11/15
Science & Technology
A new drug target for chemically induced Parkinson’s disease
A new drug target for chemically induced Parkinson’s disease
An enzyme that modifies chemicals formed in the body by alcohol, tobacco, and certain foods may be a new target for treating Parkinson’s disease. The altered compounds may play a role in triggering the onset or advancing the progression of the neurodegenerative condition.
Toxins from the tap
Toxins from the tap
In Pennsylvania and hundreds of other locations around the country, manmade chemicals known as PFAS have been found in drinking water. Howard Neukrug discusses the potential harm, how local and federal agencies are responding, and the many related questions that remain unanswered.
Novel model for studying intestinal parasite could advance vaccine development
Novel model for studying intestinal parasite could advance vaccine development
The intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium causes frequent outbreaks in the U.S., and has been historically difficult to study. A novel model of infection from Penn Vet serves as a new tool to pursue a vaccine.
Engineering’s Vanessa Chan gives students a real-world glimpse of life after college
Engineering’s Vanessa Chan gives students a real-world glimpse of life after college
Vanessa Chan, a professor at Penn Engineering, is changing up the curriculum, giving students a real-world glimpse into life after college.
Contest fosters local solutions to global sustainability challenges
Contest fosters local solutions to global sustainability challenges
SoleProvider won the Sustainable Solutions competition created by rising senior Richard Ling. The automated texting system offers Philadelphia’s homeless a simple way to request a particular need and for users to fulfill it.
A superstrong, reversible adhesive that works like snail slime
A superstrong, reversible adhesive that works like snail slime
When wet, the material conforms to the grooves on a surface, and when dry, the material hardens and fastens itself securely to the surface.
Better prognosticating for dogs with mammary tumors
Better prognosticating for dogs with mammary tumors
For dogs with mammary tumors, a course of treatment can depend on a variety of factors, some of which may seem to contradict one another. A new system developed by Penn Vet’s Karin Sorenmo and colleagues can make determining a prognosis and making treatment decisions an easier task.
Revealing ‘hidden’ phases of matter through the power of light
Revealing ‘hidden’ phases of matter through the power of light
New research shows how materials can be imbued with new chemical properties using a solid phase transition method that relies on extremely fast pulses of light.
Calling all techies: Penn’s your next stop
Calling all techies: Penn’s your next stop
Throughout the years, jobs in technology have flourished at the University. Here’s why it’s such a good place to work in tech.
A conversation with Vijay Balasubramanian
A conversation with Vijay Balasubramanian
In the latest episode of Penn Today's ‘Office Hours’ podcast series, a casual chat with Professor of Physics Vijay Balasubramanian.
In the News
Scientific American
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Climate policy under a second Trump presidency
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses how much a president can do or undo when it comes to environmental policy.
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Technical.ly Philly
A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall aims to be Philadelphia’s next big hub for AI and innovation while setting a new standard for architectural sustainability.
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Salon.com
Exxon CEO wants Trump to stay in Paris climate accord
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences voices his concern about the possibility that the U.S. could become a petrostate.
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Interesting Engineering
Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes
Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.
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Associated Press
Amid Earth’s heat records, scientists report another bump upward in annual carbon emissions
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that total carbon emissions including fossil fuel pollution and land use changes such as deforestation are basically flat because land emissions are declining.
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The Wall Street Journal
How can we remove carbon from the air? Here are a few ideas
Jennifer Wilcox of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that the carbon-removal potential of forestation can’t always be reliably measured in terms of how much removal and for how long.
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Associated Press
California air regulators approve changes to climate program that could raise gas prices
Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that many things being credited in California’s new climate program don’t help the climate.
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Times of India
Self shocks turn crystal to glass at ultralow power density: Study
A collaborative study by researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science has shed new light on amorphization, the transition from a crystalline to a glassy state at the nanoscale.
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The Independent
Climate scientists fear Trump will destroy progress in his second term – and the outcome could be ‘grim’
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a second Trump term and the implementation of Project 2025 represents the end of climate action in this decade.
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