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Science & Technology
Breaching the blood-brain barrier
A team of researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has devised a method to deliver mRNA into the brain using lipid nanoparticles, potentially advancing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and seizures.
Mechanics of knitting
Randall Kamien of the School of Arts & Sciences and Geneviève Dion of Drexel University share how combining traditional origami techniques with modern textile science can lead to practical applications in various industries.
Climate change and atmospheric dynamics unveil future weather extremes
A collaborative team of researchers led by Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences have found the interplay of natural systems and human-induced climate change are setting the stage for more frequent and severe weather events.
Penn alum named 2024 Churchill Scholar
Xander Uyttendaele, a 2023 graduate, is among 16 selected nationwide to receive the scholarship.
A path to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas economy
A new report co-authored by scientists at Penn’s Kleinman Center and Penn Engineering charts a path for the U.S. to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas economy by 2050.
In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change
Over a decade, researchers from Penn studied coral species in Hawaii to better understand their adaptability to the effects of climate change.
Shu Yang manipulates materials to create climate change-fighting inventions
The Joseph Bordogna Professor and chair of Materials Science and Engineering has introduced simple yet effective technologies, including kirigami-inspired structures that aid in breast reconstruction, to the manipulation of knots to create stronger sutures.
More than skin deep: A molecular and mechanistic look at pigmentation variation
A new collaborative study offers a better understanding of genes and variants responsible for skin color, providing insights into human evolution and local adaptation.
Dark Energy Survey uncovers clues to universe’s complexity
The decade-long effort reveals findings consistent with standard cosmological models, but open to more complex interpretations.
How Penn Medicine is changing the world with mRNA
Vaccines are just the beginning of the potential for messenger RNA, the Nobel Prize-winning technology.
In the News
Scientists struggle to explain ‘really weird’ spike in world temperatures
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that tendencies to exaggerate climate science in favor of “doomist” narratives helps no one except the fossil fuel industry.
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Spring is here very early. That’s not good
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that plant-flowering, tree-leafing, and egg-hatching are all markers associated with spring that are happening sooner.
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Can your personal medical devices be recycled?
A lab at the School of Engineering and Applied Science led the development of a COVID test made from bacterial cellulose, an organic compound.
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Could Florida electric bills go up because of a fuel made from manure?
Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that federal and California state subsidies have led to a gold rush of companies trying to get into the business of renewable natural gas around the country.
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Why don’t we just ban fossil fuels?
Joseph Romm of the School of Arts & Sciences says that stronger action against fossil fuels is essential to save the planet.
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Students can soon major in AI at this Ivy League university—it’ll prepare them for ‘jobs that don’t yet exist’
The Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence at Penn will be the first AI undergraduate engineering major at an Ivy League school, led by George Pappas of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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Pa. environmental, religious and other groups criticize Shapiro plan for ignoring climate change
A study by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design found that Pennsylvania would benefit overall from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
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We don’t have time for climate misinformation
In a co-written Op-Ed, Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that meaningful decarbonization in the U.S. is in jeopardy of being blocked or slowed if a significant portion of the electorate does not accept the basic scientific facts and implications of climate change.
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Penn to become first Ivy League to offer AI degree, looks to ‘train the leaders’ in emerging field
Penn is the first Ivy League university to offer a degree in artificial intelligence, with remarks from Robert Ghrist of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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A famous climate scientist is in court, with big stakes for attacks on science
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences is suing a right-wing author and a policy analyst for defamation against the “hockey stick” climate change graph.
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