- Jun 20, 2024
- by Emily Groff
- Holistic Human Health
Communication between tissues facilitates thermogenesis
Daniel Berry, assistant professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, and graduate students in his lab have identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern adaptive thermogenesis, a biological process that researchers believe could be the key to treating obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
Their study, published in the journal Cell Reports, outlines the complex intra-organ communication that allows brown adipose tissue to burn calories to produce heat to
- Feb 9, 2024
- Holistic Human Health
Untangling the relationship between loneliness and isolation
During the early days of the pandemic, Anthony Ong, professor of psychology, made a curious observation: Some of his friends were thriving in isolation. Yet others have felt lonely even when surrounded by others.
Ong, who is also professor of gerontology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, knew that loneliness and isolation had negative health effects, including on cognition, and that older adults were especially at risk. Some studies had investigated whether loneliness or
- Sep 25, 2024
- Community Engagement, Social Impact + Justice, Sustainability + Society
A research trip to India’s indigenous communities makes global health personal
Last July, a group of Cornell students sat on mats in a wooden pavilion at the edge of a forest in southern India, passing around plants. A traditional healer from a local indigenous community explained which ones ease menstrual cramps, treat joint pain and soothe colicky infants.
The visit was part of a five-week program that brought seven Cornell students — including four from Cornell Human Ecology — to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a protected
- Mar 13, 2026
- by Juan Vazquez-Leddon
- Community Engagement
New Translational Research minor prepares students to put science to work
A new minor from Cornell Human Ecology and the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) prepares students to turn research into interventions that benefit communities. The Translational Research minor is open to students from any major and any college at Cornell.
Translational research is the process of connecting what scientists discover to what happens in the real world. It is bi-directional — findings from research are applied in communities in the form of programs, practices
- Feb 3, 2025
- Holistic Human Health
Micronutrient scientist Kimberly O’Brien wins March of Dimes award in maternal-fetal nutrition
March of Dimes, the organization working to improve the health of moms and babies, has recognized Kimberly O’Brien, professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, with the Agnes Higgins Award in Maternal Fetal Nutrition for her research on iron, vitamin D and calcium in pregnancy. The award will be presented to O’Brien at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) on April 24-28, 2025, in Honolulu.
O'Brien’s work has revealed invaluable insights
- Jan 19, 2024
- by Emily Groff
- Holistic Human Health
New molecular nutrition research helps explain how fat cells develop
New research from the Division of Nutritional Sciences helps explain how fat tissue develops in mammals and could one day contribute to biomedical treatments for obesity and related diseases.
Daniel Berry, assistant professor in the division, studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern the lineage of adipose cells, or how fat tissue develops from a fertilized embryo and how that path can change in response to diet and environmental conditions.
Mammals have two types