• Insects on the menu
Few people would willingly drink apple juice that has been in contact with a sterilized cockroach. Paul Rozin is the exception. A psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Rozin has long been interested in the emotion of disgust and how it relates to food. His recent work has focused on insects and why they could be a part of a balanced diet. They’re not chocolate, he says, and they’re certainly not meat. But they are nutritious—low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat—and an environmentally friendly alternative to many meats. (EDITORS: additional information)
• Sex ed
As little as 12 hours spent on an educational program in sixth-grade classrooms can significantly reduce the chances that the students would commit sexual assault. That is the result of research in South Africa by the University of Pennsylvania. The country has some of the highest sexual-assault rates in the world, and the results of the program lasted for at least four years afterward. (EDITORS: additional information)
• Flu vaccine
Current flu vaccines are tailored for the flu of the season, with mixed results. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, however, have developed a vaccine that elicits a strong antibody response to the virus, regardless of the different protein markers that make each strain unique. The new vaccine offers broad protection from infection. If adopted as the universal flu vaccine, it would eliminate the need to get an updated flu shot every year. (EDITORS: additional information)
• Teen behavior
Despite a popular belief, not all teens seek out risk for the thrill of it. Much of what is considered teenage “risk-taking” or “brain imbalance” is a normal part of development. Only a fraction of teens, in fact, later struggle with addictions or other problem behaviors. By looking at individual trajectories, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center and from the University of Oregon were able to capture distinct patterns of change, singling out the subset of young people who may genuinely be at risk. (EDITORS: additional information)
