James Thomson and the Holy Grail

In 1998, graduate alumnus Dr. James Thomson won the race to isolate and culture human stem-cells for a sustained period—one of the holy grails of medical science—but he can’t outrun the controversy generated by his work. Increasingly, he isn’t trying.

The Particle Sleuths

Penn researchers have a long history of tracking solar neutrinos, elusive particles which may tell us much about our sun and the nature of matter itself.

Dinosaurs Lost and Found

A Penn graduate student's quest to rediscover the "lost dinosaurs of Egypt" was a story made for television—a two-hour documentary will air this winter—and led to a spectacular new find as well.

Going Where Science Leads

Established in 1892 as a museum for anatomic specimens as well as a center for the "increase of original scientific knowledge," the Wistar Institute today is at the forefront of basic research on cancer, AIDS and other diseases.