Cornell University

10/23/2026

Mathematical models have necessarily reduced distant exoplanets to idealized circles – until now.

Leveraging observations by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and a new mapping method called “transmission strings,” a Cornell-led international research team has for the first time resolved an exoplanet's uneven contours.

The resulting shape — circle-like, of course, but slightly egg-shaped, with one more extended side — details how intense heat and whipping winds influence the atmosphere of the “hot Jupiter” WASP-17b, orbiting a star more than 1,000 light-years from Earth.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/10/pulling-strings-new-method-maps-exoplanets-true-shape

10/22/2026

Migrating birds that breed in the Arctic are spreading avian influenza to polar bears in eastern Greenland, according to a new study that found evidence of infections in bear blood samples acquired from Greenland Inuit subsistence hunters.

The results suggest that such emerging viruses may pose risks to Arctic mammals.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/10/migratory-birds-spread-avian-influenza-greenlands-polar-bears.

10/21/2026

Two Cornell engineers set out to recreate lubricin, a slippery glycoprotein that keeps healthy knees, hips and shoulders gliding smoothly against each other for a lifetime. When joints are injured or age, lubricin production drops, friction rises, and cartilage begins to wear away, a process that can lead to osteoarthritis, a disease affecting more than 32 million adults in the United States.

Now, their discovery of a lubricin-inspired polymer has not only led to a start-up co-founded by one of their doctoral students but is also entering two separate first-in-human trials. The team aims to give patients a synthetic stand-in for a natural lubricant when the body stops making enough on its own.

The human trials in Australia will test the synthetic lubricin to treat osteoarthritis in the knees, and trials in Canada will test it as a remedy for dry eye disease. If successful, the innovations could become viable treatment options for sufferers.

Two Cornell researchers join forces to produce a substance that could keep knees, hips and shoulders gliding smoothly for a lifetime.

10/20/2026

Birds play an outsized, underappreciated role in shaping Earth’s chemistry, distributing nutrients across oceans, forests and coral reefs and sustaining life far beyond the nest.

Researchers from Cornell and five other institutions reviewed nearly 400 scientific papers to show how birds transport nutrients from land, lake and sea through their waste and bodies. This influences everything from soil and water chemistry to plant and animal growth.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/10/birds-are-among-earths-most-important-nutrient-movers.

10/19/2026

Walk down any supermarket aisle and the packaging will reassure you: Low Sodium. No Artificial Flavors. Organic. High Fiber. Immunity Support. But a new analysis of nearly 150,000 food and beverage products launched in the United States over the past decade suggests that reassurance is often misplaced.

Cornell researchers analyzed a decade of Mintel new-product data and found that foods with health claims aren’t consistently healthier and are sometimes less nutritious. Cutting one unhealthy ingredient often means adding more of another.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/09/what-healthy-labeling-packaged-food-conceals.

10/16/2026

The bonds formed at Cornell last a lifetime. This Homecoming, we’re inviting Cornellians around the world to reconnect with classmates, mentors, and friends, and to remember what it means to be part of something that spans generations.

Wherever you are this weekend, you’re part of the Big Red family.

10/15/2026

Through plants and personal stories, a new student-led exhibit explores the concept of reciprocity: that people live because the natural world lives.

The students, representing Indigenous cultures from across the Americas, recorded personal anecdotes about how plants support their well-being and connection to community. They include tales of a family heirloom made of sweetgrass, the strawberry’s benefits to the body and spirit, and passing seeds down through generations.

Their stories, collectively titled Rooted in Reciprocity, are part of the botanic gardens’ Cultivating Hope: Plants and Indigenous Knowledge exhibit, which also features displays of plants that are deeply connected to Indigenous communities.

They include white pine, whose clusters of five needles represent the union of the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee, and elderberry, used to treat fever and skin problems and as a dye. The exhibit runs through the end of 2027.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/10/rooted-reciprocity-indigenous-students-share-stories-how-plants-fuel-connection.

09/25/2026

Cornell researchers have documented the first molecular characterization of Marfan syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that weakens connective tissues, in domestic cats.

Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Baker Institute of Animal Health have documented the first molecular characterization of Marfan syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that weakens connective tissues, in domestic cats.

09/24/2026

Two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators represent a big step forward in understanding metabotropic glutamate receptors and how they can be targeted effectively to potentially treat conditions such as epilepsy, depression, and anxiety disorders.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors interact in varied ways with their principal regulatory proteins, according to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings could inform treatments for epilepsy, depression and anxiety disorders.

09/23/2026

The biologic drug interferon-alpha can benefit patients with blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms by forcing mutant blood stem cells to become shorter-lived white blood cells, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

Because the broad activity of interferon-alpha can induce significant side effects, developing new focused strategies based on these mechanistic findings could meet an important need in cancer therapy.
https://lnkd.in/e_BrAGFK

The biologic drug interferon-alpha can benefit patients with blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms by forcing mutant blood stem cells to become shorter-lived white blood cells.