11/15
Science & Technology
A new model for how the brain perceives unique odors
A new model for how the brain perceives unique odors
Using statistical physics and insights from biology, this research can help inform new hypotheses and experiments towards understanding the olfactory system, a complex and crucial pathway of the brain.
‘Nanozyme’ therapy prevents harmful dental plaque buildup
‘Nanozyme’ therapy prevents harmful dental plaque buildup
An iron-oxide nanoparticle that is FDA-approved to treat anemia acts as an enzyme to activate hydrogen peroxide to suppress the growth of tooth-decay-causing biofilms in the human mouth, according to a study led by the School of Dental Medicine.
Four facts about the COVID-19 boosters
Four facts about the COVID-19 boosters
The FDA and CDC endorsed boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines just a month after the agencies did the same for a Pfizer/BioNTech booster. Here’s what’s known today about these shots.
Novel gene therapy platform speeds search for ways to cure blindness
Novel gene therapy platform speeds search for ways to cure blindness
A newly developed single-cell RNA sequencing technique enables researchers to quickly identify an optimal vector for delivering therapeutic genetic material to treat vision disorders, and perhaps other genetic conditions.
Eight Penn researchers receive 2021 NIH Director’s Awards
Eight Penn researchers receive 2021 NIH Director’s Awards
The National Institutes of Health grants, totaling more than $8 million, will support seven high-risk, high-reward research projects.
Improved fluorescent amino acids for cellular imaging
Improved fluorescent amino acids for cellular imaging
New research describes how to insert synthetic fluorescent amino acids into proteins in living cells, with implications for the study of neurological diseases.
Penn cosmology team ready to field the largest ever cosmic microwave background camera
Penn cosmology team ready to field the largest ever cosmic microwave background camera
A new study details the inner workings of the Large Aperture Telescope Receiver, the cryogenic camera that will be installed at the Simons Observatory at 17,000 feet in northern Chile.
New mathematical tools to study opinion dynamics
New mathematical tools to study opinion dynamics
Using a class of network structures known as discourse sheaves, researchers describe a new, flexible framework for studying how opinions change over social networks.
Penn Engineering reveals new data science building will be named Amy Gutmann Hall
Penn Engineering reveals new data science building will be named Amy Gutmann Hall
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s new data science building unveiled its new name, Amy Gutmann Hall, honoring Penn’s eight and longest-serving president.
A two-pronged approach to keep rheumatoid arthritis in check
A two-pronged approach to keep rheumatoid arthritis in check
A new study led by George Hajishengallis of the School of Dental Medicine shows that the protein DEL-1 could reduce the painful inflammation of RA in an animal model.
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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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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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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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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Interesting Engineering
U.S. achieves billion-fold power-saving semiconductor tech; could challenge China
A collaborative effort by Ritesh Agarwal of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues has made phase-change memory more energy efficient and could unlock a future revolution in data storage.
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