5/19
Science & Technology
Decade-long remission after CAR T cell therapy
Decade-long remission after CAR T cell therapy
Two patients represent longest-known CAR T cell response to date, providing insight into treatment effect and outcomes.
Ten from Penn elected 2021 AAAS Fellows
Ten from Penn elected 2021 AAAS Fellows
Ten scholars representing five schools across the University of Pennsylvania have been named to the 2021 class of American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows, recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.”
Want to reduce political polarization? Start by looking beyond politics
Want to reduce political polarization? Start by looking beyond politics
New research from PIK University Professor Duncan Watts sheds light on how even hardliners can be swayed when coming in contact with opposing viewpoints.
Revealing the mysterious biology of a fundamental process: reproduction
Revealing the mysterious biology of a fundamental process: reproduction
New findings from the lab of P. Jeremy Wang in the School of Veterinary Medicine shed light on the cell division process that creates eggs and sperm, recurrent pregnancy loss, and the mechanism by which sperm move.
Protein controlled by both light and temperature can inform cell signal pathways
Protein controlled by both light and temperature can inform cell signal pathways
Penn Engineering researchers have described a new type of optogenetic protein that can be controlled not only by light, but also by temperature, allowing for a higher degree of control in the manipulation of cellular pathways.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In the News
NBC News
Triceratops tussle: ‘Big John’ skull shows signs of battle, scientists say
Julie Engiles of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on new research regarding triceratops anatomy, calling the team’s methodology “elegant and thorough.”
FULL STORY →
Scientific American
Where rising seas threaten drinking water, scientists look for affordable solutions
Research led by Allison Lassiter of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design aims to identify water systems along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. “Besides being unpleasant to drink, salinized water can harm vulnerable populations, including people with hypertension and pregnant women,” she said.
FULL STORY →
The New York Times
Ty Haney is doing things differently this time
Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School said “web3,” a block-chain-centered iteration of the internet, won’t be as democratized or utopian as some believe. “There’s a web3 that’s out there which is wonderful and trying to make the world a better place, but just by labeling something web3, it doesn’t mean power dynamics will magically reverse,” Werbach said.
FULL STORY →
WHYY (Philadelphia)
Got an idea to address the impacts of climate change along the Delaware? You could win money to make it happen
The Penn Program in Environmental Humanities’ Ecotopian Toolkit competition is soliciting proposals for tools to help the greater Philadelphia region address impacts of climate change. “One of the things that the project is really keen to develop is helping Philadelphians, and people really across the whole watershed, understand the ways that the water really connects to them and to their lives,” said Bethany Wiggin.
FULL STORY →
Scientific American
Why some fluids flow slower when pushed harder
Paulo Arratia of the School of Engineering and Applied Science commented on a study that explored how fluids flow under different pressures. “Visualizing flow inside a 3-D porous media literally gives a window into something that was impossible to see,” he said. “If you could actually see the molecules stretching and recoiling, that would be wonderful [to] connect the molecular point of view to the microscopic.”
FULL STORY →
Popular Science
Even dinosaurs couldn’t escape the sniffles
Ali Nabavizadeh of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on research that found evidence of respiratory infections in dinosaurs. “This paper provides yet another piece of evidence to show just how modern dinosaurs—the birds—are biologically so similar to their extinct non-avian dinosaurian relatives, even to the point of showing similar diseases,” he said.
FULL STORY →
ABC News
Why the global chip shortage threatens the economy, national security and Americans’ ‘status quo’
Morris Cohen of the Wharton School spoke about the semiconductor shortage. "Most consumers didn't know and didn't care where their chips came from: 'You turn the car on, it should go, I don't really care who made the chip and what country it was built in,'" he said. "But now, all of a sudden, these issues become really important, and so I think we become more sensitized to how dependent we are, how interdependent we are, how things can be disrupted."
FULL STORY →
BuzzFeed.com
Congress is trying to figure out what to do about crypto’s colossal carbon footprint
Zane Griffin Talley Cooper, a doctoral candidate in the Annenberg School for Communication, said “proof of work” algorithms used to mine and trade cryptocurrencies need to be “intensely regulated.”
FULL STORY →
The Guardian
The inner lives of cats: what our feline friends really think about hugs, happiness and humans
Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine said cats are capable of bonding with people, contrary to claims that they’re merely using their owners for food and shelter. “Humans hug and kiss. Dogs become very excited and jump around. Cats don’t do anything like that. They are much more elegant,” he said. “They approach us. They bump their heads. Then they have some contact with us and walk away.”
FULL STORY →
Wired
Can a digital reality be jacked directly into your brain?
Researchers led by Daniel Yoshor of the Perelman School of Medicine are developing better electrode arrays, which are used to induce neural activity. Current arrays approved for human use are bulky and contain around 1,000 electrodes, whereas the arrays Yoshor and colleagues are working on would have 64,000 electrodes, and eventually 1,000,000 electrodes.
FULL STORY →