research finding

Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is an exceptionally tough natural material found in shells and pearls. Rochester biologists have developed an innovative method for creating nacre in the lab—and maybe on the moon.

Spending time alone isn’t necessarily bad, especially for first-year college students. A new study shows that having a positive motivation for seeking solitude can be a predictor for successful adjustment to college life.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or brewer's yeast, has been used to make beer for thousands of years. To reconstruct the history of modern ale strains, Rochester biologist Justin Fay and his colleagues sequenced the genome of modern brewer’s yeast.

Rochester researchers are trapping nanoparticle-sized silica beads in an “optical tweezer” in a series of experiments that could shed new light on the fundamental properties of lasers.

University musicologist and Hildegard biographer Honey Meconi explores the life of the 12th-century Benedictine nun who created her own language, wrote one of the first musical plays, and wrote books on health and healing.

Late-night satire may be enjoying a heyday, but fools who speak truth to power are nothing new. In her latest book, professor emerita of history Dorinda Outram looks at how court jesters were much more than just a floppy hat.

Gourab Ghoshal is using the fundamental laws of physics to untangle the complex systems behind human behavior, urban planning, and social networks.

Professor Gregory Heyworth and his digital media students are using different wavelengths of light to reveal illegible text that could create a sacred, tangible link with Jewish congregations lost to the Holocaust.

“The myth that female- or minority-led films struggle at the box office has been debunked again,” writes Bethany Lacina, an associate professor of political science, in an analysis for the Washington Post.

Research from Rochester biologists shows that a class of genomic parasites may cause more harm than previously thought, triggering inflammation that causes age-related diseases.