4.21
Science & Technology
Quarantine or isolation? An updated glossary for the next phase of the pandemic
Penn Today revisits the lexicon of new definitions and phrases to help make sense of news headlines, public health measures, and everyday discussions about COVID-19.
Repurposing a proven gene therapy approach to treat, prevent COVID-19
Repurposing a proven gene therapy approach to treat, prevent COVID-19
In a Q&A, Penn Medicine’s James M. Wilson discusses using adeno-associated viral vectors to transport a lab-made antibody cocktail into the body. This method, delivered via nasal spray or mist, has the potential to act as a “bioshield” against SARS-CoV-2.
Atomic-scale apertures represent a novel regime in physics and materials science
Atomic-scale apertures represent a novel regime in physics and materials science
Two new studies demonstrate how to fabricate atomically-thin materials with atom-sized pores, with possible applications ranging from water purification to energy harvesting.
A rare celestial treat on the winter solstice
A rare celestial treat on the winter solstice
Four tips and takeaways from astronomer Cullen Blake on the upcoming alignment of Jupiter and Saturn and how to best catch a glimpse of the “great conjunction.”
From PPE to lab safety, supporting the campus community is a full-time job
From PPE to lab safety, supporting the campus community is a full-time job
The Environmental Health and Radiation Safety office plays an important role in keeping Penn safe and healthy. Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, the office has stepped up to support the resumption of on-campus activities.
Project Quaker testing program key to a safe campus reopening
Project Quaker testing program key to a safe campus reopening
Developed in partnership with Penn Medicine, the program aims to conduct 40,000 COVID-19 tests each week and will support ongoing plans to bring students back to campus this spring.
Vision researchers honored by End Blindness 2020
Vision researchers honored by End Blindness 2020
The Outstanding Achievement Prize highlights the contributions of the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Gustavo D. Aguirre and the Perelman School of Medicine’s Jean Bennett and Albert M. Maguire toward a gene therapy for a form of blindness.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine emergency use authorization: Five takeaways
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine emergency use authorization: Five takeaways
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Holly Fernandez Lynch sheds light on the regulatory process that will allow companies to begin distributing their COVID -19 vaccines.
A new platform for creating material blends
A new platform for creating material blends
A novel way to rapidly create and characterize blends of polymers, nanoparticles, and other materials could significantly accelerate material development.
Dynamic plants
Dynamic plants
Led by School of Arts & Sciences prof Brian Gregory and postdoc Xiang Yu, researchers have uncovered one way plants respond to hormonal cues. A similar process is likely at play in mammals.
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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