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Smile, wave: Some exoplanets may be able to see us, too

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:

SCOTUS nomination battle could sway independent, religious voters

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to vote on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Thursday, with a possible final vote on her confirmation as soon as Monday, Oct. 26 – a week in advance of the election.

Efficacy, politics influence public trust in COVID-19 vaccine

If an initial COVID-19 vaccine is about as effective as a flu shot, uptake by the American public may fall far short of the 70% level needed to achieve herd immunity, new Cornell research suggests.

Conference to explore tactile approaches to media, virtually

“Media Objects,” a media studies conference originally scheduled for March 2020 at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, has been reconfigured into a virtual event, with the first panel scheduled for Oct. 23.

Undergrad women artists of color lead ‘Virtual Vibrance’ shows

Three collaboratively crafted online performances led by undergraduate women artists of color will be offered Oct. 30–31 by the Cornell University Department of Performing and Media Arts (PMA), Cornell Ambassadors for Media and Performance (CAMP), and Graduate Researchers in Media and Performing Arts (GRMPA). The series, titled “Virtual Vibrance: Making, Shaking, Breaking Performance,” is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

Democracy 20/20 webinar to examine U.S. polarization

With Election Day just around the corner – and millions of ballots already cast in early voting – the next installment of the Democracy 20/20 webinar series will tackle polarization and how tension between the political parties and the social groups they represent is redefining American democracy.

Michael Morley, emeritus professor of math, dies at 90

Michael D. Morley, professor emeritus of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), died Oct. 11 at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania. He was 90.

Religion: less ‘opiate,’ more suppressant, study finds

“Contemporary American religion – and Christianity in particular – suppresses what would otherwise be larger group differences in political ideology.”

In linking COVID-19 apps, EU to face adoption, privacy risks

The European Commission has launched a new system designed to link national COVID-19 tracing apps across the European Union — starting with Germany’s Corona-Warn-App, Ireland’s COVID tracker and Italy’s immuni. With the system — known as the interoperability gateway — the apps can work in all participating countries.

COVID could reinvent how we go to the movies

Arrest of general in U.S. boosts AMLO’s fight against corruption

On Thursday, a former Mexican defense minister, General Salvador Cienfuegos, was detained in Los Angeles on drug charges. The arrest prompted President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to vow to punish other military officials involved.

Thai protests reach ‘tipping point’, king yet to respond publicly

Thousands continued to protest in Thailand in the wake of an emergency decree issued Thursday by the government limiting gatherings to groups of five and the arrest of key protest leaders. Tamara Loos, professor of history and Thai studies at Cornell University, says the events of this week indicate that Thailand has reached a tipping point, with widespread protests necessitating a response from the regime and monarchy.

Fossil footprints tell story of prehistoric parent’s journey

Hungry giant predators, treacherous mud and a tired, probably cranky toddler – more than 10,000 years ago, that was the stuff of every parent’s nightmare. Evidence of that type of frightening trek was recently uncovered, and at nearly a mile it is the longest known trackway of early-human footprints ever found.

It Happened in the 1850s—And Holds a Lesson for Today

In an op-ed in Time, Suzanne Mettler, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, together with Robert Lieberman, finds lessons about democracy from American history, specifically the 1850s.

Will 'hidden' Trump supporters give America an election day surprise?

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Peter K. Enns, associate professor of government and Executive Director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, and Jonathan P. Schuldt, associate professor of communication, consider whether “hidden” Trump supporters will turn out on Election Day and make Trump the winner.