University of Pennsylvania engineers have developed a rapid, low-cost genetic test for the Zika virus. The $2 testing device, about the size of a soda can, does not require electricity or technical expertise to use. A patient would simply provide a saliva sample. Color-changing dye turns blue when the genetic assay detects the presence of the virus.

Evan Lerner ・June 29, 2016

Dolphins, lizards and hyenas may not be on Facebook or Twitter, but, as social species, their social networks influence every pivotal aspect of their lives: finding a mate, reproducing, becoming ill or surviving.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・June 26, 2016

Ferromagnetic materials, like compass needles, are useful because their magnetic polarization makes them rotate to align with magnetic fields. Ferroelectric materials behave in a similar way but with electric, rather than magnetic, fields.

Evan Lerner ・June 20, 2016

By Patrick Ammerman

Katherine Unger Baillie ・June 15, 2016

Adult stem cells represent a sort of blank clay from which a myriad of different cell and tissue types are molded and as such are of critical importance to health, ageing and disease.  In tissues that turn over rapidly, such as the intestines, the self-renewing nature of stem cells and their susceptibility to cancer-causing mutations has led researchers to postulate that

Katherine Unger Baillie ・June 15, 2016

It’s only a matter of time before the Pennovation Center’s three floors are bustling with energetic thinkers and doers. By summer’s end, the 58,000-square-foot space—an anchor for the Pennovation Works development site adjacent to the University’s campus—will be completed.

Lauren Hertzler ・June 9, 2016

The Penn Museum’s ongoing exhibition, “In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies,” offers visitors an insider’s look at efforts to document, preserve, and restore ancient objects in the Museum’s extensive collection.

Jeanne Leong ・June 9, 2016

On the isles of the Galapagos, giant tortoises munch on cactus pads and native fruit, then spend hours resting. Thirty-pound iguanas—some a pale bubblegum pink, others splotchy yellow and black—bask in the sun.

June 7, 2016

The tragedy of the commons, a concept described by ecologist Garrett Hardin, paints a grim view of human nature. The theory goes that, if a resource is shared, individuals will act in their own self-interest, but against the interest of the group, by depleting that resource. 

Katherine Unger Baillie ・June 1, 2016