Opinion piece by astronomy professor Phil Nicholson on how the upcoming solar eclipse doesn’t promise earth-shattering scientific discoveries, but does hold the power to inspire young Americans to pursue science careers and possibly motivate leaders to support scientific research.

Sunday, Aug. 20 marked the 40th anniversary of NASA's launch of Voyager 2, now almost 11 billion miles distant. This article notes Cornell’s role in the development and launch of the Voyager spacecraft.

Editorial piece advocates for prison education programs, and for expanding the number of inmates taking college courses to about 3,500 across much of the system from 1,000. Among the schools that will participate are Cornell, New York University, Mercy College and Bard College.

Kangpu Xu, a Chinese-born reproductive biologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, comments on preimplantation genetic diagnosis. “Looking over the development in China over the past 10 years, they might start to think it’s possible to get rid of these diseases,” he says.

This op-ed by economics professor Bob Frank analyzes the behavior of many United States senators during the repeated, failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

A team of astronomers has found evidence for four Earth-sized (ish) worlds orbiting tau Ceti, a Sun-like star located just 12 light years away. Ramses Ramirez, an exoplanet researcher at Cornell who specializes in defining the limits of the habitable zone, talks about alien life in space.

The internet is overflowing with how-to guides on how to imitate their successes by becoming a full-time Instagrammer, blogger, and fashion guru. But you have probably never heard of the women featured in (not) getting paid to do what you love, a book by Cornell researcher Brooke Erin Duffy that examines the myth that working hard on a personal brand will pay off in the long run.

Doug Antczak, a veterinary scientist, is quoted in this story about horse clones being used in polo races, which could include the next Olympics.

Researchers at Cornell University constructed parts of the “Sprites,” 4-gram flake of circuit-board just 3.5 centimeters on a side, packing solar panels, computers, sensors and communication. Sprites will be crucial component in the Breakthrough Starshot, a $100 million initiative aiming to send robotic missions to nearby stars by the mid-21st century.

The ability of animals to identify individuals by their faces is important in social species. “Faces are really the ‘business’ end of an animal, where its eyes and teeth are, so it makes sense that animals in general would be interested in faces,” says CALS professor Michael Sheehan.

Josh Chafetz, a constitutional law professor at Cornell Law School, told Vanity Fair that in cases of impeachment “Sometimes the least important questions here are the ones about legality and the most important questions about the political dynamics.”

Mosquitoes in some parts of the tri-state have tested positive for the West Nile virus. Integrated pest management expert Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann explains how you can protect yourself, your property and your family.