https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Cornell University It was a head-spinning discovery. In 2018, researchers in Japan claimed to find concrete evidence of an elusive particle, a Majorana fermion, in a quantum spin liquid called ruthenium trichloride. Majoranas are highly sought-after by quantum materials scientists because when a pair are localized, or trapped, they can securely encode information and form a stable qubit—the building block of quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-soundwaves-debate-elusive-quantum-particle.html Condensed Matter Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:40:02 EDT news696079861 Before big tech engineers can improve the fairness of recommendation systems, such as social media feeds and online shopping results, they need to define what "fairness" even means. Should an app show people only the content it predicts they will like most, or should it boost newer creators, small businesses or historically underrepresented groups? Should an online store rank products purely by past clicks and sales, or make sure independent sellers can compete with dominant brands? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-big-tech-algorithms-fair-harder.html Business Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news696072661 In an e-commerce warehouse, worker performance is influenced by the performance of those around them, despite a system that discourages interaction, according to research from Caitlin Ray, ILR assistant professor in the Human Resource Studies Department. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-commerce-warehouse-insight-worker-behavior.html Social Sciences Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:00:01 EDT news695910972 When assessing the ripeness of fruit, sight and smell can tell you a lot, but the best indicator is often how the fruit feels. Cornell researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch, then gently twist them off their branch or vine without causing any damage. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-soft-robot-gripper-ripe-fruit.html Robotics Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news695908081 Humans adjust to changes in temperature by putting on a sweater or taking off layers. Plants adjust to temperature changes, in part, by switching the way they express the protein that performs the critical first step of photosynthesis, according to new research from Cornell, Texas A&M and Stockholm University. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-temperature-shifts-proteins-power-photosynthesis.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:30:02 EDT news695574601 Artificial intelligence is touching nearly every aspect of life—including assistive technology for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals. And just like in other arenas, the AI used to assist BLV people is good—but far from perfect. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ai-tools-vision-impaired-good.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:07 EDT news695562121 Conversational AI tools denied blunt requests for harmful content by researchers posing as intimate partner abusers, but these guardrails were easily circumvented when they requested the content under false pretenses, a new Cornell Tech study has found. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ai-safer-victims-intimate-partner.html Security Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:40:09 EDT news695560863 Nutrients recovered from animal and human waste could drastically reduce synthetic fertilizer use in the U.S., according to a new Cornell University study that takes into account real-world implementation challenges like processing and transport. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-america-sewage-manure-billion-key.html Biotechnology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:09 EDT news695379241 To save money, Rachel Fordyce parked her car for free at Ithaca's East Hill Plaza and walked through East Lawn Cemetery to her job as a technician in an entomology lab on Cornell's campus. One spring day in 2022, she walked in to work with a jar full of bees. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-beneath-cemetery-million-wild-bees.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:20:03 EDT news695305361 Thirty-four years after Cornell University scientists first conceived it, the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) now rises above the Atacama Desert, near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor in Chile. FYST will help answer some of the most important questions in astronomy, including how the universe works, the nature of dark energy and dark matter, how galaxies form and evolve and what happened in those mysterious first moments after the Big Bang. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-major-telescope-chilean-summit-window.html Astronomy Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:40:07 EDT news695044589 New York State and New England have optimal conditions for grass-fed beef production—with an abundance of pasturelands and forage—but higher production costs have made farmers wary of expanding operations. In a new analysis, published in Agricultural Systems, researchers find that grass-fed beef can compete with grain-fed beef in the region, even given those higher costs and prices for consumers—particularly if operations are scaled up, either through larger farms or farm cooperatives, which could drop production costs and prices by 24%. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-northeast-farmers-profit-grass-fed.html Agriculture Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:00:07 EDT news694953001 Four sperm whales that stranded separately on southeastern U.S. coastlines between 2020–22 were emaciated and malnourished, with ingested fishing gear and marine debris found in two of them, according to a new study that compared the four cases. The investigations, intended to better understand the causes behind whale deaths and to inform future marine mammal management decisions, were reported in a study published in the journal Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sperm-whale-strandings-potential-human.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:40:07 EDT news694952701 Superglue, penicillin, X-rays, the pacemaker: All are examples of "happy accidents"—inventions by individuals trying to do one thing, and winding up with something superior to the original objective. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-serendipity-harnessed-unplanned-outcomes-benefits.html Social Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news694867141 Cornell scientists have taken a major step toward developing a safe, reversible, long-acting and 100% effective nonhormonal male contraceptive, considered the holy grail of male contraception. A proof-of-principle study in mice, six years in the making, shows how targeting a natural checkpoint in meiosis, the process by which sex cells reproduce, safely stopped sperm production. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-big-safe-reversible-male-contraception.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:20:03 EDT news694791661 If you've poured your heart out on social media about a political issue, it might have felt cathartic—but likely was not persuasive, Cornell research finds. Americans are skeptical of emotional comments they see in their news and social media feeds, political scientist Talbot Andrews and co-authors report in a new monograph, "Emotions on Our Screens," part of the Cambridge Elements in Politics and Communication series. Over six experiments involving nearly 6,400 participants, viewers questioned the sincerity of fear or sadness people expressed about climate change in simulated news reports, text messages and TikTok posts. Such comments were rated as less authentic and appropriate than more neutral ones—even when the observer agreed politically with the speaker. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-skeptical-emotions-screens.html Social Sciences Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:10:06 EDT news694774381 Warming temperatures from climate change cause tree swallows to nest up to two weeks earlier than they did in the 1970s, but early spring cold snaps can hinder nestlings' growth and survival, according to a new study that incorporates a four-decade Cornell dataset on the birds. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cold-snaps-tree-swallows-resilience.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:40:03 EDT news694695181 Researchers at Cornell University have developed a powerful new genetic toolkit that allows scientists to study how genes function at the level of individual cells, an advance that could accelerate discoveries in development, neuroscience, and disease. The work is published in the journal eLife. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-magic-toolkit-genome-wide-cell.html Biotechnology Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news694692868 Imagine tapping your thumb and index finger together twice to skip to the next song or clicking around your laptop or desktop computer without a mouse, using discreet finger motions. New first-of-its-kind wearable technology from researchers at Cornell and KAIST, in South Korea, brings that vision closer to reality. The system, called WatchHand, equips off-the-shelf smartwatches with AI-powered micro sonar capable of tracking hand movements. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-sonar-stock-smartwatches-tracking-advancement.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:40:05 EDT news694696262 A new study finds that the global shift to electric vehicles (EVs) could significantly reduce energy use and carbon emissions, but only if governments act aggressively to lower costs and align policies across regions. Published in Resources, Environment and Sustainability, the paper, "Future Changes in CO2 Emissions in the Shift to Electric Mobility in Countries With Varied Levels of Zero-Emission Vehicle Policies," examines how the pace and scale of EV adoption vary widely worldwide, shaped by policy strength, economic conditions and infrastructure readiness within each country. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-global-ev-transition-hinges-policy.html Business Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:30:01 EDT news694697161 Gene drives—a genetic engineering approach that quickly spreads specific genetic changes throughout a population, whether to kill it off or add a new trait—may have potential for controlling weeds. But so far, gene drives have primarily been studied in mosquitoes, and have yet to be deployed in the real world. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-seed-banks-complicate-gene-aimed.html Biotechnology Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:20:02 EDT news694431481 While technology has made the world "smaller," it has also pulled individuals apart, thanks to mobile phones and other devices that command our attention. Cornell University researchers are using technology, in the form of a mirror-equipped robot, to help bring people together. Members of the Architectural Robotics Lab, led by Keith Evan Green, have built a four-foot-tall robot—dubbed MirrorBot—with dual mirrors that, when placed in front of a pair of strangers, let each participant see themself in one mirror and the other person in the other. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-mirrorbot-robot-foster-human.html Robotics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:00:10 EDT news694366621 A team of researchers has identified atomic distortions that may be linked with high-temperature superconductivity in a promising class of nickel-based materials, offering new insight into how next-generation superconductors might be designed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-atomic-distortions-reveal-clues-superconductivity.html Condensed Matter Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:00:04 EDT news694354637 If you don't have anything nice to say, perhaps it's OK to say it anyway—if responding to someone who has treated you or your team rudely, new Cornell research suggests. Civil responses to disrespectful behavior remain the best option. But in a variety of contexts—from hockey fights to the workplace—experiments showed that people view an uncivil action or comment more leniently when performed as retaliation rather than instigation. Retaliating in kind to incivility may be appreciated as much as neutral responses. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rudeness-rewarded-response.html Social Sciences Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:20:03 EDT news694348081 An electron microscopy image can capture atoms arranged in a crystal lattice or defects threading through a semiconductor material, but turning that image into materials insight can take weeks of careful analysis. Now, an autonomous artificial intelligence platform developed at Cornell can do that work in minutes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-electron-microscopy-materials-insights.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news694342102 Loneliness is often described as a simple absence—of people, of connection, of companionship. But two new studies suggest it may be something more complex, and more consequential: not just how socially connected people are, but how they experience those connections in the first place. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-why-feeling-alone-may-matter.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:40:03 EDT news694092302 Like their emotions and self-esteem, teenagers' sense of purpose fluctuates day to day, and those who experience it steadily—not just intensely—may benefit most, new Cornell research finds. Studying the phenomenon in adolescents for the first time, the research adds to an emerging understanding that purpose is not a constant, have-it-or-you-don't trait measurable at any one time, as implied by most research to date. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-stable-purpose-teens-life.html Sat, 28 Mar 2026 18:00:03 EDT news693658088 A history of job changes could be a red flag on a résumé, or it could signal a job candidate with an important "mobility benefit" that will help them begin a new job, says new research from Rebecca Kehoe, professor of Human Resources Studies in Cornell's ILR School. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-job-hidden-mobility-benefit.html Economics & Business Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:00:05 EDT news693658082 A Jacuzzi for washing your tomatoes might seem odd, but new research finds that a bubble bath with a constant acoustic sound in the water may be the best chemical-free, gentle method for cleaning agricultural produce and possibly medical instruments and semiconductors. The results were published in the journal Droplet. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tiny-safely-effectively.html Biotechnology Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:20:03 EDT news693745387 A high acid environment is great for a snappy hydrogen oxidation reaction—the reaction at the heart of a clean-energy fuel cell. The problem is the only catalysts that won't dissolve in the high acid of traditional fuel cells are precious metals—platinum, palladium and the like—and they are very expensive. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-platinum-free-fuel-cells-boost.html Engineering Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:07 EDT news693582027 Social Security's trust funds are projected to run out by 2035, but that doesn't mean retirees will be left with nothing. New research from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business reveals that most Americans misinterpret what happens when the funds reach zero, and the way information is presented plays a significant role in this confusion. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-americans-wont-benefit-social.html Social Sciences Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:01 EDT news693580907