4.21
Science & Technology
A call for a global ban on lead paint
A call for a global ban on lead paint
In a paper for the United Nations Environment Programme, researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues make a case for ceasing production and use of lead paint worldwide.
Risk-taking behavior has a signature in the brain, big data shows
Risk-taking behavior has a signature in the brain, big data shows
While there is no such thing as a single “risk area” of the brain, a study of 12,000 people led by the Wharton School’s Gideon Nave found a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter, and risky behavior.
Researchers identify potential nanoparticles for therapeutic mRNA delivery before birth
Researchers identify potential nanoparticles for therapeutic mRNA delivery before birth
Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the School of Engineering and Applied Science have identified ionizable lipid nanoparticles that could be used to deliver mRNA as part of fetal therapy.
Parkinson's disease pathology is tied to the activity of cell's 'recycling centers'
Parkinson's disease pathology is tied to the activity of cell's 'recycling centers'
Genetic variations associated with both increases and reductions in risk of the neurodegenerative disease alter the action of ion channels within cellular organelles called lysosomes, a new Penn study finds.
First ever ‘pioneer’ factor found in plants enables cells to change their fate
First ever ‘pioneer’ factor found in plants enables cells to change their fate
To start the process of unpacking tightly bundled genetic material, plants depend on the LEAFY pioneer protein, according to work led by biologist Doris Wagner.
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
Penn Today spoke with experts in various areas of science and environmental policy about what they anticipate will shift now that President Biden has assumed the nation’s leadership.
Researchers measure different types of curiosity studying ‘hunters and busybodies’
Researchers measure different types of curiosity studying ‘hunters and busybodies’
A multidisciplinary study has found a way to readily quantify the information-seeking associated with curiosity and explore mechanisms underlying information-seeking.
Metamaterial tiles boost sensitivity of large telescopes
Research on a low-cost, mass producible technology is poised to help the Simons Observatory uncover new insights into how the universe began.
America’s first fossil fuel state
America’s first fossil fuel state
History course looks at Pennsylvania’s role in helping fossil fuel power the making of the modern world.
Ruby Washington is poised to make her mark in bioengineering
Ruby Washington is poised to make her mark in bioengineering
The senior in Penn Engineering’s Department of Bioengineering weds biomedicine and her pursuit in addressing healthcare disparities in the Black community.
In the News
The Conversation
Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind. Imagine what humans could do with the same technology
Anna Wexler of the Perelman School of Medicine expressed skepticism about Neuralink, a company developing brain-machine interfaces. “Neuroscience is far from understanding how the mind works, much less having the ability to decode it,” she said.
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6ABC.com
University of Penn nursing student co-creates product to help frontline workers care for patients in the dark
Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, a senior in the School of Nursing, spoke about the wearable nightlight he helped develop. The invention allows nurses to check on patients at night without turning on bright white lights. "On average, patients regularly report poor quality of sleep as their number one complaint during hospitalization," he said.
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The New York Times
Biden’s push for electric cars: $174 billion, 10 years and a bit of luck
John Paul MacDuffie of the Wharton School spoke about the push to develop a robust charging network for electric vehicles in the U.S. “It is, famously, one of the ways that China has become the No. 1 country in E.V.s on most dimensions,” he said.
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MIT Technology Review
Keeping COVID vaccines cold isn’t easy. These ideas could help
Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine and Michael Mitchell of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about efforts to develop new ways to keep temperature-sensitive COVID-19 vaccines cold during shipment.
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Philadelphia Business Journal
Strella Biotechnology, whose backers include Mark Cuban, expands its presence at Pennovation Works
Strella Biotechnology, a company developing technology to reduce food spoilage, has moved into a 2,000 square foot space at the Pennovation Lab. The company’s founders won the $100,000 Penn President’s Innovation Prize in 2019.
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The Atlantic
Why celebrities are agog over this tiny climate think tank
Zane Cooper, a doctoral candidate in the Annenberg School for Communication, said all networked computation, including cryptocurrency, is powered by fossil fuels and harmful to the environment. “Bitcoin reveals a fundamental truth about the relationship between computing and energy,” he said.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Wolf administration to buy half of state government’s electricity from solar
Mark Hughes of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy said Pennsylvania’s solar fields will provide jobs and tax revenue and move the state toward clean energy. “You want to make it hip, you want to make it cheap—but eventually you’re going to have to make it mandatory,” he said.
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The New York Times
Black NFL players want new advocate in concussion settlement
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts said algorithms can reflect the biases of their creators. “Technology can be used to promote equality or perpetuate inequality. It depends on who’s in control of it and what data they are putting into the algorithms,” she said.
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Newsweek
7 women scientists who defied the odds and changed science forever
Ashley Wallace of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about Kizzmekia Corbett, a viral immunologist who co-developed Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. "The pandemic exposed layers of racial disparities in medical treatment and clinical research, resulting in conversations surrounding the effects of how COVID-19 disproportionately infects and kills people of color," said Wallace. "Dr. Corbett is not only advancing science but she is also using her voice and platform to contribute to these conversations."
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The Atlantic
How female frogs tune out useless, noisy males
Amritha Mallikarjun, a postdoc in the School of Veterinary Medicine, weighed in on a study that found that female frog lungs can not only amplify the mating calls of male frogs but also muffle noises from other species. “It seems incredibly smart,” she said. “They’re taking sounds that aren’t interesting and trying to reduce them.”
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