From slime molds to corporations, traveling networks chart a new path

A tiny eukaryotic organism provided inspiration for modeling “traveling networks” – connected systems that move by rearranging their structure. Understanding these networks may help explain the behavior of certain biological systems and human organizations.

Solar solutions: Agrivoltaics offer array of options for farmland use

The process of combining agricultural production and solar panels on the same farmland, known as agrivoltaics, has seen a great leap in Cornell research activity. 

Don Turcotte, professor emeritus, tectonics pioneer, dies at 92

Don Turcotte, the former Maxwell Upson Professor of Engineering in the Department of Geological Sciences who brought his aeronautic research roots into pioneering collaborations in the study of mantle dynamics and plate tectonics, died Feb. 4 in Davis, California.

Solar solutions: ‘Crazy’ perovskite offers sustainable alternative to silicon

Over the last decade, perovskite photovoltaics have emerged as the most exciting alternative to silicon, with Cornell researchers studying how the material can be grown to be more durable for optimal performance, and be recycled. 

Researchers control metal microstructure for better 3D printing

Just as a snowflake’s intricate structure vanishes when it melts and transforms when it refreezes, the microstructure of metals can change during the 3D printing process, but Cornell researchers have uncovered a way to control these transformations.

Earth’s inner core is less solid than previously thought

The surface of the Earth’s inner core may be changing, according to a new study from scientists that detected structural changes near the planet’s center.

Around Cornell

Transdisciplinary project aims to prevent the next pandemic

Most pandemics in the past century were sparked by a pathogen jumping from animals to humans. This moment of zoonotic spillover is the focus of a multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Raina Plowright, the Rudolf J. and Katharine L. Steffen Professor in the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Public and Ecosystem Health. 

Around Cornell

X-ray study sheds light on cost-effective fuel cell materials

Cornell researchers have captured an unprecedented, real-time view of how a promising catalyst material transforms during operation, providing new insights that could lead to replacement of expensive precious metals in clean-energy technologies.

Arthur Ruoff, professor and high-pressure scientist, dies at 94

Arthur L. Ruoff, professor emeritus and former director of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, died Jan. 14 in Ithaca. Ruoff was 94.