11/15
Science & Technology
Catching up with omicron
Catching up with omicron
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Frederic Bushman and Susan Weiss share what they and other scientists are learning about the new, dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Refining data into knowledge, turning knowledge into action
Refining data into knowledge, turning knowledge into action
Penn Engineering researchers are using data science to answer fundamental questions that challenge the globe—from genetics to materials design.
The COVID landscape after a year with vaccines
The COVID landscape after a year with vaccines
In a conversation hosted by LDI, experts from Penn, the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations discussed the vaccine rollout, boosters, misinformation, and more.
In Peru and the U.S., considering the factors that drive public health
In Peru and the U.S., considering the factors that drive public health
By comparing and contrasting the two nations’ approaches to controlling infectious diseases, students in Parallel Plagues deepened their appreciation of how these diseases emerge, cause harm, and might be effectively controlled.
New atomically-thin material could improve efficiency of light-based tech
New atomically-thin material could improve efficiency of light-based tech
A new photodetector design from Penn Engineering is not only extremely thin, making it lightweight and cost effective, it can also emit light, not just detect it.
On the Galápagos, an underwater exploration of marine life
On the Galápagos, an underwater exploration of marine life
In collaboration with a local dive instructor and the students he trained, researchers from Penn and Villanova are learning how human presence affects life on the seafloor around these islands.
Four things to know about COVID-19 vaccine boosters
Four things to know about COVID-19 vaccine boosters
Amidst concerns about increased positivity rates and new variants, Penn Today shares expert insights on the importance of COVID-19 vaccine boosters during the current phase of the pandemic.
A ‘vibrant nexus’ for research and discovery in the physical sciences
A ‘vibrant nexus’ for research and discovery in the physical sciences
With the construction of a new Physical Sciences Building and updates to the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, Penn will create a modernized physical sciences quadrant that integrates state-of-the-art research in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering.
Laminitis insights show promise for the future
Laminitis insights show promise for the future
Researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and University Florida partnered on the work, which may lead to new blood tests or even treatments for the disease, which often leads to euthanasia in horses.
Understanding optimal resource allocation in the brain
Understanding optimal resource allocation in the brain
A collaboration between experimentalists and theorists shows how the brain processes information about textures, paving the way for better understanding of sensory perception efficiency.
In the News
Scientific American
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Climate policy under a second Trump presidency
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses how much a president can do or undo when it comes to environmental policy.
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Salon.com
Exxon CEO wants Trump to stay in Paris climate accord
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences voices his concern about the possibility that the U.S. could become a petrostate.
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Interesting Engineering
Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes
Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.
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Technical.ly Philly
A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall aims to be Philadelphia’s next big hub for AI and innovation while setting a new standard for architectural sustainability.
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Associated Press
Amid Earth’s heat records, scientists report another bump upward in annual carbon emissions
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that total carbon emissions including fossil fuel pollution and land use changes such as deforestation are basically flat because land emissions are declining.
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The Wall Street Journal
How can we remove carbon from the air? Here are a few ideas
Jennifer Wilcox of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that the carbon-removal potential of forestation can’t always be reliably measured in terms of how much removal and for how long.
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Associated Press
California air regulators approve changes to climate program that could raise gas prices
Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that many things being credited in California’s new climate program don’t help the climate.
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Times of India
Self shocks turn crystal to glass at ultralow power density: Study
A collaborative study by researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science has shed new light on amorphization, the transition from a crystalline to a glassy state at the nanoscale.
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The Independent
Climate scientists fear Trump will destroy progress in his second term – and the outcome could be ‘grim’
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a second Trump term and the implementation of Project 2025 represents the end of climate action in this decade.
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