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Weekly Edition
August 3-9, 2026
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An interdisciplinary team of Penn researchers and students have developed a mobile field laboratory to measure water quality and track antimicrobial resistance in the Galápagos. They found that a large percentage of the bacteria in wastewater-contaminated “hot spots” were multi-drug resistant and were also reorganizing their antimicrobial resistance genes, which could lead to new, uniquely resistant strains, says microbiologist Daniel P. Beiting.
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Penn engineers and collaborators have discovered that the skeleton of the horned sea star contains specialized lens-like structures capable of guiding and concentrating light. “The same porous mineral framework that provides support also contains built-in light-guiding elements, and these organisms have had millions of years of evolution to perfect these functions,” says materials scientist Ling Li.
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For the first time in more than 20 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new sunscreen active ingredient: bemotrizinol, which manufacturers can soon include in their products. Penn Today spoke with dermatologists Joanna Walker and Aditi Senthilnathan to learn about this ingredient and understand how to enjoy the sunny summer weather without getting burned.
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Penn Medicine researchers have constructed the first spatial map of the developing human kidney, showing that soluble signals from neighboring cells steer what each stem-like cell becomes. “If we want to grow kidney tissue that behaves like the real thing, we have to know what the cells are saying to one another,” says physician-scientist Katalin Susztak, who co-led the study. “This work gives us a first draft of that vocabulary.”
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Urban planners Scott Page and Jamie Granger have been bringing their expertise from a Philadelphia-based city planning and design company into the classroom for a decade. Students have worked with communities in Rhode Island, Vermont, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, gaining real-world experience by planning solutions for flooding, runoff, and extreme heat.
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A clinical trial led by hematologist Adam Cohen and an international team of collaborators found that the bispecific antibody cevostamab—which activates patients’ own T cells to attack cancer—reduced cancer in more than 40% of patients with multiple myeloma. The study provides proof-of-concept for a new therapeutic approach and supports further clinical research.
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Earth scientist Reto Gieré originally studied minerals and rocks but shifted to explore how waste materials can be incorporated into renewable energy systems and biomass combustion. “One of the biggest challenges is changing our mindset,” he says. “We could recover valuable materials from waste streams, improve recycling systems, reduce pollution, and generate significant economic value in the process.”
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The global space economy hit a record $686 billion last year, and in June, SpaceX had the largest IPO in history. Penn Today talked with management expert Rahul Kapoor about the challenges, opportunities, and global landscape of the space economy, driven in part by decreased launch costs and improvements in satellites and rocket technology.
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Fermented plant-based foods could help inspire a new generation of microbiome-informed dietary strategies for supporting oral and gut health, according to a multidisciplinary team of Penn researchers. “The science behind fermented foods is exciting because it brings together diet, beneficial microbes, and bioactive metabolites that may interact with the microbiomes of the mouth and gut,” says dentist-scientist Hyun (Michel) Koo.
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Penn Today celebrates recent accolades received by faculty members in the School of Arts & Sciences, Graduate School of Education, Penn Carey Law, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Nursing.
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A team at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center helped Monty, a 10-year-old thoroughbred, beat the odds after suffering a compound radial fracture. The groundbreaking surgical plan included a 5-hour operation, experimental materials to clean and fill the bone, recovery in a floating raft, and more than two months in a body sling.
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A new Penn Nursing video series highlights how federal funding fuels some of Penn Nursing’s most transformative research, from improving outcomes for sepsis survivors and dementia caregivers to advancing telehealth for burn patients and injury recovery for teens.
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Sarah Rottenberg and Mikael Avery’s Problem Framing class prepares the next generation of makers to rethink the earliest stages of design, mapping out projects from accessible seating and train delays to prototype sleeves for muscle movement (pictured).
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A culturally tailored meal program rooted in traditional Diné foods has significantly reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits among heart failure patients in the rural Navajo Nation, according to a trial led by cardiologist Lauren Eberly.
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Pulitzer Prize-winner Signe Wilkinson, the editorial cartoonist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, has donated a significant collection of editorial cartoons and originals to the Annenberg Library Archive.
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Last week, Penn Today revisited stories that draw connections between past, present, and future generations. From ancient attraction and plant flowering strategies to men’s sexual and reproductive health, Penn researchers are exploring evolution from many perspectives, including in the arts and at the molecular level.
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 THE WASHINGTON POST
“Do we want classrooms organized by continuous digital engagement? Or do we want schools where children spend substantial portions of the day interacting and creating?” writes Sarah Schneider Kavanagh of the Graduate School of Education.
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TIME
“If you do these activities, you can improve your cognition, particularly your ability to multitask and problem-solve in these executive functions,” says Jason Karlawish of the Perelman School of Medicine.
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