Science & Technology

Update of a local tree field guide offers ‘antidote for plant blindness’

A new edition of “Philadelphia Trees,” coauthored by former Morris Arboretum director Paul W. Meyer, Catriona Bull Briger, and Edward Sibley Barnard offers tips for identifying tree species and highlights some of the most notable trees in the region, including many on Penn’s campus.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


USA Today

Stop the doom. We failed to prevent climate change—but we will decide how bad it’ll get

In an Op-Ed, Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that climate doom and denial can lead people down a path of disengagement, benefiting fossil fuel interests that profit from climate inaction.

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WHYY (Philadelphia)

Earth’s ‘fragile moment’ with Michael Mann, latest on Irizarry police shooting

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses what can be done to slow the warming of the planet and the politics that get in the way.

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Philadelphia Business Journal

As One uCity Square nears capacity, developer plots surrounding innovation campus and hotel addition

David Meaney of the School of Engineering and Applied Science is quoted on a building project that will mark the first time Penn Engineering and Penn Medicine will have operations under the same roof.

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Salon.com

Climate change “undoubtedly” played a role in Libyan floods that killed over 11,000 people: experts

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that human-caused climate change is favoring stalled weather systems that remain in place for longer periods of time, leading to more persistent heat and flooding events.

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Salon.com

Humans are dangerously pushing the limits of our planet in ways other than climate change

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that dangerous extreme weather events will only get worse if we continue to burn fossil fuels and generate carbon pollution.

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USA Today

How close is Earth to becoming unlivable? Humans push planet to brink, study warns

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that humanity is coming up against the limits of environmental sustainability and must take immediate action.

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Associated Press

California lawmakers approve the nation’s most sweeping emissions disclosure rules for big business

Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that California’s new emissions disclosure bill could lead to similar proposals in other states.

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Bloomberg

Microsoft sees low risk for customers in AI copyright lawsuits

Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that Microsoft’s indemnification commitment for AI end-users is a good move for PR and reassurance.

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NBC News

Here’s why Hurricane Lee is alarming even if it doesn’t make landfall

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that rapid storm intensification is alarming because it means government officials and communities have less time to prepare and face more uncertainty in evacuation planning.

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Wired

Big batteries are booming. So are fears they’ll catch fire

Sanya Carley of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that people will fixate on even rare battery fires and explosions, connecting them to new infrastructure proposed in their community.

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