
Protein identified in post-chemo cell death puzzle
Researchers have identified a protein that is required for cell death after undergoing chemotherapy—at least, it appears, in male mice.

Designing a world of immersive sound
Using a new approach to flat-panel design, Mark Bocko and his team are creating inexpensive prototypes of speakers that double as wall hangings and overhead lights.

Rochester leads new multi-institutional effort to study ‘extreme matter’
Institutions including Cornell, Michigan, Princeton, and Stanford will join Rochester in developing an instrument to produce and study matter that exists under pressures far higher than either on or inside Earth.

Climate change for aliens
For more than 50 years, the Kardashev scale has been the gold standard for classifying hypothetical “exo-civilizations” by their ability to harness energy. A team of researchers led by Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank have devised a new system that takes into account the impacts of that energy use.

Conference, expo puts spotlight on light and sound technologies
Rochester has the ingredients to create its own Silicon Valley in emerging imaging and audio technologies. That’s the vision of the organizers of Light and Sound Interactive, a conference and expo that will showcase how Rochester can play a leading role in such growing fields as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and interactive games and media. Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee is among this year’s keynotes.

Monkey sees. . . monkey knows?
Monkeys had higher confidence in their ability to remember an image when the visual contrast was high. These kinds of metacognitive illusions—false beliefs about how we learn or remember best—are shared by humans, leading brain and cognitive scientists to believe that metacognition could have an evolutionary basis.

An appreciation: David Quesnel, 1952–2017
The professor of mechanical engineering was remembered by friends, family members, and colleagues at a recent memorial service in Rush Rhees Library for his “unbounded curiosity.”

Icy air reveals human-made methane levels higher than previously believed
Professor Vasilii Petrenko and his team are studying the air trapped in ice cores that date back nearly 12,000 years, long before mankind’s use of fossil fuels, to separate man-made from naturally occurring methane sources.

When and how to see the partial solar eclipse in Rochester
Physics and astronomy professor Dan Watson will be experiencing Monday’s total solar eclipse from Tennessee, and he shares more eclipse answers and tips, as well as places at the University of Rochester where you can safely view the eclipse.

Undergraduate’s summer research is a glass act
Chemical engineering major Tianhao Yu ’19 has a unique job this summer: testing organic light-emitting diodes that may help improve the screen displays of devices such as cell phones and televisions.