By monitoring the cosmos with a radio telescope array, an international team of scientists has detected radio bursts emanating from the constellation Boötes – that could be the first radio emission collected from a planet beyond our solar system. The team, led by Cornell postdoctoral researcher Jake D. Turner, Philippe Zarka of the Observatoire de Paris - Paris Sciences et Lettres University…
The large Cornell-designed telescopic “ear” at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, which listened for the enlightening crackle of the cosmos for nearly six decades, now hears silence. In the wake of two recent support-cable failures, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will decommission and dismantle the giant dish at Arecibo Observatory – the world-class radio telescope in Puerto Rico that was conceived by…
Floods of unimaginable magnitude once washed through Gale Crater on Mars’ equator around 4 billion years ago – a finding that hints at the possibility that life may have existed there, according to data collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover and analyzed in joint project by scientists from Jackson State University, Cornell, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Hawaii. The…
Global warming reduction may someday get a cool new tool: climate engineering. The SilverLining Safe Climate Research Initiative has awarded a $500,000 grant to a Cornell engineering researcher, who will model the effects of introducing reflective aerosols into the stratosphere, which could deflect enough sunbeams to reduce Earth’s temperature and limit climate change impact. …
Earth’s most arid desert may hold a key to finding life on Mars. Diverse microbes discovered in the clay-rich, shallow soil layers in Chile’s dry Atacama Desert suggest that similar deposits below the Martian surface may contain microorganisms, which could be easily found by future rover missions or landing craft. Led by Cornell and Spain’s Centro de Astrobiología, scientists…
Amid the clatter in the days before the presidential election – the long lines at early polls, racial strife, street protests, political ad skirmishes and the streaming patter of television punditry – three College of Arts and Sciences professors offered a bright light at the end of the 2020 tunnel: hope for democracy. Panelists Kenneth Roberts, Alexandra Cirone and Julilly Kohler…
In the dark of night, ogre-faced spiders with dominating big eyes dangle from a silk frame to cast a web and capture their ground prey. But these spiders also can capture insects flying behind them with precision, and scientists have long wondered how. Cornell scientists have confirmed that these spiders use metatarsal sensitivity – sensors at the tip of the leg – to detect sound cues at various…
As the frenzied 2020 presidential campaign reaches culmination, the nation’s media, political parties and courts brace for a possible contested outcome. But in the United States and around the world, heated national elections are nothing new. David Bateman, associate professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences, will moderate “Democracy Contested?” in an online Cornell…
Three decades after Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan suggested that Voyager 1 snap Earth’s picture from billions of miles away – resulting in the iconic Pale Blue Dot photograph – two astronomers now offer another unique cosmic perspective:
Some exoplanets – planets from beyond our own solar system – have a direct line of sight to observe Earth’s biological qualities from far, far away.
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Lea Bonnefoy ’15, a Cornell postdoctoral researcher in astronomy who will soon examine NASA mission landing spots on the Saturnian moon Titan, has been awarded a 2020 L’Oréal-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Young Talents France Prize For Women in Science. Bonnefoy, who was among 20 doctoral candidates and 15 post-doctoral researchers in all selected to…
Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54, whose legal career in the fight for women’s rights, equal rights and human dignity culminated with her ascent to the U.S. Supreme Court, and who – as an octogenarian – became a cultural hero and arguably the most beloved justice in American history, died Sept. 18 in Washington, D.C. She was 87. Ginsburg died from complications of cancer, according to a statement from the…
In a little more than a decade, samples of rover-scooped Martian soil will rocket to Earth. While scientists are eager to study the red planet’s soils for signs of life, researchers must ponder a considerable new challenge: Acidic fluids – which once flowed on the Martian surface – may have destroyed biological evidence hidden within Mars’ iron-rich clays, according to researchers at Cornell and…
NASA’s Juno spacecraft – orbiting and closely observing the planet Jupiter – has unexpectedly discovered lightning in the planet’s upper atmosphere, according to a multi-institutional study led by the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which includes two Cornell researchers. The work was published Aug. 5 in the journal Nature. Jupiter’s gaseous atmosphere seems placid from a distance, but up…
Mars is about to become a little more red, thanks to the Cornellians who helped develop and calibrate instruments soon bound for the planet. Early on July 30, the NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab’s Mars 2020 spacecraft will roar away from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, bound for Earth’s rusty red neighbor. Cornell researchers are among the hundreds of scientists and engineers…
A pair of binary neutron stars in the Milky Way galaxy – discovered eight years ago by a pulsar survey developed at Cornell – is giving researchers a front-row seat at what they believe will be the stars’ eventual cataclysmic merger. Two Cornell astronomers with an international team of scientists have found that the masses of the neutron stars orbiting each other are strikingly different – so…
The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability has awarded seven Academic Venture Fund (AVF) interdisciplinary seed grants, totaling $1.1 million, for projects that engage faculty from eight Cornell colleges and 16 academic departments.
In its 13th year of providing grants, AVF serves as an incubator of innovation, according to David Lodge, the Francis J. DiSalvo Director of Cornell Atkinson.
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When astronomer Joan Schmelz met then-postdoctoral researcher Lisa Kaltenegger a decade ago at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the hottest cosmic theme to study was exoplanet exploration.
“That was a strong indication that astronomy was changing in important and fundamental ways,” Schmelz, associate director of the Universities Space Research Association, told astronomers via…
After examining a dozen types of suns and a roster of planet surfaces, Cornell astronomers have developed a practical model – an environmental color “decoder” – to tease out climate clues for potentially habitable exoplanets in galaxies far away. “We looked at how different planetary surfaces in the habitable zones of distant solar systems could affect the climate on exoplanets,” said Jack…
The COVID-19 pandemic is keeping people apart, but Cornell students showed that despite physical distancing they can still make meaningful local, regional and global connections. The university’s Office of Engagement Initiatives (OEI) celebrated the students’ work from this academic year at the Community Engagement Showcase 2020. Rather than the annual in-person celebration with posters and face…
The proliferation of medical misinformation on social media and the human experience of social distancing are among the pandemic-related topics to be studied with Rapid Response Fund grants from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Since requesting emergency seed-grant proposals in early April, Cornell Atkinson has announced a total of seven Rapid Response Fund grants, including five…
The next generation of powerful Earth- and space-based telescopes will be able to hunt distant solar systems for evidence of life on Earth-like exoplanets – particularly those that chaperone burned-out stars known as white dwarfs. The chemical properties of those far-off worlds could indicate that life exists there. To help future scientists make sense of what their telescopes are showing them,…
After spotting a curious pattern in scientific papers – they described exoplanets as being cooler than expected – Cornell astronomers have improved a mathematical model to accurately gauge the temperatures of planets from solar systems hundreds of light-years away.This new model allows scientists to gather data on an exoplanet’s molecular chemistry and gain insight on the cosmos’ planetary…
To address the plastic environmental crisis, Cornell chemists have developed a new polymer with ample strength in a marine setting that is poised to degrade by ultraviolet radiation, according to research published March 30 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
“We have created a new plastic that has the mechanical properties required by commercial fishing gear. If it eventually…
Cornell astronomers have created five models representing key points from our planet’s evolution, like chemical snapshots through Earth’s own geologic epochs.They will use them as spectral templates in the hunt for Earth-like planets in distant solar systems in the approaching new era of powerful telescopes.“These new generation of space- and ground-based telescopes coupled with our models will…
Recyclable plastic containers with the No. 2 designation could become even more popular for manufacturers as plastic milk jugs, dish soap containers and shampoo bottles may soon get an environmental makeover.
Cornell chemists can demonstrate how to make high-density polyethylene with better control over polymer chain lengths, which allows for improvement over physical properties such as…
More than a year after NASA’s Mars InSight lander touched down in a pebble-filled crater on the Martian equator, the rusty red planet is now serving up its meteorological secrets: Gravity waves, surface swirling “dust devils,” and the steady, low rumble of infrasound, Cornell and other researchers have found.“This is entirely new territory we are exploring,” said Don Banfield ‘87, principal…
In the pantheon of famous self-portraits, this one is less than a pixel – and it is us.The iconic photograph of planet Earth from distant space – the “pale blue dot” – was taken 30 years ago – Feb. 14, 1990, at a distance of 3.7 billion miles, by the NASA spacecraft Voyager 1 as it zipped toward the far edge of the solar system. The late Cornell astronomy professor Carl Sagan came up with the…
The Spitzer Space Telescope – with its Cornell-developed infrared spectrograph instrument – has been peering through murky cosmic dust to study the distant heavens for 16 years. Originally scheduled to last 2.5 years, the mission officially will end Jan. 30.
Spitzer was the final mission of NASA’s Great Observatories program. The infrared spectrograph portion of the mission ended in 2010.
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A comet once thought to be a quiet dirty snowball cruising through the solar system becomes quite active when seen up close.Photography from the Rosetta mission reveals dancing gravel, whirling icy debris and transient, movable “depressions” on the smooth terrain of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (Comet 67P). Alex Hayes ’03, M.Eng. ’03, associate professor of astronomy, presented the research at…
Yervant Terzian, the Tisch Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Astronomy, who studied the physical matter between stars, dedicated his career to education and chaired the department for two decades, died Nov. 25 in Ithaca. Terzian was 80.“He was always thinking of new and creative ways to make astronomy better at Cornell, and how to make astronomy better as a national and…
A Cornell senior has come up with a way to discern life on exoplanets loitering in other cosmic neighborhoods: a spectral field guide.Zifan Lin ’20 has developed high-resolution spectral models and scenarios for two exoplanets that may harbor life: Proxima b, in the habitable zone of our nearest neighbor Proxima Centauri; and Trappist-1e, one of three possible Earth-like exoplanet candidates in…
A Cornell senior has come up with a way to discern life on exoplanets loitering in other cosmic neighborhoods: a spectral field guide.Zifan Lin ’20 has developed high-resolution spectral models and scenarios for two exoplanets that may harbor life: Proxima b, in the habitable zone of our nearest neighbor Proxima Centauri; and Trappist-1e, one of three possible Earth-like exoplanet candidates in…
Steve Squyres ’78, Ph.D. ’81, the James A. Weeks Professor of Physical Sciences, who has taught astronomy, conducted research and chaperoned two Mars rovers on their 300 million-mile journey to Earth’s rust-colored neighbor, will retire from Cornell Sept. 22.His next endeavor will be as the chief scientist for the private aerospace company Blue Origin.“Cornell has been a wonderful place for me,…
The topography of Titan, the largest of moon of Saturn, seems serene in Cassini mission images, but lakes of liquid methane that pock the landscape were likely formed by explosive, pressurized nitrogen just under the moon’s crusty surface, according to research published Sept. 9 in Nature Geoscience.“Titan has a very distinctive topography. Its lakes show different kinds of shapes and in some…
Astronomers seeking life on distant planets may want to go for the glow.Harsh ultraviolet radiation flares from red suns, once thought to destroy surface life on planets, might help uncover hidden biospheres. Their radiation could trigger a protective glow from life on exoplanets called biofluorescence, according to new Cornell research.“Biofluorescent Worlds II: Biological Fluorescence Induced…
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission designed to comb the heavens for exoplanets, has discovered its first potentially habitable world outside of our own solar system – and an international team of astronomers has characterized the super-Earth, about 31 light-years away.In a new paper in the The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team led by Lisa Kaltenegger, associate…
The White House has recognized four Cornell faculty members – Thomas Hartman, Jenny Kao-Kniffin, Kin Fai Mak and Rebecca Slayton – with prestigious 2019 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The awards were announced July 2.The award is the highest honor bestowed by the federal government to scientific and engineering professionals who are in first stages of…
Cornell astronomers have reached into nature’s color palette from early Earth to create a cosmic “cheat sheet” for looking at distant worlds. By correlating tints and hues, researchers aim to understand where discovered exoplanets may reasonably fall along their own evolutionary spectrum.
“In our search to understand exoplanets, we’re using the early Earth and its biological milestones in…
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) Division for Planetary Sciences will honor Cornell astronomy professor Phil Nicholson with the 2019 Harold Masursky Award, a prize for meritorious service to planetary science.
“The longtime editor of Icarus, the journal forever associated with Carl Sagan, and a distinguished researcher in his own right, Phil has had a profound impact on our…
As NASA’s Cassini spacecraft threaded its way through Saturn’s rings to acquire the last drops of data before its fatal plunge into the planet nearly two years ago, it collected spectral information about the enchanting C ring and its bright plateaus.Instead of uncovering definitive scientific answers, the spectral images from the Cassini flyby triggered more questions, according to new research…
As students began to line up for Cornell’s 2019 Commencement May 26, the morning skies that threatened rain gave way to rays of sunshine wriggling between the clouds. Families noshed on bagels, cream cheese and coffee in Collegetown before heading to Schoellkopf Field for the pomp and circumstance.Hansika Iyer ’19, a member of the Big Red Raas competitive dance team, made her way to the lineup…
The arc of educational continuity and inspirational teaching was celebrated May 22 at the 31st annual Merrill Presidential Scholars convocation in Willard Straight Hall. Thirty-four seniors – among the very best of the Class of 2019 – honored beloved, guiding-light high school teachers and inspirational Cornell faculty members.
Carúmey Stevens ’19 brought Marissa Rantinella, her ninth-grade…
Fresh air, nature and playing outdoors is the perfect prescription for sedentary and sluggish children, Briana Lui ’19 advises. Lui and more than three dozen Cornell seniors presented their undergraduate research at the 17th annual Hunter R. Rawlings III Research Scholars Senior Expo on April 17 in the Physical Sciences Building and the Clark Atrium.As childhood obesity creeps upward, Lui sought…
By examining data from the Cassini spacecraft’s last close encounter with Saturn’s moon Titan, scientists have found that its methane-filled lakes are up to 300 feet deep, much deeper than previously thought.
The lakes also seem to feed underground reservoirs that pour into Titan’s seas – offering evidence of a hydrologic-like cycle on another place in the solar system, according to…
Elizabeth Latham ’20 – calling for kindness throughout the world with her oration, “Feed and You Will Be Fed” – won the ninth annual Harold I. Saperstein ’31 Cornell Student Topical Sermon Contest, held March 17 in Anabel Taylor Hall.Vijayen “VJ” Satish ’19 took second place with his sermon, “E Pluribus Unum: A Vision for America.” Nicholas Heisler ’19 rounded out the top three with his sermon, …
If you’re planning a trip to Elysium Planitia on Mars, pack a sweater.Beginning today, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will provide daily weather reports for Mars, courtesy of the red planet’s newest robotic resident, InSight.In February, NASA’s InSight deployed in its wind and thermal shield, which covers the lander's seismometer.“The InSight lander is close to the Martian equator – just north…
The Mars rover Opportunity, NASA’s robotic geologist fitted with an array of tools to search for evidence of water, ended its mission Feb. 13 – three weeks after its 15th anniversary and long past its 90-day warranty.Over the course of its scientific mission, led by an Earth-bound Cornell professor, Opportunity returned hundreds of thousands of images and reshaped our understanding of Mars’…
The Mars InSight lander has sent back the first “sounds” ever recorded on the red planet, NASA announced Dec. 7. InSight – which touched down Nov. 26 – picked up good vibrations from the surface wind and left mission scientists in auditory awe.“Listening to this sound from the [lander’s] pressure sensor reminds me of a windy summer afternoon, listening to the turbulent gusts come and go and…
A Cornell startup is working toward a day when harmful carbon dioxide in automobile exhaust vanishes into thin air – for good.The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has granted $1.7 million to Ecolectro to accelerate production of hydrogen – a green fuel of the future. Ecolectro is based at the McGovern Family Center for Venture Development, a Cornell business incubator.Hydrogen fuel is costly to…
After cruising for 205 days over 301 million miles, NASA’s InSight spacecraft – a mission designed to probe beneath the surface of Mars – landed flawlessly Nov. 26 at Elysium Planitia.Cornell’s Don Banfield felt earthly relief.Banfield, principal research scientist at Cornell and a co-investigator on InSight’s science team, waited patiently at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena,…
