News

Byline: Caitlin Hayes

A striped caterpiller on a green leaf
Provided Cornell researchers have uncovered a new strategy milkweed uses to fight monarchs: upgrading the structure of its toxins.
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Milkweed evolves ‘mind-blowing’ tactic to fight monarchs

Cornell Chronicle

Milkweed evolves upgraded toxins to defeat monarch resistance, a Cornell University study finds, by adding a small structural element containing nitrogen and sulfur. Chemistry researchers from the College of Arts and Sciences helped model how the upgraded toxins bind to enzymes in the monarch’s cells.

Aerial view of a green field in summer, a distant view and a square marked on on the ground, set with small boxes
Chris Kitchen for Cornell University Researchers said enclosed fields, just off Cornell's campus, vastly expand the experiences of lab mice, which have only ever lived in a cage a little larger than a shoebox.
Neurobiology and Behavior

In lab mice rehomed to fields, anxiety is reversed

Cornell Chronicle

When postdoctoral researcher Matthew Zipple releases lab mice into a large, enclosed field just off Cornell’s campus, something remarkable happens.

Person speaking in front of an audience in a packed auditorium
Ryan Young/Cornell University Nobel-winning economist Claudia Goldin '67 delivered the 2025 George Staller Lecture to a packed audience in Rockefeller Hall’s Schwartz Auditorium on Sept. 25.
Economics

Nobel winner says US women won on rights, but benefits lag

Cornell Chronicle

Claudia Goldin '67 used data to paint a picture of the "tremendous" progress of the U.S. women’s movement, as well as the forces that have prevented women from reaping the benefits of their rights.

crystal ball reflects a view of a river, upside down
Marc Schulte/Unsplash
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

In a first, system uses sunlight to power carbon capture

Cornell Chronicle

Inspired by the mechanisms plants use to store carbon, researchers found that sunlight can power the capture and release of carbon dioxide, which could vastly lower costs and net emissions.

close up of a dog's mouth
Vidak/Unsplash
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Drug found ‘remarkably’ effective in treating common canine oral cancer

Cornell Chronicle

An FDA-approved drug used in humans has been found to inhibit the growth of oral squamous cell carcinomas in dogs - with one dog’s tumor nearly disappearing in a matter of weeks.

Peter Yarrow with guitar, tan jacket, white hair just at the back of his head, white beard and glasses in front of a microphone with three women and a child standing next to him
Lindsay France/Cornell University Peter Yarrow ’59 performs in Bailey Hall at Reunion 2019.
Alumni News

Folk icon Peter Yarrow ’59, of Peter, Paul and Mary, dies at 86

Cornell Chronicle

Musician Peter Yarrow ’59, who drew early inspiration from his time at Cornell before joining the legendary folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, died Jan. 7 in Manhattan.

People with backpacks and jeans stand in front of a table, set outdoors, that's labeled "Cornell VOTES"
Jason Koski/Cornell University Students from the Cornell Policy Group, a nonpartisan student organization, help others register to vote on Ho Plaza.
Student life

Students look to cast their votes with enthusiasm – and nuance

Cornell Chronicle

Cornell students are preparing to vote, many for the first time, by engaging with ideas and conversing across differences.

Person standing on the floor an enormous convention center that's mostly empty, next to a banner that says "Illinoi"
Provided Edgar Jared Vilchez '27 will speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, on Aug. 22.
Government

Undergrad to speak at Democratic National Convention

Cornell Chronicle

Edgar Jared Vilchez ’27 will share his personal experience with gun violence on the convention’s final night.

Person in red shirt smiles, hands on hips, while speaking with a circle of other people
Jason Koski/Cornell University Alexis Boyce, center, mingles with attendees at a reception honoring her work on Aug. 8.
Asian American Studies Program

A&S program manager creates inclusive space for staff

Cornell Chronicle

Alexis Boyce, program manager for the Asian American Studies Program, has been honored with the Employee Assembly's Award for Staff Inclusion and Integrity.

A mother helping a child with the hood of a parka
Sai De Silva/Unsplash
Neurobiology and Behavior

Mothers’ care is central factor in animal, human longevity

Cornell Chronicle

The relationship between mother and child offers clues to the mystery of why humans live longer lives than expected for their size – and sheds new light on what it means to be human.

Two people, fencing
Noël Heaney/Cornell University Riley Xian '25 (right), Men's Fencing Club co-captain, led the épéeists to gold at the U.S. Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs championships on April 13-14.
Student life

Diversity, empathy fuel national win for Men’s Fencing Club

Cornell Chronicle

After rebuilding post-pandemic and with diversity as its strength, the Men’s Fencing Club clinched a surprise win at the 2024 U.S. Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs championships.

Woman sitting in front of bookshelves
Africana Studies

‘Not her first rodeo’: Beyoncé scholar weighs in on ‘Cowboy Carter’

Cornell Chronicle

Professor of Africana studies Riché Richardson says reclaiming country music for the Black community and rebranding the genre as an inclusive space are triumphs of Beyoncé’s new album, “Cowboy Carter.”

group of women
Jason Koski/Cornell University The executive board of Women Leaders of Color, a student group dedicated to uniting and empowering female students of color, outside Kennedy Hall.
Student leaders

New group unites, empowers female students of color

Cornell Chronicle

Women Leaders of Color at Cornell aims to increase representation of women of color in leadership positions across professions.

person sitting with records and other items around them
Provided Ben Ortiz, collection specialist of the Cornell Hip Hop Collection.
Special collections

From breaking to Beyoncé: Hip Hop Collection empowers students

Cornell Chronicle

Cornell's collection is the largest hip-hop collection in the world.

Andy Shin
Ryan Young/Cornell University Andy Shin '23, M.P.A. '25
Student veterans

Student veteran celebrates July Fourth as a new citizen

Cornell Chronicle

… for Ithaca to begin classes. For the past three years, Shin has served in the Army Reserve, traveling to Vestal, New … tying their boot laces. And I did exactly the same thing. What that taught me was that, if you have a team, a unit, … that we all built this community together,” Shin said. “We take care of one another.” Case in point: on the eve of …

Steven Strogatz in front of a blackboard with "small world" and an illustration on it showing a circle and interconnected lines inside
Jason Koski/Cornell University
Networks

Mathematical model that ‘changed everything’ turns 25

Cornell Chronicle

The work, along with a few subsequent papers, ushered in the modern era of network science – the results of which are ubiquitous in today’s world.

Three people wearing matching yellow t-shirts look at two laptop computers
Ryan Young/Cornell University Florencia Ardón (center), founder of Neurodiversity @ Cornell and staff member in the Learning Strategies Center, with neurodiversity ambassadors Carol Anne Barsody M.A. ’23 (left), master’s student in archeology, and Becca McCabe, doctoral student in mechanical engineering, in Duffield Hall
Cornell community

A movement brings community, visibility to neurodiversity at Cornell

Cornell Chronicle

Students and staff are finding support, community, visibility and a voice through Neurodiversity @ Cornell.

Fireworks burst under a colorful night sky
Student experiences

Cornell admits ‘extraordinary’ Class of 2027

Cornell Chronicle

“True to Cornell’s founding vision, these extraordinary students will bring a diverse range of ideas and experiences to enrich campus life together.”

Two people looking at a white board
Ryan Young/Cornell University Doctoral student Shikhar Prakash, right, and Madhur Srivastava, assistant research professor in chemistry and chemical biology, work at a white board in the Physical Sciences Building.
Energy

Cornell, NYSEG pilot app to help consumers moderate electricity use

Cornell Chronicle

The app was inspired by an A&S researcher's own electrical bills.

six women on steps of Goldwin Smith Hall
Ryan Young/Cornell University Members of the Women of Color Athletes executive board, clockwise from back left, Tia Taylor ’25, track and field; Emily St. John ’23, soccer; Sydney Waiters ’24, soccer; Maddie Packer ’25, track and field; Aviva Muńoz ’23, swimming; and Sydney Moore ’24, volleyball, in Goldwin-Smith Hall. Not pictured: Meilee Key ’24 track and field.
Student athletes

Student group, Women of Color Athletics, creates space

Cornell Chronicle

… color at Cornell with a community of women who understand their challenges. … Cornell soccer player Jadyn Matthews ’22 co-founded  Women of Color Athletics  (WOCA) in … just how strong and important that mentorship and community has been.” WOCA members have also visited with girls of …

Person standing in a field, surrounded by green, yellow and red plants
Noël Heaney/Cornell University Matthew Dallos, doctoral student in the field of history, designed the Libe Slope Wild Garden for the Biennial, to “insert a moment of wildness” on campus.
Cornell Biennial

From fabric arts to human waste: Student Biennial projects transcend

Cornell Chronicle

More than a dozen students are taking part in the Cornell Biennial, which aims to serve as an anchor for the arts at Cornell.

People sitting in a college classroom
Serge Petchenyi / Cornell University Students participate in an in-class discussion.
Educational verve

Active Learning Initiative, at 10, elevates teaching and belonging

Cornell Chronicle

The initiative has supported classes in the humanities, the social and natural sciences, mathematics, information science and engineering.

Roland Molina
Jason Koski/Cornell University Roland Molina ’22 has dedicated himself to advocating for student veterans and strengthening the veteran community on campus as president of the Cornell Undergraduate Veterans Association.
Student experiences

Student veteran Roland Molina continues to serve

Cornell Chronicle

As a student at Cornell and president of the Cornell Undergraduate Veterans Association, Molina has dedicated himself to strengthening the veteran community on campus.

Red-tinted image of a stage from the performers point of view, looking out at a large crowd outside
Music

Big Red Icon aims to unite, celebrate student musicians

Cornell Chronicle

… Big Red Icon is a competition for student bands from across the university that is designed to help rebuild, uplift and … traditions. Winners will be given an opportunity to perform at Slope Day Events. … the final winner will perform at this year’s Slope Fest. “What university has a Taiko drumming group led by students, …

Education Innovation

New approaches to teaching revolutionize the classroom

Ezra Magazine

Teaching at Cornell is in the midst of a transformation, with faculty applying the latest research and technologies across disciplines to excite and engage students.

Academics

Courses continue transition from Blackboard to Canvas

Cornell Chronicle

Cornell has entered the second semester of its transition from Blackboard to Canvas, with more than half of all courses now using the new learning management system. Blackboard will be unavailable after the fall 2019 semester.

Innovative teaching

Provost’s seminar celebrates innovation in teaching

Cornell Chronicle

… The Provost’s Seminar on Teaching and Learning brought nearly 75 faculty and instructors together to share and celebrate innovations in teaching at … Professor of Physics, described how the physics department has transformed introductory labs with support from the …

Music

Revisiting the Time of J.S. Bach

Cornell Research

This Cornell Research story focuses on Bach scholar and accomplished organist/pianist, David Yearsley, who is exploring not only Bach’s music but also the music of Bach’s wife and their world.

Chemistry & Chemical Biology

Catalysis—Focusing in to see the action

Cornell Research

… used by Peng Chen, Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Chen has made innovative discoveries by applying a … This allows his group to better understand and see exactly what’s happening on individual particles as catalysis …

Africana studies

Unheard Voices, Made Known and Amplified

Cornell Research

… Where are the women writers?” Since then, Boyce Davies has spent her career making room for the experiences and … of African-descended women all over the globe, with an emphasis on voices inside but also outside the United States.  …

Philosophy

What is Metaphysics?

Cornell Research

Metaphysics includes big, abstract questions about the nature of reality that can’t be fully answered or investigated empirically: questions about whether or not we have free will and the nature of consciousness; about how objects or people persist through time. Are we the same people as we were as babies? Is a table the same if you inscribe your name into its surface? And what about causation, which is so central to our thinking, on what terms does one event cause another? 

Chemistry & Chemical Biology

Passionate explorers - a chemistry story

Cornell Research

… In the middle of the periodic table of elements, on the block that bridges the two jutting sides, is a series of elements known as … able to drive the most important reactions on the planet. What we do is try to understand what it is about an …

Classics

Classical Art- Ideal Form, Copy, Illusion

Cornell Research

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Physics

The social life of electrons

Cornell Research

… Like human social behavior, the behavior of electrons in relation to each other is difficult to predict. In strongly correlated … systems, each electron impacts how those around it act, their orientation and movement, and this leads to diverse … says Eun-Ah Kim , associate professor of physics, is what makes research in the field of condensed matter physics …

Government

Congress and political parties, a checkup

Cornell Research

… a certain political party because it’s somehow closer to what we believe,” Bateman says, “rather than recognizing the degrees to which political parties shape what we believe.” The United States Congress, political …

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Innovating with Single-Molecule Imaging

Cornell Research

In 1989, W.E. Moerner—a Cornell University graduate and current professor at Stanford University—discovered a method that allowed researchers to see single molecules for the first time. It was a breakthrough that opened doors for the development of an entirely new technique that would impact scientific research across disciplines, and one that earned Moerner, as well as fellow Cornell alumnus Eric Betzig (Howard Hughes Medical Institute), a Nobel Prize in 2014.

Sociology

Work: Aspirations, inequalities, markets

Cornell Research

This Cornell Research story focuses on Kim Weeden, the Jan Rock Zubrow ’77 Professor of the Social Sciences and director of the Center for the Study of Inequality, whose work focuses on inequality and opportunity in the United States and other industrialized countries.

Archaeology & Anthropology

The native archaeology of the Finger Lakes

Cornell Research

Through his writing, archaeology, and outreach, Kurt Jordan, associate professor of anthropology, works alongside Native partners to better understand the indigenous history of the Finger Lakes region.

Economics

The Beauty of Logic and Rigor in Data

Cornell Research

The research of Francesca Molinari, professor of economics, is explored in this recent Cornell Research story.

Philosophy

A political philosopher speaks

Cornell Research

… The research of Richard W. Miller, professor of philosophy and director of the Program on Ethics & Public Life, is explored in this … The research of Richard W. Miller , professor of philosophy … steer his intellectual path. "The anti-war movement was what made me interested in political philosophy," Miller …

English

A Natural Storyteller Talks about His Art

Cornell Research

Robert R.Morgan, professor of English, spoke about how writing and storytelling took over his life.

Mathematics

Shapes, Floppy and Squeezable

Cornell Research

What does it mean to do research in math? According to Tara S.

History

Slavery and today's policing

Cornell Research

… just south of Cornell University’s campus, you can find the grave of “Faithful” Daniel Jackson, a man who settled in Ithaca after escaping slavery in the 1840s. After the Civil War, he brought his mother north … not only provided havens for individuals and families but—what we’ve learned is—these were the bases from which …

German Studies

The Anecdote: Capturing an Experience

Cornell Research

… times. It comes from Herodotus’ Histories, an account of the Egyptian King Psammetichus’ capture by the Persians. As part of the king’s humiliation, the … Society for the Humanities … times. It comes from Herodotus’ Histories, an account of the Egyptian King Psammetichus’ capture by the Persians. As …

Physics

The fun - and merit - of collaborative physics

Cornell Research

Like all researchers, Itai Cohen, Physics, has a lot of questions. But unlike many, his questions make big, topical leaps. From fruit flies to mosh pits, from origami to cartilage—Cohen dreams of preventing stampedes in Mecca, understanding the complex neuromechanics of fruit fly flight, and making self-folding robots from a single sheet of atoms. How can all this happen in one lab? Well, the answer is: it doesn’t.

Psychology

Learning, memory, and the sense of smell

Cornell Research

… bread. But would you smell it, if you’d never learned what bread was? “Not necessarily,” says Thomas A. Cleland, … bread. But would you smell it, if you’d never learned what bread was? “Not necessarily,” says Thomas A. Cleland,  associate professor of psychology. “The very concept of having odors that you recognize and …