Science & Technology

PHILADELPHIA — Passing one’s genes on to the next generation is a mark of evolutionary success. So it makes sense that the body would work to ensure that the genes the next generation inherits are exact replicas of the originals.

PHILADELPHIA — El Yunque rock is a majestic, anvil-shaped promontory that has been an icon of the island of Puerto Rico since pre-Columbian times. The barren rock, standing 3,412 feet high, protrudes above primary old growth forest and is enshrouded in clouds, swept constantly by the trade winds and frequently stricken by hurricanes.

PHILADELPHIA — When a virus such as influenza invades our bodies, interferon proteins are among the first immune molecules produced to fight off the attack. Interferon can also play a role in suppressing tumor growth and the effects of autoimmune diseases, and doctors may use an artificial form of interferon to treat patients with certain cancers or multiple sclerosis.

Cindy Nicoletti, a 2011 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, is one of those lucky people who has known since childhood what she wanted to do with her life. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” she says. “That was my main focus, ever since second grade.”

PHILADELPHIA — To a room full of academics and Ph.D. students in the notoriously polluted city of Beijing, the University of Pennsylvania’s Iliana Sepúlveda presented ideas for increasing the use of energy-efficient technology that may one day help lessen the burden of fossil-fuel combustion in that city, as well as many others across the globe.

As a student at Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School, Stephanie Kelly decided on a career in nursing.  For her, it was not simply a desire to change the world through the science; it was much more personal.

PHILADELPHIA — The disease atherosclerosis involves the build up of fatty tissue within arterial walls, creating unstable structures known as plaques. These plaques grow until they burst, rupturing the wall and causing the formation of a blood clot within the artery.

PHILADELPHIA — The extensive system of levees along the Mississippi River has done much to prevent devastating floods in riverside communities. But the levees have also contributed to the loss of Louisiana’s wetlands.

Health-care reform and cultural competence in health-care delivery are hot topics.  Research has shown that cultural competence is a key strategy for bridging health and health-care disparities.