4/16
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
A modern history of ancient trees, through the lens of climate change
Historian Jared Farmer discusses his new book, “Elderflora,” looking at why humans have no trouble looking at the ancient past but can’t seem to envision the deep future, and what trees can teach us.
Where political views and fundamental beliefs intersect
Research from The Penn Primals Project debunks the idea that conservatives think the world is more dangerous than liberals, findings with implications for future research and productive political debate.
Survey: Broad bipartisan support for abortion exceptions
The survey by Penn’s Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies/SurveyMonkey also shows 80% of American adults say abortion will be important to their vote on Nov. 8.
The allure of fad diets, and why they fail
In a new book, Penn nutritional anthropologist Janet Chrzan and Kima Cargill of the University of Washington, Tacoma, explain the cultural, social, and psychological fixation on fad diets and why they don’t typically succeed.
In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, young children dying at greater-than-expected rates
The findings, derived from a new model created by researchers at Penn and elsewhere, point to the need for specific and specifically timed interventions aimed at this vulnerable, under-5 population.
South Korea’s response to COVID-19: Lessons for the next pandemic
Former South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun shared his nation’s successful approach to the pandemic in a Perry World House lecture.
Meeting a ‘generational challenge’: Feeding the world and doing it sustainably
With the launch of the Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security, the School of Veterinary Medicine is working “to make animal agriculture part of a solution to a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future.”
Decolonize the future: Defending Indigenous rights and lands
Three Maya activists from Belize spoke with Richard M. Leventhal about the challenges and progress they’ve made on land rights in recent years.
Mask and Wig makes history with its first gender-inclusive show
The 133-year-old comedy troupe becomes gender-inclusive, opening auditions to all undergraduates this fall, recruiting 20 new members, 14 of them female-identifying.
The uncertain future of DACA
Sarah Paoletti of Penn Carey Law’s Transnational Legal Clinic sheds some light on a federal appeals court ruling earlier this month.
In the News
Comcast’s Sports Complex plan for South Philly would make our city less livable
In an Op-Ed, Vukan R. Vuchic of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that Philadelphia should make transit more accessible rather than striving to accommodate more cars.
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We don’t see what climate change is doing to us
In an Op-Ed, R. Jisung Park of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that public discourse around climate change overlooks the buildup of slow, subtle costs and their impact on human systems.
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Far fewer young Americans now want to study in China. Both countries are trying to fix that
Amy Gadsden of Penn Global says that American interest in studying in China is declining due to foreign businesses closing their offices there and Beijing’s draconian governing style.
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In death, three decades after his trial verdict, O.J. Simpson still reflects America’s racial divides
Camille Charles of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Black Americans have grown less likely to believe in a famous defendant’s innocence as a show of race solidarity.
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‘Slouch’ review: The panic over posture
In her new book, “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America,” Beth Linker of the School of Arts & Sciences traces society’s posture obsession to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
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