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Science & Technology
New imaging study reveals previously unseen vulnerabilities of HIV
New imaging study reveals previously unseen vulnerabilities of HIV
The breakthrough, Published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe, opens new paths to fight against the deadly virus.
Cells control their own fate by manipulating their environment
Cells control their own fate by manipulating their environment
Muscle, blood, brain, and skin cells are different from one another, but they all share the same DNA. Stem cells’ transformation into specialized cells is controlled through various signals from their surroundings. A study suggests that cells may have more control over their fate than previously thought.
Empathy and cooperation go hand in hand
Empathy and cooperation go hand in hand
Taking a game theory approach to study cooperation, School of Arts and Sciences evolutionary biologists find that empathy can help cooperative behavior ‘win out’ over selfishness.
Answering big questions by studying small particles
Answering big questions by studying small particles
Using electronics designed at Penn, particle physicists study neutrinos, incredibly small and nearly massless subatomic particles, to understand the fundamental nature of the universe.
Record gift from Roy and Diana Vagelos to create new energy science and technology building
Record gift from Roy and Diana Vagelos to create new energy science and technology building
Roy and Diana Vagelos have made a gift of $50 million to Penn Arts & Sciences for a new science center focused on energy science. The gift creating the new energy science and technology building In support of the Power of Penn Arts & Sciences Campaign is the largest in the School’s history.
Unlocking the female bias in lupus
Unlocking the female bias in lupus
The majority of lupus patients are female, and new findings from Montserrat Anguera of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues shed light on why. The research suggests that female lupus patients don’t fully silence their second X chromosome in T cells, leading to an immune response gone awry.
From Play-Doh to Slinkies, an engaging introduction to the basics of the brain
From Play-Doh to Slinkies, an engaging introduction to the basics of the brain
The Kids Judge! Neuroscience Fair brought West Philadelphia fourth graders and Penn neuroscience students together for a morning of hands-on fun.
A bad bout of flu triggers ‘taste bud cells’ to grow in the lungs
A bad bout of flu triggers ‘taste bud cells’ to grow in the lungs
The discovery of these seemingly out-of-place sensing cells may lend insight into possibilities for protecting lung function in people who experience severe influenza infections.
Engineering an accurate, affordable model for turbulence in air and space travel
Engineering an accurate, affordable model for turbulence in air and space travel
Unreliable computer models are holding aerospace back. George Ilhwan Park is trying to break the jam with critical work on super-small currents.
STEM legacies: Five researchers reflect on the women who inspire them
STEM legacies: Five researchers reflect on the women who inspire them
For Women’s History Month, Penn faculty share their perspectives on enterprising women in STEM who have been sources of inspiration in a field with a large gender imbalance.
In the News
Gizmodo
This freaky robotic fish is powered by ‘blood’
James Pikul of the School of Engineering and Applied Science co-authored a study in which researchers developed a soft, robotic lionfish powered by a blood-like compound. “This robot blood is our first demonstration of storing energy in a fluid that is normally only used for actuation,” he said.
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Scientific American
How the mind emerges from the brain’s complex networks
Danielle Bassett of the School of Engineering and Applied Science co-authored an article about network neuroscience, which allows us to see the origins of mental activity in the brain. One day, they write, “a neuroscientist who knew all the principles of brain function and everything about someone’s brain could predict that person’s mental conditions—the future, as well as the past, would be present inside the person’s mind.”
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The Guardian
Reversible superglue proves strong enough to hold average man
Shu Yang and colleagues from the School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new glue from hydrogel, inspired by snail slime. “The mucus [snails] produce is a viscous liquid, but when it dries they become firmly stuck,” said Yang.
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Scientific American
Domestication made dogs’ facial anatomy more fetching to humans
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine said humans may have bred dogs to appear more infantile over time. “We are innately predisposed to respond with a kind of nurturing behavior towards certain physical characteristics,” he said. “Over time, [humans selected] for traits that satisfy that parental nurturing response.”
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WBUR Boston
What Puerto Rico’s monkeys post-Maria teach us about survival
PIK Professor Michael Platt joined a conversation about surviving trauma and Puerto Rico’s “monkey island.”
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Nature
A DIY approach to automating your lab
Brian Chow of the School of Engineering and Applied Science led a team of Penn undergrads in developing a low-cost plate reader for teaching labs using open-source automation software. “Philosophically, I believe in supporting the open-source-hardware community,” he said.
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Axios
A contest to beat geopolitical ‘superforecasters’
PIK Professor Philip Tetlock was cited for his “gold standard” performance in a 2015 forecasting contest. Contestants in this year’s contest will have access to all the data on Tetlock’s team’s winning methodology.
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Technical.ly Philly
Leggy bots, flying bots, building bots: Here’s what Penn’s robotics hub is up to
School of Engineering and Applied Science students past and present, including Gavin Kenneally, Daniel Mellinger, Divya Ramesh, Mickey Whitzer, and Chao Liu, were highlighted for their work at the Pennovation Center. Their efforts were showcased at Philly Tech Week.
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Vice
We are not prepared for the next generation of CGI food
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Chenfanfu Jiang; postdoc Ming Gao; Ph.D. students Joshuah Wolper, Yu Fang, and Minchen Li; and undergrad Jiecong Lu have developed two new approaches to animating dynamic fractures, like bread tearing or cars crashing.
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The New York Times
The microbots are on their way
Marc Miskin of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about his cell-sized microbots, which may one day be used for a variety of purposes ranging from measuring brain networks to cleaning cellphone batteries.
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