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Science & Technology
New feathered dinosaur was one of the last surviving raptors
New feathered dinosaur was one of the last surviving raptors
Dineobellator notohesperus lived 67 million years ago. Steven Jasinski, who recently earned his doctorate from the School of Arts and Sciences working with Peter Dodson, also of the School of Veterinary Medicine, led the effort to describe the find.
A critical enzyme for sperm formation could be a target for treating male infertility
A critical enzyme for sperm formation could be a target for treating male infertility
The protein, SKP1, drives a key transition step in male meiosis, the type of cell division process that results in sperm, School of Veterinary Medicine researchers found.
Takeaways from an overseas epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak
Takeaways from an overseas epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak
John Holmes discussed the epidemiological data on COVID-19 and shared his personal perspectives on the outbreak as a visiting professor working in Northern Italy.
On-campus research to be limited due to COVID-19
On-campus research to be limited due to COVID-19
The Office of the Provost has announced new measures for research activities at Penn in response to COVID-19.
Bacteria form biofilms like settlers form cities
Bacteria form biofilms like settlers form cities
New research from the School of Dental Medicine gives a satellite-level view of how biofilms grow and expand on a surface.
New minor planets beyond Neptune
New minor planets beyond Neptune
This updated catalog of trans-Neptunian objects and the methods used to find them could aid in future searches for undiscovered planets in the far reaches of the solar system.
Penn’s pioneering mathematicians
Penn’s pioneering mathematicians
Two of the first African Americans to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics, Dudley Weldon Woodard and William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor worked on fundamental problems in the field of topology and supported graduate-level math education for minority students.
Helpful interactions can keep societies stable
Helpful interactions can keep societies stable
New work by Erol Akçay of the School of Arts and Sciences and Jimmy Qian, a recent alum, challenges 50-year-old predictions that mutualistic interactions make a community unstable.
Engineers ensure quantum experiments get off to the right start
Engineers ensure quantum experiments get off to the right start
Research from the group of Lee Bassett in the School of Engineering and Applied Science describes a new approach for resetting and validating quantum states to reduce uncertainty in quantum computing experiments.
Scrap metal-powered lights win Y-Prize 2020
Scrap metal-powered lights win Y-Prize 2020
The winning team of this year’s Y-Prize, an invention competition in which entrants are challenged to pitch an innovative business plan for a technology developed at Penn Engineering, Metal Light, proposes technology to provide illumination for houses not connected to electrical grids.
In the News
The New York Times
Who’s a bot? Who’s not?
Sarah Jackson of the Annenberg School for Communication said it’s important to focus on where bots exist within social networks as well as with whom they actually interact. “Even if there are a lot of bots in a network, it is misleading to suggest they are leading the conversation or influencing real people who are tweeting in those same networks,” she said.
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The Wall Street Journal
Why people are more honest when writing on their smartphones
Shiri Melumad of the Wharton School was interviewed about her research into how people communicate with smartphones, as opposed to personal computers. “Consumers tend to convey feelings or thoughts that are more private or intimate on their smartphones, which is captured by the use of ‘I’ or ‘we’ and mentioning family and friends,” she said.
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USA Today
Canceled plans and staying home: How can students make the most of a coronavirus summer?
Vanessa Z. Chan of the School of Engineering and Applied Science wrote an op-ed about how students can still have a productive summer by taking online classes, picking up new hobbies, and creatively solving social problems.
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NPR
Are there zombie viruses—like the 1918 flu—thawing in the permafrost?
Michael Zimmerman of the School of Arts & Sciences said the possibility of reviving long frozen pathogens is “extremely unlikely.”
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The Washington Post
Dogs are being trained to sniff out coronavirus cases
Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine is quoted on training dogs to detect disease.
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The Hill
Researchers investigating whether dogs can detect coronavirus
Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine was interviewed about Penn’s Working Dog Center, which is exploring the possibility of using dogs to sniff out odors associated with COVID-19.
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National Geographic
Horses and dogs share a surprisingly common language of play
Sue McDonnell of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on new research that finds shared play language between dogs and horses. “It’s a wonderful study, and takes the questions surrounding play behavior to a new level,” she said.
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KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia)
The Origami Mask Project's engineers are designing DIY face masks for COVID-19
Shu Yang of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about the The Origami Mask Project, which is developing simple, easy DIY face masks.
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Vox.com
This AI breakthrough in antibiotics might one day save your life
César de la Fuente of the School of Engineering and Applied Science commented on new MIT research that might speed up antibiotic discovery. “I think it’s a breakthrough in a field of much unmet need,” he said. “After all, no new classes of antibiotics have been discovered for decades. This one is definitely structurally different from conventional antibiotics.”
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“All Things Considered,” National Public Radio
At 25 years, understanding the longevity of Craigslist
Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication spoke about the founders of Craigslist. “They’re both just old-school engineer type guys who just really believe in keeping the design as simple and functional as possible,” she said. “[I]t’s never had a competitor that was really able to swallow up its user base. It’s had loyal customers all along, loyal users all along, so it’s just never been forced to adapt.”
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