Did people 'lie' about race on November election surveys? No evidence, says CBS News panelist

People lie on surveys to boast about themselves or to avoid embarrassment, among other reasons, but there was no evidence of the so-called 'Bradley effect' in the November presidential election. (Jan. 27, 2009)

Elderly can focus on 'gut feelings' to improve decision making

Psychologist Joseph Mikels studies how emotion interfaces with such cognitive processes as working memory and selective attention, and he applies this to decision making in the elderly.

Riché Richardson shares art quilts and American perspective as cultural envoy in Paris

Associate professor Riché Richardson recently spent a week in Paris as a cultural envoy. She gave talks, and her art quilts depicting Barack Obama, Josephine Baker and Simone de Beauvoir were exhibited. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Culture, not biology, drives evolution of language, Cornell psychologist claims

Professor Morten Christiansen challenges the long-held theory that human language stems from a genetic blueprint. Instead, he says, the neural machinery used for language likely predates the emergence of language itself. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Zoos, documentaries and hiking are vital to science literacy, finds new report

Such activities as visiting museums and zoos and watching science documentaries significantly contribute to scientific literacy, according to a new report from the National Research Council. (Jan. 20, 2009)

Technology can help us weather the recession

Tracy Mitrano calls on the government to create a regulatory federal agency devoted to issues surrounding the Internet so that we can more readily create a prosperous global information economy. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Cornell-led team detects dust around a primitive star, shedding new light on universe's origins

The observation gives scientists a glimpse into the early universe and enlivens a debate about the origins of all cosmic dust. (Jan. 15, 2009)

Students help Botswana firm that markets wild-food products and helps locals

Over winter break, a Cornell team went to Botswana to help a fledgling natural-food products company that produces snacks from plants in the wild while benefiting local communities. (Jan. 14, 2009)

A food scare by terrorists could 'substantially' affect consumers and markets

In a study, when people at a buffet learned that the chicken being served might be tainted by bird flu, they ate less of it. But they ate even less when they were told that terrorism was behind the flu threat. (Jan. 14, 2009)