
Catching some gamma rays in central Mexico
Physicist Segev BenZvi and scientists at an ambitious observatory are using simple but groundbreaking tools understand the workings of cosmic and gamma rays in the Earth’s atmosphere while also contributing to the search for dark matter.

Documenting a hometown’s history of slavery
History professor Pablo Sierra is working to document the forgotten history of the Africans who passed through the slave market in his hometown and contributed to the diverse culture of modern Mexico.

Close encounters of a tidal kind could lead to cracks on icy moons
Until now, it was thought the cracks on icy moons such as Pluto’s Charon were the result of processes like plate tectonics. But new computer models suggest that the pull exerted by another object might have been the cause.

Can’t resist temptation? That may not be a bad thing
A new study finds that what might have been described as “maladapted” behavior or a lack of self control may actually be beneficial and thoughtful behavior for children who have been raised in resource-poor environments.

Did human-like intelligence evolve to care for helpless babies?
A self-reinforcing cycle of large brains, early birth, vulnerable infants, and intelligent parents is at the center of a novel model of human intelligence developed by brain and cognitive science researchers.

A digital ‘Rochester Cloak’ to fit all sizes
Using the same mathematical framework as the Rochester Cloak, researchers have been able to use flat screen displays to extend the range of angles that can be hidden from view. Their method lays out how cloaks of arbitrary shapes, that work from multiple viewpoints, may be practically realized in the near future using commercially available digital devices.

Researchers demonstrate record optical nonlinearity
A team led by Robert Boyd has demonstrated that the transparent, electrical conductor indium tin oxide can result in up to 100 times greater nonlinearity than other known materials, a potential ‘game changer’ for photonics applications.

Cross-border financing squeezes domestic banking sector
A new study coauthored by accounting professor Sudarshan Jayaraman predicts that access to cross-border financing by multinational firms reduces the firms’ reliance on domestic banks, causing those banks to take on more risk to remain competitive.

Q&A: New ways to make molecules
Daniel Weix specializes in developing better ways of creating molecules with the goal of speeding up the discovery of useful compounds, including pharmaceuticals.

A new way to determine the age of stars?
Rochester researchers have developed a new conceptual framework for understanding how stars similar to our Sun evolve. Their framework helps explain how the rotation of stars, their emission of x-rays, and the intensity of their stellar winds vary with time. According to Eric Blackman, professor of physics and astronomy, the work could also “ultimately help to determine the age of stars more precisely than is currently possible.”