Penn Arts & Sciences in the News

The New York Times

How the Pandemic Reshaped American Gun Violence

May 14, 2024

An analysis by The New York Times revealed that the number of people living close to fatal violence grew drastically during the pandemic years. Professor of Criminology John MacDonald reviewed the findings. “You don’t want people to think that everywhere is so dangerous in a way that it’s not,” he says. “On the other hand, you don’t want people to think that, oh, this is just somebody else’s problem. It’s not happening in my neighborhood.”

The Wall Street Journal

Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed.

May 13, 2024

Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Howard Marks Presidential Professor of Economics, estimates that global fertility fell to between 2.1 and 2.2 last year, which he says would be below global replacement for the first time in human history. “The demographic winter is coming,” he notes.

Christian Science Monitor

A Majority of Americans No Longer Trust the Supreme Court. Can it Rebuild?

April 24, 2024

Political Science Professor Matthew Levendusky thinks the erosion of trust in the  high court is partly due to a perception of partisanship. “If it seems like it’s just  another conservative institution, then that will further erode trust,” he says. “But if  they can combat that perception, that will help to go a long way toward restoring at  least some of that.”

The New Yorker

The Truth Behind the Slouching Epidemic

April 15, 2024

Professor Beth Linker of History and Sociology of Science is featured in the New Yorker for her new book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, that explores fears of a “poor-posture epidemic.”

The Associated Press

In Death, Three Decades after his Trial Verdict, O.J. Simpson Still Reflects America’s Racial Divides

April 12, 2024

The Associated Press interviewed sociologist Camille Charles in an article about how O.J. Simpson still reflects America’s racial divides.

Salon

“Record-Shattering” Heat Wave in Antarctica—Yep, Climate Change is the Culprit

April 9, 2024

Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, is quoted in on a new report that the “record-shattering” heat wave in Antarctica in March 2022 was powered by the most extreme “atmospheric river” ever observed due to climate change.

BBC

Gordion: A Lost City of Legends in Central Turkey

March 20, 2024

Professor of Archaeology Brian Rose spoke with the BBC about the ancient city of Gordion, in Turkey, believed to be the burial place of King Midas.

NPR

Rents are High and Housing Vouchers are Hard to Get. So Philly is Giving Renters Cash

March 19, 2024

Professor of Psychology Sara Jaffee spoke with NPR about a new initiative that gives direct cash assistance to low-income renters in Philadelphia.