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‘Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders—and How We Can Change That’
Cover of Elusive Cures book next to headshot of Nicole Rust.

Tackling brain conditions, says psychology professor Nicole Rust, requires thinking about the brain not as a domino chain but as a complex dynamical system with feedback loops.

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  • Q&A

    • ‘Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders—and How We Can Change That’

    The first book from psychology professor Nicole Rust of the School of Arts & Sciences dives into why research on conditions like Alzheimer’s and depression hasn’t translated more effectively into better treatments.

    5 min. read

    Who, What, Why: Xiao Schutte Ke on Tibetan pastoralists and citizen science
    Xiao Schutte Ke.

    Image: Courtesy of Xiao Schutte Ke

    Who, What, Why: Xiao Schutte Ke on Tibetan pastoralists and citizen science

    Schutte Ke, a sixth-year linguistic anthropology doctoral candidate in the School of Arts & Sciences, explains the importance of Indigenous citizen scientists in understanding a crucial ecosystem of nomadic livestock herders on the mountainous region of the Tibetan Plateau.

    3 min. read

    Native plants from afar
    A diagram of areas where marigolds are native plants.

    Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News

    Native plants from afar

    In a course led by 2024-25 McHarg Fellow Leah Kahler, students explored the movement of plants across cultures and climates, as well as the relationships between recreational and productive landscapes.

    From the Weitzman School of Design

    2 min. read

    How cable news has diverged from broadcast news
    Person sitting on couch watching news.

    Image: simonkr via Getty Images

    How cable news has diverged from broadcast news

    A team of researchers from the Computational Social Science Lab at the University of Pennsylvania find that cable news has increasingly diverged from broadcast news in the topics covered and language used.

    3 min. read

    AI x Science Postdoctoral Fellows collaborate across disciplines
    Sibe-by-side portraits of Brynn Sherman, on left, and Kieran Murphy, right.

    Penn’s AI x Science Postdoctoral Fellows Program is breaking down traditional scientific boundaries by integrating artificial intelligence across diverse research fields. Less than a year in, the program is already paying dividends in the form of new collaborations and research publications for inaugural fellows like Brynn Sherman (left) of the School of Arts & Sciences and Kieran Murphy (right) of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

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    AI x Science Postdoctoral Fellows collaborate across disciplines

    The new fellowship program, offered through the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, offers mentorship and peer engagement opportunities.

    5 min. read

    Many Americans unaware high blood pressure usually has no noticeable symptoms

    Many Americans unaware high blood pressure usually has no noticeable symptoms

    In a recent Annenberg Public Policy Center health survey, over one-third of respondents report having been diagnosed with high blood pressure, but the survey also shows that few U.S. adults—including those who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure—can correctly identify what blood pressure reading doctors consider “high.”

    Sparking curiosity for better learning and better lives
    Xinyi Wang.

    Xinyi Wang is a member of Annenberg’s Addiction, Health, & Adolescence Lab and the Communication Neuroscience Lab.

    (Image: Courtesy of Annenberg School for Communication)

    Sparking curiosity for better learning and better lives

    Annenberg School for Communication doctoral graduate Xinyi Wang studies how people actively seek out and engage with new information.

    Hailey Reissman

    2 min. read

    Professor of practice Leslie Richards on innovative transit and city planning
    Leslie Richards.

    Leslie Richards, professor of practice in the Weitzman School.

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    Professor of practice Leslie Richards on innovative transit and city planning

    Once described as a “battleship turner” by Philadelphia Magazine, Weitzman professor of practice Leslie Richards served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and subsequently led the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), where she oversaw a $2 billion budget and a network that connects over five million residents in Greater Philadelphia. Having earned a master of regional planning degree from Penn in 1993, she was the first planner and

    From the Weitzman School of Design

    2 min. read