Science & Technology

Recreating the adrenal gland in a petri dish

A School of Veterinary Medicine–led team coaxed stem cells to take on the characteristics and functions of a human adrenal gland, progress that could lead to new therapies for adrenal insufficiencies and a deeper understanding of the genetics of such disorders.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Novel ‘tunneling’ design for energy-efficient chips

Experts have been experimenting with field-effect transistor technology (FET) for decades, but have been hindered by insurmountable tradeoffs in power and performance. Penn engineers have redesigned FETs with energy efficiency in mind.

Where does charcoal come from—and is it sustainable?

Charcoal energizes everything from backyard barbecues to industrial metallurgy, but its environmental impact is worse than once thought. Research from the School of Arts & Sciences finds that policy changes could make charcoal more sustainable.

Marilyn Perkins

Hands-on medical simulation, simplified

Elizabeth Sanseau of CHOP and Annenberg’s Kyle Cassidy discuss Annenberg Hotkeys, a medical simulator developed during the pandemic to remotely prepare health care providers for emergency situations.

Marilyn Perkins

Want a good read? Check out these award-winning stories

From the opening of the Penn Medicine Pavilion to the intricacies of broadband expansion—read some recent Penn Today stories that won district awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Dee Patel

New discoveries in kagome metals

A collaborative study reveals insights into the properties of a recently discovered family of superconductors, with implications for future applications in quantum computing and other technologies.

Penn Today Staff



In the News


France 24

Climate scientists flee Twitter as hostility surges following Musk’s takeover

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences believes that the rise in climate misinformation from trolls and bots is organized and orchestrated by opponents of climate reform.

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Salon.com

This controversial sci-fi blockbuster about climate change still polarizes scientists today

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the film “The Day After Tomorrow” trivializes concerns about the climate crisis because it represents a caricature of the science.

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Fox News

What does Congress need to do amid AI boom?

At a congressional hearing, Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science testified on the capabilities and transformative impact of generative AI technology.

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The New York Times

The optimist’s guide to artificial intelligence and work

A study from researchers at Penn and OpenAI concluded that at least 10 percent of tasks could be automated using AI tools for about 80 percent of jobs.

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Business Insider

Study: Heat-temperature marine bacteria help detoxify asbestos

Ileana Perez-Rodriguez of the School of Arts & Sciences says that iron has been identified as a major component driving the toxicity of asbestos minerals.

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WCTI-TV

NewsChannel 12 investigates: Artificial intelligence part three

Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and his students are proving that AI is still catching up to how human brains work.

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Associated Press

The likelihood that Earth briefly hits key warming threshold grows bigger and closer, UN forecasts

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that reports on climate thresholds put too much emphasis on global surface temperature, which varies with the El Niño cycle, even though it is climbing upward in the long term.

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Bloomberg

Why natural disasters seem worse than our direst predictions

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that some climate change impacts are playing out faster and with a greater magnitude than predicted.

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CNBC

House holds hearing to examine the intersection of generative AI and copyright law

At a congressional hearing, Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science testified on the capabilities and transformative impact of generative AI technology.

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The Wall Street Journal

How AI will change the workplace

Peter Cappelli, Sonny Tambe, and Kartik Hosanagar of the Wharton School discuss how the worlds of work and artificial intelligence will intersect in the future.

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