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"Instructing Our Own Cells to
Rebuild Our Bodies"
John GEARHART
James W. Effron University Professor;
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology,
School of Medicine; Department of Animal
Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine
John Gearhart is not exactly a household
name, but that's okay. Stem cells are,
thanks to him. Not only was Gearhart
the first to identify and isolate human
embryonic stem cells, he's also been at the
forefront keeping the public informed —
and involved — about this often misunderstood
research. "When you
look at scientists in literature, it's always
very negative, always mucking around
where they shouldn't — you know, the
Frankenstein portrayal," he says. "We have
a responsibility as scientists to give you
the facts, the implications of our research."
At Penn, Gearhart is leading the team that
is building on our understanding of human
cells — which may lead to new ways to
treat mental retardation, Down syndrome,
and other congenital birth defects. "As a
scientist it's really the journey... This, to
me, is the excitement," says Gearhart —
a man who, as an undergraduate studying
genetics, had simply wanted to grow the
best apples in the world. |
"Nanoscience: Reprogramming
Matter for Health, Energy
and Information Technologies"
Christopher MURRAY
Richard Perry University Professor; Department
of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences;
Department of Materials Science,
School of Engineering and Applied Science
There are applied scientists, there are
theoretical scientists, and then there is
Christopher Murray, who connects the two.
The result: a research team that can bring
nonexistent materials into being. "The
part that's so exciting," says Murray, "is that
there’s no obvious route in terms of how
that might be achieved." Murray, who has
been known for making some pretty novel
things himself — assembling artificial atoms,
for instance — works on the minuscule level
of atoms and molecules. Here, remarkable
properties emerge and materials can
be engineered for super strength, high
elasticity, unusual conductivity, or
bio-compatibility. The race is on to engineer
these capabilities into devices that will
change the world for the better.
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"Human Origins in Africa"
Sarah TISHKOFF
David and Lyn Silfen University Associate
Professor; Department of Genetics, School of
Medicine; Department of Biology, School
of Arts and Sciences
In May 2009, Sarah Tishkoff made world
history. She and her team of international
scientists published the largest African
genetic study ever undertaken: a genetic
map of Africa that sheds new light on all
of humankind — our origins, our evolution,
and our future. It's a landmark study,
10 years in the making, that reveals Africa
to be the most genetically diverse place
on earth. Pinpointing the origin of
modern human migration in southern
Africa and the exit point out of Africa
near the middle of the Red Sea, her study
also shows how genetic mutations and
linguistic diversity have co-evolved.
"This is the first time we have had the
genetic data to reconstruct migration
events," says Tishkoff, who has been
dubbed a molecular anthropologist.
"Many of these groups have been studied
by linguists and anthropologists, and
we've known nothing about their genetic
history. Until now."
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