Free speech or religious offense? Panel ponders difficult questions raised by Danish cartoons

If a Danish newspaper doesn't have the freedom to publish cartoons depicting Muhammad, should the TV cartoon show "South Park" also not be free to satirize Mormons? That was the question posed by Michael Shapiro, associate professor of communication at Cornell, in a panel discussion Feb. 21.

Physicist's algorithm simplifies biological imaging -- and also solves Sudoku puzzles

Veit Elser, Cornell professor of physics, has found that an algorithm developed to process X-ray diffraction data also solves Sudoku puzzles. (Feb. 26, 2006)

Q&A: Larry Walker calls for a 'Manhattan Project' for energy in biofuels

Kevin Stearns/University PhotographyBehind Professor Larry Walker is a large bale of switchgrass, one of several possible alteernative fuel sources. Copyright © Cornell UniversityIn his State of the Union speech last month, U.S…

In 'Six Degrees of Reputation' Cornell authors track plagiarism and abuse of online reviewing systems

Positive bias in online consumer reviews has become almost standard industry practice, but plagiarizing user reviews and passing them off as authentic is another animal altogether, says a new Cornell study that has been tracking that other animal. (December 12, 2005)

How committed your relationship is goes hand in hand with happiness and well-being, study discovers

Having a romantic relationship makes both men and women happier -- and the stronger the relationship's commitment, the greater the happiness and sense of well-being of its partners, according to a study by Cornell University's Claire Kamp Dush. (December 01, 2005)

When worlds collide: Cornell astronomers investigate cosmic forces that produce new galaxies

When galaxies collide (as our galaxy, the Milky Way, eventually will with the nearby Andromeda galaxy), what happens to matter that gets spun off in the collision's wake? With help from the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared spectrograph, Cornell astronomers are beginning to piece together an answer to that question. (November 30, 2005)

Biofortified, iron-rich rice improves the nutrition of women, study by Cornell researcher shows for the first time

In the first study to test people who eat foods that have been bred for higher-than-normal concentrations of micronutrients, nutritional sciences professor Jere Haas and colleagues found that the iron status of women who ate iron-rich rice was 20 percent higher than those who ate traditional rice. (November 29, 2005)

Hopcroft receives Harry M. Goode award

John Hopcroft, the IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics, has been awarded the Harry M. Goode award of the IEEE Computer Society in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the study of algorithms and their applications in information processing. (November 29, 2005)

Working mothers, and particularly single mothers with jobs, are helping reduce U.S. child-poverty rate, Cornell study finds

The number of children living in poverty in the United States is down to 16 percent --the lowest in 20 years. The reason is largely that more mothers -- especially single mothers -- are working and not because of changes in family structure, reports Cornell University's Daniel Lichter, in Social Sciences Quarterly. (November 28, 2005)