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Beyond topological insulators
liang wu lab

Graduate student Xingyue Han works in the lab of Liang Wu on terahertz signals, submillimeter waves not visible to the naked eye, and uses magnetic topological materials to study interactions between matter and light. (Pre-pandemic image)

Beyond topological insulators

Charlie Kane and Eugene Mele’s groundbreaking theories on the existence of a new class of materials continues to inspire an upcoming generation of physics researchers.

Erica K. Brockmeier

The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
International leaders celebrate the Paris Climate Accord

President Biden made good on his promise to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office. The agreement was originally adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. (Image: UNclimatechange)

The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration

Penn Today spoke with experts in various areas of science and environmental policy about what they anticipate will shift now that President Biden has assumed the nation’s leadership.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Metamaterial tiles boost sensitivity of large telescopes
a person in a hardhat inspecting a metal device with gold plates and wires

Metamaterial tiles boost sensitivity of large telescopes

Research on a low-cost, mass producible technology is poised to help the Simons Observatory uncover new insights into how the universe began.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A rare celestial treat on the winter solstice
jupiter and saturn visible at dusk just above the horizon of a dark mountain landscape

A rare celestial treat on the winter solstice

Four tips and takeaways from astronomer Cullen Blake on the upcoming alignment of Jupiter and Saturn and how to best catch a glimpse of the “great conjunction.”

Erica K. Brockmeier

Did scientists detect chemical signals from Venusian microorganisms?
an artists impression of venus, shown half in shadow with a cream and tan colored atmosphere

Did scientists detect chemical signals from Venusian microorganisms?

Four takeaways from astronomer Cullen Blake on what this potentially groundbreaking study shows and what comes next for scientists who are keen to understand these faraway chemical signals.

Erica K. Brockmeier

New view of nature’s oldest light adds fresh twist to debate over universe’s age
the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in the foreground and the desert and mountains of chile in the background

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile is just one site Penn faculty are conducting ongoing global research.

(Image: Debra Kellner)

New view of nature’s oldest light adds fresh twist to debate over universe’s age

Observations by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope suggest that the universe is 13.77 billion years old, and reveals how fast the cosmos is expanding.

Erica K. Brockmeier