Physical Sciences & Engineering

Before cells, biochemicals may have combined in clay

Tiny spaces in a gel of clay mixed with seawater may have protected and enhanced the evolution of early biomolecules.

Cornell partners in structural biology X-ray center

A $25 million National Science Foundation award will fund a Science and Technology Center aimed at transforming the field of structural biology, including drug development, using X-ray lasers.

The human touch makes robots defter

Cornell engineers are helping humans and robots work together to find the best way to do a job, an approach called “coactive learning.”

Symposium to celebrate the science of Ken Wilson

A memorial symposium to celebrate Nobel laureate Ken Wilson’s scientific achievements will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall, beginning at 9 a.m.

Higgs boson discoverer to give Bethe lecture

Fabiola Gianotti, a CERN physicist involved in the discover of the Higgs boson particle, will deliver the Hans Bethe Lecture Nov. 13 on campus.

Making electric energy efficient at bargain prices

Kilowatts found: To enhance efficiency in electric energy transfers from high-voltage grids to your home’s toaster and television, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $3.2 million grant to CNF-user Monolith Semiconductor, an Ithaca-based startup company.

Parents at fair advise passion, hard work to succeed

Parents of freshmen advised students across campus at the inaugural First-Year Family Weekend Career Networking Fair on campus Nov. 1.

Brain-machine interface allows anesthesia control

Researchers have developed a brain-machine interface that adjusts the anesthetic infusion rate to control the level of brain activation in a medically induced coma.

Physicists unify the structure of scientific theories

Cornell physicists have posited a theory for why scientific theories work – a meta theory.