9/27
Science & Technology
Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques
Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques
Researchers from Penn, Inserm, and elsewhere observed that the number of grooming partners an individual animal had predicted the size of brain areas associated with social decision-making and empathy.
Lead toxicity risk factors in Philadelphia
Lead toxicity risk factors in Philadelphia
Two studies identify factors that correlate with high blood-lead levels in children, pointing to ongoing environmental justice issues that disproportionately fall on children of color and poorer communities in the city.
Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC
Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC
The latest assessment offers both a harsh reality check and a path forward. Experts William Braham, Peter Psarras, and Michael Mann offer their thoughts.
Discovering new ways to control light
Discovering new ways to control light
Researchers found a magnetic property in a class of materials that enables light manipulation on the nanoscale, with implications for applications such as information storage and energy harvesting.
Creating global systems for evidence-informed oral health policy
Creating global systems for evidence-informed oral health policy
Alonso Carrasco-Labra, who joined the School of Dental Medicine in 2021, is a leader in developing new policy and clinical guidelines across areas of medicine.
Talking energy at Penn
Talking energy at Penn
Energy Week 2022, hosted by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, runs April 4-8. It includes student presentations, along with conversations about renewables, energy and the war in Ukraine, and much more.
Penn Electric Racing unveils new REV7 race car despite pandemic setbacks
Penn Electric Racing unveils new REV7 race car despite pandemic setbacks
During the pandemic, Penn Electric Racing virtually designed the REV7, an almost entirely new design from REV6. The team is slated to bring the REV7 to this year’s FSAE Michigan competition in May.
Researchers find topological phenomena at high technologically relevant frequencies
Researchers find topological phenomena at high technologically relevant frequencies
A collaborative new study led by researchers in the School of Arts & Sciences demonstrates topological control capabilities in an acoustic system, with implications for applications such as 5G communications and quantum information processing.
Five Penn students are 2022 Goldwater Scholars
Five Penn students are 2022 Goldwater Scholars
Five juniors have received 2022 Goldwater Scholarships to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Penn's newest Goldwater Scholars are Joshua Chen, Allison Chou, Shriya Karam, Laila Barakat Norford, and Andrew Sontag.
A new class of materials for nanoscale patterning
A new class of materials for nanoscale patterning
Recent research demonstrates how a new class of polymers can produce small, precise patterns on the nanometer scale, with future implications for large-scale computer chip fabrication.
In the News
USA Today
Climate change makes living at the coast riskier. But more people keep coming
Michael E. Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that people moving to the coast overlook increased flooding and storm risks at their peril.
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Quanta Magazine
The new math of wrinkling
Eleni Katifori of the School of Arts & Sciences is credited for her work simulating wrinkle patterns, which were crucial to an overall theory of geometric wrinkle prediction.
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New Scientist
Drone swarm that 3D prints cement structures could construct buildings
Robert Stuart-Smith of the Weitzman School of Design and colleagues demonstrate how 3D-printing drones can create large structures made of foam or cement, paving the way for future construction efforts.
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iTech Post
University of Pennsylvania researchers develop microrobots that can brush, floss your teeth
Hun Michel Koo of the School of Dental Medicine, Edward Steager of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and colleagues have created automated shapeshifting microrobots with the ability to brush, floss, and rinse teeth.
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Interesting Engineering
Google AI succeeds in developing odor maps of molecules
Joel Mainland of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues have used a neural network to create a molecular map of odors in compounds that repel mosquitos.
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Philadelphia Business Journal
University City is running out of real estate for life sciences development. The answer? Densification
At a Philadelphia Business Journal event, Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli discussed the lack of available land in Philadelphia for life sciences development and the need for densification.
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With COP27 approaching, cities like Philadelphia are ‘powerful tools’ for climate adaptation
Mark Alan Hughes of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that cities are powerful tools for collective action on climate change, noting that Philadelphia is vulnerable on climate adaptation but well-positioned to improve.
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NPR
Renewable energy is maligned by misinformation. It’s a distraction, experts say
Shelley Welton of Penn Carey Law and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that blaming renewables is a distraction, a way to forestall a transition that is underway but needs to be moving faster.
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Bloomberg
Green concrete transition has path to credibility in climate law
Cary Coglianese of Penn Carey Law says that the EPA will need to find a way to audit the declarations of green construction companies to avoid potential damage to the entire sector.
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Associated Press
Dangerous heat predicted to hit three times more often in future
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a new study about rising heat waves focuses on mathematical probabilities rather than the true political obstacles.
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