The right time to claim Social Security? It’s complicated

Dyson professor Suzanne Shu and colleagues found that considering one’s “future self” played a key role in how people decide when to start collecting monthly Social Security benefits. Societal norms regarding retirement, however, do not.

Precise magma locations aid volcanic eruption forecasts

Cornell scientists have unearthed precise, microscopic clues to where magma is stored in Earth’s mantle, offering scientists – and government officials – a way to gauge volcanic eruption risk.

Same-race reviews reduce inequality in Airbnb bookings

White Airbnb guests’ preference for white hosts unexpectedly is offset by the influence of same-race reviews, new Cornell research finds.

Rare drought coincided with Hittite Empire collapse

An interdisciplinary collaboration used tree ring and isotope records to pinpoint a likely culprit for the collapse of the Hittite Empire: three straight years of severe drought in an already dry period.

Islamic mysticism shows the limits of knowledge in an unstable world

In her new book, “Unknowing and the Everyday: Sufism and Knowledge in Iran,” Seema Golestaneh explores the ways the Sufi mystical experience – particularly the role of mystical knowledge – is shaping contemporary life in Iran.

Spanish lagoon proposed as Mars ‘astrobiological time-analog’

An investigation at Tirez lagoon in central Spain, analogous to the surface of Mars, concludes that if life existed when the planet had liquid water on its surface, desiccation would not have necessarily implied that life disappeared for good.

Biosensor could lead to new drugs, sensory organs on a chip

A synthetic biosensor that mimics properties found in cell membranes and provides an electronic readout of activity could lead to development of new drugs and the creation of sensory organs on a chip. 

Employing tradeoffs for more realistic COVID messaging

Johnson associate professor Ori Heffetz and a colleague conducted experiments in three countries to gauge the public’s perception of relative risk factors of different public health behaviors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pollack lauds staff, announces mid-year bonuses

Praising Cornell’s employees for the key role they play in the university’s success, President Martha E. Pollack announced bonuses for eligible staff members as she kicked off her annual Address to Staff, held Feb 6.

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