For a better experience, click the icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites.

Science & Technology

Getting up close and personal with the animal armor of an armadillo with the Academy of Natural Sciences at Philly Materials Day 2018.

Building Connections at Philly Materials Science & Engineering Day

Each year, Drexel University hosts Philly Materials Science & Engineering Day to engage local K-12 students in a day of workshops and hands-on demonstrations related to materials science and engineering.

A turtle ant on a branch with another type of smaller bug

Without 46 Million Year-Old Bacteria, Turtle Ants Would Need More Bite And Less Armor

Socially transmitted, nitrogen-providing microbes have opened a new ecological frontier for herbivorous turtle ants.

plasma science

Drexel to Establish NSF Plasma Research and Development Center with Michigan and George Washington

With support from the National Science Foundation, researchers from Drexel University, the University of Michigan and George Washington University will work with interested companies to uncover new ways to use high-pressure plasma technology.

Asclepias syriaca with flowers

Plants Evolve Away from Obsolete Defenses When Attacked by Immune Herbivores, Study Shows

A new study shows that plants can evolve out of their obsolete defense mechanisms when facing an immune enemy, an illustration of the “defense de-escalation” evolution theory.

facebook

Just Putting it Out There — How #MeToo, Awareness Months and Facebook Are Helping Us Heal

If we have learned anything on social media in 2017 it’s that everything isn’t okay. Far from it. But we are finally starting to talk about it — according to researchers at Drexel University who study our relationships with social network sites. Their latest work, an examination of how and why women decide to disclose pregnancy loss on Facebook, sheds light on a shift in our social media behavior that is making it easier for people to come forward and share their painful, personal and often stigmatized stories.

Recyclemania

RecycleMania 2018 Has Begun!

Drexel University is once again participating in the nationwide Recyclemania competition, which began this week.

smoke detector

A High(er)-Definition Nose — Drexel's MXene Material Could Improve Sensors That Sniff

Sensors that sniff out chemicals in the air to warn us about everything from fires to carbon monoxide to drunk drivers to explosive devices hidden in luggage have improved so much that they can even detect diseases on a person’s breath. Researchers from Drexel University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have made a discovery that could make our best “chemical noses” even more sensitive.

hydrogen fuel

'Chemical Net' Could Be Key to Capturing Pure Hydrogen

Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on Earth and an exceptionally clean fuel source. While it is making its way into the fuel cells of electric cars, busses and heavy equipment, its widespread use is hampered by the expensive gas-separation process required to produce pure hydrogen. But that process could soon become more efficient and cost-effective thanks to a discovery by an international team of researchers, led in the U.S. by Drexel University. The group has uncovered exceptionally efficient gas separation properties in a nanomaterial called MXene that could be incorporated into the membranes used to purify hydrogen.

Apoica pallens clustering around their hive.

Little Wasp Bodies Means Little Wasp Brain Regions, Study Shows

A Drexel study looking at 19 species of paper wasps found that body size may lead to variation in the complex parts of their brains.

Brain

Can’t Switch Your Focus? Your Brain Might Not Be Wired for It

A new study from Drexel psychologists suggests that some brains are at a natural advantage to quickly switch their focus from one concept to another.

alchemy

Drexel and Chemical Heritage Foundation Mix Artifacts With Mobile Gaming to Create History of Alchemy Experience

The Chemical Heritage Foundation wants to set the record straight about alchemy. The medieval practice, often perceived as a dark art or pseudoscience, actually helped form the process of scientific experimentation and influenced our modern understanding of chemistry and medicine. On its quest to shed light on alchemy, the Foundation, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has enlisted help from Gossamer Games, a game design startup in Drexel University’s Entrepreneurial Game Studio, and Frank Lee, PhD, director of the EGS, to create a mobile gaming experience about the “golden age of alchemy” using books, art and artifacts from CHF Museum’s alchemy collection.

PrEP pills

The U.S. Could Easily Hit Its 2020 HIV Prevention Goal By Using One Drug, Drexel Study Finds

If just a quarter of high-risk men who have sex with men were to use daily preventive medicine, the United States could surpass its goal of reducing new HIV infections by 25 percent.