Новые исследования Пенсильванского университета: от коллективного интеллекта пчел до борьбы с онкологией и последствиями урагана «Ида»

A roundup of stories from Penn Today on foraging patterns in the bee community, group problem solving, student performing arts, and moderating social media content. Penn biologists and collaborators show that collective intelligence doesn’t emerge by rewarding the most accurate individuals but by rewarding those who improve the group’s prediction as a whole. Dischord is an R&B and pop all-gender a cappella group. Formed in 1998, the group annually puts on two performances and releases a studio-recorded album every two years. In the vivid tapestry of performing arts groups at Penn, students prepare for their performances while simultaneously enriching their college experience. Research shows content moderators who classified controversial social media content in groups reached near-perfect agreement on what should remain online. (Image: stokkete via Adobe Images) A new study by Annenberg School for Communication professor Damon Centola and alum Douglas Guilbeault explores how content moderators can reach consensus on classifying controversial material online, including inflammatory, offensive, or hateful images. When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida’s historic flood New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn’t a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk. The Fed explained: What it does and why it matters Former Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and financial historian Peter Conti-Brown, both Wharton professors, unpack the central bank’s origins, its unusual structure, and the quiet ways it shapes the economy How population changes are impacting primary education worldwide Research from Penn sociologist Emily Hannum and colleagues reveals regional trends in whether school-age populations are increasing, plateauing, or decreasing—and shows how different countries are responding. A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth. Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.