Usually, inherited traits refer to eye color and blood type. However, new studies show that genetics can influence popularity as well. In a recent study, Harvard University sociology professor Nicholas Christakis found that a person's position in a social network is a result partially of his or her genetic background.

On Friday night, the "Collegiate Bushrangers" and "Team U.S.A." convened in the Philomathean rooms of College Hall to debate the historical question: Is Australia the greatest ex-colony of Britain? The Australian team, composed of a delegation of Australian college students selected from institutions across the country, accepted the challenge to face a team of Penn undergraduates on just two day's notice.

While RecycleMania is raging on campus, a researcher in the School of Medicine has created his own addition to the competition. Last year, Ed Bell, a researcher in the Medical School, devised a new recycling system to increase recycling in his lab by making it easier.

Last week, the Undergraduate Assembly passed its Bike Safety Proposal in hopes of establishing a more bike-friendly campus. This aim, however, reaches beyond just keeping bicyclists and pedestrians safe. The group hopes the initiative will increase the odds that a Philadelphia bike-sharing system comes to University City, a goal many students support - as evidenced by the "Just Ride Me" Facebook group, which had 740 members as of yesterday.

The opportunities to meet and listen to people whose day-to-day work helps change the world are abundant at Penn. Last night was no exception, as New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof spoke in Huntsman's Ambani Auditorium. His lecture, which covered both journalistic and moral topics, was received by a crowd that filled the auditorium and overflowed into an auxiliary room in Huntsman where students watched via live video feed.

One small step for the Undergraduate Assembly has paved the way for greater campus beauty as the group passed its "Stair Beautification" proposal Sunday night. The project, which aims to tackle unattractive stairwells and promote physical activity in Claire Fagin Hall and the high-rise college houses, was passed unanimously.

Amid the current economic crisis, many public budgets are facing cuts. Pennsylvania's is no exception. In the proposed Pennsylvania budget for next year, Gov. Ed Rendell will reduce funding to Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine by 10 percent, or almost $4 million.

The Greater Philadelphia Film Office's "problem-solver" shared her experience with students interested in the entertainment business on Friday. The Fox Leadership prorram hosted Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Film Office, at Leadership Hall.

As the new semester began, many students encountered unfamiliar white signs at the dining halls and vending machines telling them that products prepared with peanut butter have been removed. Since January, nationwide recalls on peanut products have been made as the Food and Drug Administration alerted the public to a salmonella outbreak - and Penn is following suit.

Two Jews, two Palestinians, a law student and a recent alum sounds more like the makings of a joke than the makings of a non-profit microfinance company. But gathered in Huntsman Hall last night, the founders of lendforpeace.org were not kidding around as they celebrated the launch of their Web site.

One perk of being at Penn is that one often gets to see, meet and hear first-hand from world-renowned scholars and influential leaders - Anderson Cooper, the CEO of Coca Cola company, just to name a few. And this semester, Nicholas Kristof will be added to that list - the award-winning journalist will speak at the Ambani Auditorium in Huntsman Hall tonight at 6:30 p.

High-rise residents and Nursing students may have extra incentive to nix the elevators for stairs in the future. The Undergraduate Assembly's Civic and Community Engagement Committee has drafted a proposal to paint the stairwells in a number of buildings, including Harnwell, Harrison and Rodin college houses and Claire Fagin Hall.

Since it was passed in 1993, the Clinton administration's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has prevented open members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from serving in the military due to claims of persecution and forced resignations. Fortunately for those the policy affects, times may change with the new presidential administration - a change many in the LGBT community would welcome on campus.

Last night, business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi embraced the relationship between business and philanthropy at its second annual corporate benefit in the Woodlands Ballroom of the Inn at Penn. The corporate benefit is Alpha Kappa Psi's signature event and one of the largest philanthropic events on campus.

The casting team of The Last Airbender is offering Philadelphians one last chance to steal the limelight. A second casting call for the M. Night Shyamalan movie will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Independence Hall

According to Anwar Shah, the industrialized world has a lot to learn from the industrializing nations of the world. Last night in the ARCH Building, the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature together with the Political Science Department hosted a lecture by Shah - lead economist and coordinator of the operations evaluation department at the World Bank.

Izzy and Zoe's, the Jewish deli-style restaurant on S. 40th Street, is no longer in business. Because the restaurant's owners did not fulfill their lease obligations, Penn - the landlord for the space - took action, according to University officials. "Intermittent closings" were a primary breach of the obligations, according to Ed Datz, executive director of Real Estate at Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services.