PASADENA, Calif. -- Facelifts can sag. Botox is temporary. But modern science has a new way to return youth to weathered faces: the rock abrasion tool (RAT). If your dermatologist hasn't heard of it, ask your local Mars scientist. Billions of years of exposure to the sun, atmosphere and extremely fine Martian dust has given Mars rocks a weathered "rind," or exterior layer. The RAT, part of the science-instrument package carried by the two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, uses a diamond-tipped robotic grinding tool to scrape away this weathered exterior, revealing a fresh surface. (December 19, 2003)
The colors of a 1919 painting by N.C. Wyeth have finally come to light, thanks to cutting-edge technologies developed at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. (Aug. 20, 2009)
BAYSIDE, N.Y. -- Civil War-era landmarks cared for by New York City's Parks Department will be protected for future generations thanks to a spring volunteer project initiated by students in historic preservation planning at Cornell University. The students and other volunteers will stabilize neglected historic buildings and battery walls at Fort Totten Battery, in Bayside, Queens, from Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14. They hope that preserving the structures now and improving their appearance will lead to city support for their eventual restoration and use by the public and nonprofit groups. (April 10, 2002)
New York, NY (March 1, 2002) -- A new clinical trial testing an HIV vaccine together with low daily doses of interleukin 2 (IL2) -- led by Dr. Kendall Smith, Chief of Immunology in the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College -- is designed to determine whether it is possible to achieve control of HIV by enhancing the body's immunity to the virus. Dr. Smith's team has previously shown that low daily doses of the T cell growth factor IL2 can result in accelerated improvement of the immune system when given to individuals with chronic HIV infection. Now, the team is testing whether it is possible to generate protective immunity to HIV, so that antiviral drugs will no longer be necessary.Dr. Smith and his research team discovered the IL2 molecule and IL2 receptors over 20 years ago, and since then, the team has pioneered studies that have determined how IL2 functions as a growth factor for T lymphocytes and Natural Killer (NK) cells, the principal cells known to fight viral infections.
During the Thanksgiving holiday season from Nov. 18 to Dec. 1, Cornell University Police will join police agencies throughout New York state in a wave of "zero tolerance" enforcement of the seat belt laws. "Many students will be driving home for the Thanksgiving holiday, and we want to help ensure a safe trip home and back for them," said Sgt. Charles Howard, coordinator of traffic enforcement activities for Cornell Police. (November 18, 2002)
Weill Hall, the new state-of-the-art life sciences building, was officially dedicated Oct. 16 as its primary donors, Sanford and Joan Weill, unlocked a DNA-shaped gate.
Adults who amuse infants with sleight-of-hand foolery – a rolling ball that disappears, then reappears, for example – should enjoy a childhood learning moment while it lasts.
A group of experts on peer-to-peer file sharing managed to agree on one thing last night: that having people obtain intellectual property without compensating the creators is not a good thing.
The 2005-06 search for the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas' 550,000-acre Big Woods has officially ended without any conclusive new evidence of the elusive bird's existence. But search crews remain optimistic about next season…
If you're opening a restaurant or renovating an existing one, a new study from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration could help you increase revenues simply by purchasing and arranging the right tables. The study, by Professor Gary Thompson, reveals, surprisingly, that midsize (about 200-seat) restaurants, particularly those affiliated with chains that serve large parties of walk-in customers, produce the most revenues with dedicated tables. Such tables are built for a variety of specific party sizes rather than made up of flexible two-seaters pushed together to form larger tables. (March 17, 2003)