Duncan Watts and colleagues found that 17% of Americans consume television news from partisan left- or right-leaning sources compared to just 4% online. For TV news viewers, this audience segregation tends to last month over month.
Intervening to stop bone loss
Intervening to stop bone loss
A study led by Shuying (Sheri) Yang of the School of Dental Medicine identified a new role for a protein that keeps osteoclasts—the cells that break down bone—in check, and may guide the development of new therapies to counter bone loss.
Mentorship strategies to boost diversity in paleontology
Mentorship strategies to boost diversity in paleontology
Drawing on research as well as their experiences as women of color in paleontology, Aja Carter and Erynn Johnson, who earned doctoral degrees from Penn, coauthored a paper offering advice for making the field more inclusive.
In the News
Quanta Magazine
The new math of wrinkling
Eleni Katifori of the School of Arts & Sciences is credited for her work simulating wrinkle patterns, which were crucial to an overall theory of geometric wrinkle prediction.
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New Scientist
Drone swarm that 3D prints cement structures could construct buildings
Robert Stuart-Smith of the Weitzman School of Design and colleagues demonstrate how 3D-printing drones can create large structures made of foam or cement, paving the way for future construction efforts.
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iTech Post
University of Pennsylvania researchers develop microrobots that can brush, floss your teeth
Hun Michel Koo of the School of Dental Medicine, Edward Steager of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and colleagues have created automated shapeshifting microrobots with the ability to brush, floss, and rinse teeth.
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Interesting Engineering
Google AI succeeds in developing odor maps of molecules
Joel Mainland of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues have used a neural network to create a molecular map of odors in compounds that repel mosquitos.
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Philadelphia Business Journal
University City is running out of real estate for life sciences development. The answer? Densification
At a Philadelphia Business Journal event, Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli discussed the lack of available land in Philadelphia for life sciences development and the need for densification.
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With COP27 approaching, cities like Philadelphia are ‘powerful tools’ for climate adaptation
Mark Alan Hughes of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that cities are powerful tools for collective action on climate change, noting that Philadelphia is vulnerable on climate adaptation but well-positioned to improve.
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Bloomberg
Green concrete transition has path to credibility in climate law
Cary Coglianese of Penn Carey Law says that the EPA will need to find a way to audit the declarations of green construction companies to avoid potential damage to the entire sector.
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NPR
Renewable energy is maligned by misinformation. It’s a distraction, experts say
Shelley Welton of Penn Carey Law and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that blaming renewables is a distraction, a way to forestall a transition that is underway but needs to be moving faster.
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New Scientist
Researchers have worked out the rules for how some things wrinkle
Eleni Katifori of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues used simulations of curving plastic pieces to predict the formation of wrinkling patterns.
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Associated Press
Dangerous heat predicted to hit three times more often in future
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a new study about rising heat waves focuses on mathematical probabilities rather than the true political obstacles.
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