Science & Technology

Viewing an action — for example, biting or kicking or punching — in a photo versus a video doesn’t change the understanding of what’s taking place, according to new research from University of Pennsylvania psychologists Russell Epstein,

Music can be a powerful form of expression. It’s especially important for songbirds such as zebra finches, which learn the songs of their fathers in order to court mates.

It was a lovely day on the University of Pennsylvania campus: sunny and 70 degrees. Students sunbathed and tossed Frisbees on College Green, near cherry trees on the verge of blooming. The only incongruity? It was still winter.

University of Pennsylvania students Michael Tran Duong and Tiberiu Mihaila have been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship.

Over spring break, 13 students in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science travelled to Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about engineering and technology innovations happening in China. They went as part of a new semester-long global immersion class launched this spring.[flickr]72157682064286286[/flickr]

For a trove of examples of the rich outcomes of interdisciplinary work, look no further than Darko Stefanovski’s research portfolio.

University of Pennsylvania senior Jordan Doman has been selected as one of only twelve recipients of the prestigious Hertz Fellowship by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. The 12 newest Hertz Fellows were chosen from more than 700 applicants interested in pursuing graduate work in applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics and engineering.

How do male peacocks size up their competition? Not by looking at the brightly colored tail feathers and upper eyespots for which these birds are known, but instead by focusing on their lower feathers and legs. The birds also pay more attention when their competitors shake their tails and move rather than when they are sitting still.

Prompted in part by the 500th anniversary of Thomas More’s Utopia, the “Ecotopian Toolkit” conference at the University of Pennsylvania will celebrate how utopian imaginaries from across disciplines can address environmental challenges.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are investigating a new technology that, if proven, could lead to small, chip-size sensors capable of sensing molecules and detecting illnesses or even possibly the presence of viruses.