Could ‘cyborg’ transplants replace pancreatic tissue damaged by diabetes? The researchers grew pancreatic tissue (above) so it incorporated a mesh-like electronic network (red). Cells within the tissue produce insulin (green), the blood-sugar-lowering hormone lost in type 1 diabetes.(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine) Could ‘cyborg’ transplants replace pancreatic tissue damaged by diabetes? A new electronic implant system developed by Penn Medicine researchers prompts lab-grown pancreatic cells to mature, and suggests a new way to treat diabetes. 2 min. read
Endurance brain cells may determine how long you can run for Penn In the News New Scientist Endurance brain cells may determine how long you can run for “Just like your muscles build when you’re exercising them, your brain activity builds,” says Nicholas Betley of the School of Arts & Sciences. Scientists discover a brain circuit that enhances physical endurance in mice Penn In the News Science Alert Scientists discover a brain circuit that enhances physical endurance in mice Research from Nicholas Betley of the School of Arts & Sciences shows that exercise can boost brain function. How to incentivize problem solving in groups Image: Flavio Coelho via Getty Images How to incentivize problem solving in groups Why do some groups get smarter together while others collapse into groupthink? New research from theoretical biologist Joshua Plotkin and collaborators show that collective intelligence doesn’t emerge by rewarding the most accurate individuals but by rewarding those who improve the group’s prediction as a whole. 3 min. read How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes nocred How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes Penn biologists reveal how plants respond to seasonal flowering cues while protecting the stem cells at their growing tip, enabling continuous reproduction in changing environments. 3 min. read Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age Penn In the News The Washington Post Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age Michael Lampson of the School of Arts & Sciences comments on women’s loss of cohesion proteins as a factor in age-related fertility decline. 20 breakthroughs of 2025 The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.(Image: Eric Sucar) 20 breakthroughs of 2025 From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents. 5 min. read How one molecule keeps plants youthful Image: Courtesy of Omnia. How one molecule keeps plants youthful In a career-defining paper, Scott Poethig, a biologist at the School of Arts & Sciences, has discovered that a single molecular switch can freeze plants in their juvenile state. 2 min. read Evolution at a molecular level Biologist Mia Levine and colleagues have demonstrated how a pair of essential protein partners undergo rapid evolutionary change to counter fast-evolving parasitic DNA while maintaining core cellular functions. The work presents novel insight into how evolution works at the molecular level.(Image: Getty images/Joao Paulo Burini) Evolution at a molecular level Research led by Mia Levine shows how a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising essential functions. 3 min. read Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Penn researchers will receive two of four grants awarded this year by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation in support of interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at developing novel approaches to fundamental scientific questions. 2 min. read Load More
Scientists discover a brain circuit that enhances physical endurance in mice Penn In the News Science Alert Scientists discover a brain circuit that enhances physical endurance in mice Research from Nicholas Betley of the School of Arts & Sciences shows that exercise can boost brain function. How to incentivize problem solving in groups Image: Flavio Coelho via Getty Images How to incentivize problem solving in groups Why do some groups get smarter together while others collapse into groupthink? New research from theoretical biologist Joshua Plotkin and collaborators show that collective intelligence doesn’t emerge by rewarding the most accurate individuals but by rewarding those who improve the group’s prediction as a whole. 3 min. read How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes nocred How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes Penn biologists reveal how plants respond to seasonal flowering cues while protecting the stem cells at their growing tip, enabling continuous reproduction in changing environments. 3 min. read Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age Penn In the News The Washington Post Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age Michael Lampson of the School of Arts & Sciences comments on women’s loss of cohesion proteins as a factor in age-related fertility decline. 20 breakthroughs of 2025 The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.(Image: Eric Sucar) 20 breakthroughs of 2025 From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents. 5 min. read How one molecule keeps plants youthful Image: Courtesy of Omnia. How one molecule keeps plants youthful In a career-defining paper, Scott Poethig, a biologist at the School of Arts & Sciences, has discovered that a single molecular switch can freeze plants in their juvenile state. 2 min. read Evolution at a molecular level Biologist Mia Levine and colleagues have demonstrated how a pair of essential protein partners undergo rapid evolutionary change to counter fast-evolving parasitic DNA while maintaining core cellular functions. The work presents novel insight into how evolution works at the molecular level.(Image: Getty images/Joao Paulo Burini) Evolution at a molecular level Research led by Mia Levine shows how a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising essential functions. 3 min. read Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Penn researchers will receive two of four grants awarded this year by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation in support of interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at developing novel approaches to fundamental scientific questions. 2 min. read Load More
How to incentivize problem solving in groups Image: Flavio Coelho via Getty Images How to incentivize problem solving in groups Why do some groups get smarter together while others collapse into groupthink? New research from theoretical biologist Joshua Plotkin and collaborators show that collective intelligence doesn’t emerge by rewarding the most accurate individuals but by rewarding those who improve the group’s prediction as a whole. 3 min. read
How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes nocred How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes Penn biologists reveal how plants respond to seasonal flowering cues while protecting the stem cells at their growing tip, enabling continuous reproduction in changing environments. 3 min. read
Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age Penn In the News The Washington Post Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age Michael Lampson of the School of Arts & Sciences comments on women’s loss of cohesion proteins as a factor in age-related fertility decline. 20 breakthroughs of 2025 The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.(Image: Eric Sucar) 20 breakthroughs of 2025 From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents. 5 min. read How one molecule keeps plants youthful Image: Courtesy of Omnia. How one molecule keeps plants youthful In a career-defining paper, Scott Poethig, a biologist at the School of Arts & Sciences, has discovered that a single molecular switch can freeze plants in their juvenile state. 2 min. read Evolution at a molecular level Biologist Mia Levine and colleagues have demonstrated how a pair of essential protein partners undergo rapid evolutionary change to counter fast-evolving parasitic DNA while maintaining core cellular functions. The work presents novel insight into how evolution works at the molecular level.(Image: Getty images/Joao Paulo Burini) Evolution at a molecular level Research led by Mia Levine shows how a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising essential functions. 3 min. read Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Penn researchers will receive two of four grants awarded this year by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation in support of interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at developing novel approaches to fundamental scientific questions. 2 min. read
20 breakthroughs of 2025 The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.(Image: Eric Sucar) 20 breakthroughs of 2025 From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents. 5 min. read
How one molecule keeps plants youthful Image: Courtesy of Omnia. How one molecule keeps plants youthful In a career-defining paper, Scott Poethig, a biologist at the School of Arts & Sciences, has discovered that a single molecular switch can freeze plants in their juvenile state. 2 min. read
Evolution at a molecular level Biologist Mia Levine and colleagues have demonstrated how a pair of essential protein partners undergo rapid evolutionary change to counter fast-evolving parasitic DNA while maintaining core cellular functions. The work presents novel insight into how evolution works at the molecular level.(Image: Getty images/Joao Paulo Burini) Evolution at a molecular level Research led by Mia Levine shows how a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising essential functions. 3 min. read
Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Four from Penn receive Kaufman Foundation grants Penn researchers will receive two of four grants awarded this year by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation in support of interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at developing novel approaches to fundamental scientific questions. 2 min. read