Penn Talks Science

We're here with a new mini-series highlighting some of the fantastic scientists here at Penn! In this first episode, we interviewed Dr. Cornelius Taabazuing who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics studying mechanisms of cell death. We delve into his journey into science and the insights he has gained. If you are interested in learning more about his lab, visit his lab website: https://www.taabazuinglab.com or follow him on Twitter @taabaman.            If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, reach out to us on Twitter @PennTalkScience and Instagram @penntalkscience. 

Since love is still technically in the air (last day of February) and spring is almost here (maybe), we're here with an episode diving into some of the scientific theories behind love and what some scientists from our Penn community have to say about this complex emotion. We will explore some of the mainstream psychological and biological principles of love. Give it a listen and leave a review! For more resources check out our Twitter! If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, reach out to us on Twitter @PennTalkScience and Instagram @penntalkscience!

We're back with a new episode for our fellow space and astronomy lovers! We wanted to highlight the exciting findings of the James Webb Telescope and what they could mean for the future of space exploration. Stick around until the end for a surprise! For more resources check out our Twitter!  If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, reach out to us on Twitter @PennTalkScience and Instagram @penntalkscience!

Penn  Talks Science is back with hot content! AI art is rapidly gaining popularity so we wanted to see how it all works. For more resources check out our Twitter!  If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, reach out to us  on Twitter @PennTalkScience and Instagram @penntalkscience!

Penn Talks Science is back with fresh new content! Do you have a favorite model organism? Find out how your favorite stacks up with the rest of the Penn community! If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, reach out to us on Twitter @PennTalkScience and Instagram @penntalkscience! 

Climate change has brought about serious consequences for the environment but many people may experience more severe hazards due to factors like socioeconomic status. In this episode of Penn Talks Science, PhD student Zarin Tabassum talks with fellow PhD student Andrea Andress about the disproportionate effects of climate change on local and global scales. Andrea can be contacted at: aandress@pennmedicine.upenn.edu for further questions.  The field notes from Georgia Ray’s research can found at the following link: https://ppeh.sas.upenn.edu/field-notes/understanding-environmental-injustice-through-philadelphia-tribune-archive More information on the U.S. recycling crisis and the relationship with China can be found at this link: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/03/13/fix-recycling-america/  Recording and editing were done by Zarin Tabassum. 

We are starting to see the effects of climate change, but why is it so hard to wrap our heads around it? Why haven't we done much to combat climate change, though we've been hearing about it for decades?  Listen in as Rebecca Somach, a student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group at Penn chats with Dr. Joseph Kable, the Baird Term Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania about why climate change is a difficult problem for people to relate to and what we can do about that.  Dr. Joseph Kable's lab website and research can be found at these links:  http://www.kablelab.com/ https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/people/joseph-kable The Omnia article referenced is titled "Procrastinating on Climate Change" and can be found at this link:  https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/story/procrastinating-climate-change Recording and editing done by : Rebecca Somach

Welcome to the fifth episode of Penn Talks Science for our new theme “Climate Change”. Dr. Hanna Morris joins us to talk about media, culture, and the climate crisis. Our interview with Dr. Morris was recorded in September 2021. This episode was created in cooperation with the Science Diplomacy Branch of PSPDG. To learn more about Dr. Morris’ work, please refer to the following sources: Apocalypse Divided: Analyzing Power, Media, and Climate Change Before and After Trump. https://www.cairn.info/revue-politique-americaine-2021-1-page-53.htm?ref=doi; Constructing the Millennial “Other” in United States Press Coverage of the Green New Deal. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17524032.2020.1812686; A Manifesto for Media in a Warming World. http://journalcontent.mediatheoryjournal.org/index.php/mt/article/view/71 

Welcome to the fourth episode of Penn Talks Science for our theme “Vaccines”. Dr. Damon Centola joins us to discuss vaccines in the context of social networks and behavior change. Our interview with Dr. Centola was recorded in April 2021. This episode was created in cooperation with the Science Diplomacy Branch of PSPDG. To learn more about Dr. Centola's work, please refer to the following sources: Change: How to Make Big Things Happen. https://ndg.asc.upenn.edu/book/change-how-to-make-big-things-happen/; How Behavior Spreads: The Science of Complex Contagions. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc7758p; The Complex Contagion of Doubt in the Anti-Vaccine Movement. https://ndg.asc.upenn.edu/experiments/vaccine-hesitancy/

Welcome to the third episode of Penn Talks Science for our theme “Vaccines”. Chioma Woko joins us to discuss COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the United States. Our interview with Chioma was recorded in March 2021. This episode was created in cooperation with the Science Diplomacy Branch of PSPDG. To learn more about Chioma's work and COVID-19 vaccine uptake, please refer to the following sources: An Investigation of Low COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions among Black Americans: The Role of Behavioral Beliefs and Trust in COVID-19 Information Sources. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2020.1864521; KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: May 2021. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-may-2021/; COVID Collaborative Coronavirus Vaccine Uptake Tracking Study – Wave 2: Vaccinations Advance but Intentions Flatten With “Wait and See” as a Stumbling Block. https://www.langerresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/COVID-Collaborative-Vaccine-Tracking_W2-Report.pdf 

Welcome to the second episode of Penn Talks Science for our theme “Vaccines”. Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is available and being distributed, we are taking a look at vaccine nationalism. Currently, the countries with the highest vaccinations administered are high or upper-middle-income countries i.e., countries that were able to pay for doses. In this episode, we are hearing about past examples of vaccine nationalism and how they were overcome. This episode was created in cooperation with the Science Diplomacy Branch of PSPDG. If you want to go more in-depth, a good place to start are these references: “‘Vaccine Nationalism’ Threatens Global Plan to Distribute COVID-19 Shots Fairly. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/vaccine-nationalism-threatens-global-plan-distribute-covid-19-shots-fairly. From Vaccine Nationalism to Vaccine Equity — Finding a Path Forward https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2103614 Covid-19: WHO warns against “vaccine nationalism” or face further virus mutations https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n292

Welcome to the first episode of Penn Talks Science! This is the first episode of our first theme: The Theme of Vaccines.  Before jumping into more in-depth topics, we wanted to make sure that everyone had an idea of what vaccines are.  This episode just scratches the surface on the science of vaccines, but there is a lot more to learn. If you want to go more in depth, a good place to start are these references:  Center for Disease Control: The basics of Vaccines https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/vpd-vac-basics.html Center for Disease Control: mRNA Vaccines https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html Center for Disease Control: History of Smallpox https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html American Cancer Society: Cancer Vaccines https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/immunotherapy/cancer-vaccines.html