From a dozen proposals to the agency’s New Frontiers competition, NASA announced two finalists Wednesday. One proposed mission, led by Steven Squyres, professor of physical sciences, is Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return, or Caesar, a spacecraft that would go to Comet 67P and bring back a small chunk to Earth for closer study.

This piece mentions a possible proposal for a cometary sample return, named Caesar, led by planetary sciences professor Steven Squyres. Another proposal mentioned, the Enceladus Life Finder, led by Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science Director, Jonathan Lunine, would fly to Saturn’s moon with instruments that could identify carbon-based molecules and other ingredients to discern if the oceans possess conditions amenable for life.

Ornithologist Kevin J. McGowan, offers an explanation: “Almost all parrots have a similar social system: an individual bonds and mates with a single other individual, and they spend all of their time together for the rest of their lives. Pet parrots mimic human speech and other noises because they’re trying to be a good mate.”

ILR professor Alexander Colvin’s 2011 research shows the more often companies head to arbitration, the better their chances of winning the case. Of 3,945 employment cases decided by arbitrators from one of the nation’s biggest arbitration firms, plaintiffs prevailed in about 31 percent of them when employers had only one case before the arbitrator.

A new study out of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute shows that of some 5,000 humanities and social sciences Ph.D.s, those working in nonprofits are more satisfied with their jobs than are their peers in tenure-track faculty positions.

This op-ed by Kate Manne, assistant professor of philosophy, makes the case that powerful men in entertainment and politics get away with years of sexual harassment and abuse by utilizing fear. “They inspire fear, of course, by directly threatening their victims—and we as the public inspire little faith that we will listen to victims’ testimony. They often make you dependent on their good will, or else, because their pronouncements are consequential . . . And if you thwart their will or wound their egos, they may be prone to retaliate."

An article about utilizing Greek yogurt waste for feed or fuel quotes Lars Argument, adjunct professor of biological and environmental engineering. “We want to recover everything from that material, including the water,” Angenent said. “And this would also help the industry be more profitable.”

This article features President Martha Pollack, who discusses her concerns about the Republican proposal that would tax some college endowments and require graduate students to pay taxes on stipends. This article also includes a video, where Pres. Pollack talks with Bloomberg's Scarlet Fu and Julia Chatterley on "Bloomberg Markets."

On this edition of "Walk the Talk," President Martha Pollack discusses the gender imbalance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs. She speaks with Bloomberg's Scarlet Fu on "Bloomberg Markets."

Two years after the Paris climate accord was adopted, the French government is unveiling a list of 18 “laureates” who have won a “Make Our Planet Great Again” competition for research grants awarded for as long as five years. Lois Derry, professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science, is one of them.

Law professor and jury expert Valerie Hans is quoted in this story about the problem of jurors falling asleep during trials. Hans says that, in order to keep jurors alert, more courts could allow jurors to take notes during testimony – a practice some states previously banned because judges thought note-taking was distracting.

Showcased at the Dec. 6 Inside Cornell, this story explores the future of Hyperloop development. In the article, Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy director Rick Geddes breaks down the differences between financing and funding as it relates to building new infrastructure systems.