Danielle Bassett on the Complexity of Biology
Last week, Dublin’s Trinity College hosted a conference called “Schrödinger at 75 — The Future of Biology,” in honor of the physicist’s series of influential public lectures that jump-started a revolution in molecular biology. On the 75th anniversary of those lectures, Trinity invited researchers from the world over to discuss the newest questions that have arisen in […]
Powering the Future with Giant Clams
In 2014, Shu Yang, of the Materials Science and Engineering, joined School of Arts and Sciences’ biophysicist Alison Sweeney on an unusual quest. Backed by a NSF INSPIRE grant for bold, interdisciplinary research, the duo aimed to unlock the solar-powered secrets of the giant clam. Now, Sweeney and Yang are combining their knowledge of how […]
Social Networks, Political Polarization and Climate Change
Damon Centola, associate professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and Penn Engineering, uses formal and computational models of social networks to study collective human dynamics. As the Director of the Network Dynamics Group and a member of the Warren Center for Network & Data Sciences, he uses online experiments to study how changes to […]
Penn Researchers Discover that Class of Neurological Disorders Share Common 3D Genome Folding Pattern
In a study led by Jennifer Phillips-Cremins, Assistant Professor in Bioengineering, researchers have found another common thread linking nearly all of the TNR expansion diseases: the complicated 3D patterns that the DNA is folded into in order to fit in the nucleus of the cell.
Mapping the Ocean With Marine Robots
M. Ani Hsieh’s robotics lab investigates how to use ocean currents as a natural energy source for marine robots, which would enable widespread exploration.
Deep Jariwala Named to ‘Nano Letters’ Early Career Advisory Board
The American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters features an Early Career Advisory Board. There, junior researchers provide new perspectives and insights to their more senior peers. Deep Jariwala, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, has been named one of the advisory board’s four new members.
The Snow Graphics in ‘Frozen’ Can Predict the Mechanics of Real Avalanches
When a slab of snow cracks and slides down a slope, the exact size and shape of the resulting avalanche is hard to predict. The sliding slab is denser than the snow underneath it, giving the system a mix of solid and liquid properties. Chenfanfu Jiang, assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information […]
How Behavior Spreads: The Science of Complex Contagions
Damon Centola, associate professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and Penn Engineering, uses formal and computational models of social networks to study collective human dynamics. As the Director of the Network Dynamics Group and a member of the Warren Center for Network & Data Sciences, he uses online experiments to study how changes to […]
Dental Plaque is No Match for Catalytic Nanoparticles
Combine a diet high in sugar with poor oral hygiene habits and dental cavities, or caries, will likely result. The sugar triggers the formation of an acidic biofilm, known as plaque, on the teeth, eroding the surface. Early childhood caries is a severe form of tooth decay that affects one in every four children in […]
New GRASP Project Aims to Leverage ‘Embodied Intelligence’ via a Robotic Squirrel
It takes about a year before human infants master their own motor skills well enough to walk. Legged robots don’t have it so easy. Only the most advanced can walk with a smooth, natural gait, and even those can be stymied by a small pile of rubble or sand. A team of researchers, led from […]