Science
Archived Stories
Stimulus Funds Energize Synchrotron Research
September 30th, 2009With the help of a recent $19 million American Recovery and Re-investment Act (ARRA) grant, the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) could become the site of the most advanced x-ray machine in the world. According to Sol Gruner, physics, Cornell’s synchotron is one of five of its kind in the United States. Gruner is director of the CHESS facility. “Well, we’d like to build something which basically is more powerful than any of them,” he said. That’s the goal for the Energy Recovery Linac X-Ray Machine (ERL), which, because of the grant, could have a conceptual design submitted by 2010. Despite this federal award, there remain obstacles that must be cleared before construction of the ERL can begin. Read More
Global Hunt for Dog DNA Fetches Suprising Results
September 30th, 2009Before Spot reached Petco or the pound and went up for adoption, he had already taken quite a journey. New research places the evolutionary origins of the common dog as far away as Eastern Asia. A Cornell-based research group has taken a new approach to finding answers to difficult questions in canine genetics. Current theories suggest that the domestication of dogs could have occurred for a range of reasons, including security and even as a source of food. Popular theories exist that place the earliest domestication of the common dog in Eastern Asia. However, there is support for separate cases of domestication occurring worldwide in areas such as Europe. According to research associate Adam Boyko, biological statistics and computational biology, genes from these dogs are probably closer to those of the first domesticated dogs than those from modern dogs. Read More
The Scientist: Alon Keinan
September 30th, 2009Using various mathematical and statistical comparisons, Keinan and his mentor, David Reich, arrived at the conclusion that the original “out of Africa” population consisted of more males than females, followed by other groups of mostly male migrants. “Males carry only one copy of chromosome X, while females carry two, [which] would explain all the asymmetries that we see between [chromosome] X and the autosomes,” Keinan explained. In a population consisting of an equal number of males and females, it is expected that there are three copies of chromosome X for every four autosomes. However, after calculating the ratio within a West African population (which was used as a substitute for the original Africans) only around two copies of chromosome X were found, thus displaying an increased ratio of X- related drift. This indicated that males play more of a part in this out of Africa dispersal. Read More
Researchers Convene Annual Stem Cell Symposium
September 30th, 2009Three days after Gov. David Paterson proclaimed Sept. 23, 2009 as Stem Cell Awareness Day in New York State, researchers, students and enthusiasts from within and beyond Cornell convened for the second annual stem cell symposium in Alice Statler Auditorium on Saturday. The event was organized by the Cornell University Stem Cell Program, a group made up of and overseen by life scientists working in this specific field. This year's symposium featured wide-ranging personnel from New Haven to Los Angeles. In attendance was David Anders, scientific officer for the New York State Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM). Anders enumerated the responsibilities of his organization, which include deliberating ethical issues regarding the use of stem cells for biological studies and overseeing transitions from laboratory experiments into clinical trials for human application. Read More
Movie Missionaries: ’50s Flicks Give Starring Role to Intelligent Design
September 22nd, 2009In 1957, reacting to the devastating potential of Soviet missile armament, President Eisenhower pressured Congress to pass The National Defense Education Act (NDEA), which funded curriculum changes in public schools, particularly in math and the sciences. According to film-collector and restorer Skip Elsheimer the increasing resources allocated by the NDEA, the fearful demand of Americans for educational videos and the abundance of film equipment left over after World War II encouraged small, goal-oriented groups to produce highly focused educational films. On Tuesday, Sep. 15, Elsheimer hosted a group of students and faculty from various programs, including biology, communication and film studies. “These films were done well and done at the right time,” Elsheimer said. The films reviewed the scientific research of the time, accurately demonstrating modern knowledge. Each film ultimately concluded with an evangelical sermon. Because it was not a relevant theory during the filming of the institute’s early movies, the term “intelligent design” was never used. Nor was the theory of evolution by natural selection ever explicitly referenced. Instead, through his sermons, Moon attributed the complex relationships of the scientific demonstrations to God’s supposed blueprint. Read More
At Student-Run Organic Farm, Permaculture Takes Root
September 22nd, 2009Take a walk through the farmlands of Iowa, and all you will see are seemingly endless stretches of corn. Take a walk up to Block 3 of Dilmun Hill Cornell Student Farm, which is home to the Growing Mosaic Garden, and you will find hazelnut trees, chicory, hardy kiwi fruit, chamomile and a number of other plant species. Polyculture — the cultivation of a variety of crops within a certain space — is only one element of permaculture, which is an agricultural design theory that emphasizes holistic thinking, planning for long-term sustainability and a long observation period. All of these characteristics are believed by proponents of permaculture to be lacking in modern industrial agriculture. Monoculture, which is exemplified by the corn crops of Iowa, takes a very different approach. Read More
The Scientist: Kevin Pratt
September 22nd, 2009Asst. Prof. Kevin Pratt, architecture, teaches a class on thermal and environmental systems. He is currently involved in two research projects — Vibro Wind Power and Sustain — both of which are focused on improving the energy efficiency of buildings. “Sustainability is not purely a technical problem. It’s essentially a cultural problem. The technologies we deploy are a product of our culture and how we choose to deploy them are products of our culture,” he said. Pratt is now a researcher, professor, director and a contributing writer for Artforum, among various other design and general interest publications. But Pratt got his start like any other architect. Read More
Plants Adapt to Cope With Elevated CO2 Levels
September 22nd, 2009With concerns over global climate change growing, scientists have commenced research on all possible effects on different ecosystems. Richard Phillips, assistant professors of biology at Indiana University, studies the effects of the rising atmospheric carbon concentration on woody forests, and how nitrogen in the soil limits plant growth. Read More
Charles Darwin Exhibit Explores the Evolution Of Human Expression
September 16th, 2009Most students encounter Charles Darwin — the man behind the Origin of Species — at some point in their academic career, whether it be during high school, a mandatory introductory biology class or an upper level evolution course. This week, the Mann Library lobby exhibit “Written on our Faces” will be honoring one of Darwin’s lesser known works, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Read More
Climate Concerns Spur Outreach Program
September 16th, 2009In order to further promote sustainability research, communication and action, the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future (CCSF) recently decided to branch out to the student body at Cornell and educate undergraduates, particularly freshmen and sophomores, about sustainability by co-sponsoring a series of Climate Change lectures this fall. Read More