About the Cover

Tree, by Zhen James Xiang 2012 Ph.D. in electrical engineering Second-place winner in Princeton’s 2011 Art of Science competition The algorithm used here recursively cuts an image into smaller rectangular pieces. For each cut, a larger rectangle is divided either horizontally or vertically into Continue Reading →

Princeton’s Physical Sciences-Oncology Center

Game theory could help researchers gain an understanding of the dynamics of cancerous-tumor evolution under stress, according to research published in the journal AIP Advances in March 2012 by researchers at Princeton and the University Continue Reading →

Spotlight on the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Princeton researchers collaborate closely with researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), located about three miles from the University’s main campus at Princeton’s Forrestal Campus. GFDL is a Continue Reading →

Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order

G. John Ikenberry, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs in Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, provides the most systematic statement yet about the theory and practice of Continue Reading →

Lasso peptides round up bacteria

Princeton researchers are applying Darwinian evolution principles to naturally occurring antibacterial molecules to create novel antibiotics for the food and drug industries. Bacteria secrete antimicrobial peptides — short chains of amino acids — for defense Continue Reading →

Detection of cosmic effect may bring universe’s formation into sharper focus

The first observation of a cosmic effect theorized 40 years ago could provide astronomers with a more precise tool for understanding the forces behind the universe’s formation and growth, including the enigmatic phenomena of dark energy and dark matter. A large Continue Reading →

Storm of the century may become storm of the decade

As the Earth’s climate changes, the worst inundations from hurricanes and tropical storms could become far more common in low-lying coastal areas, a study from Princeton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests. The Continue Reading →

Princeton psychologists study perceptions of poverty

Despite negative stereotypes associated with poverty, people have very positive views of low-income people who are seen as striving to achieve, according to research by Ann Marie Russell, who earned her Ph.D. in Princeton’s Department Continue Reading →

Wildlife and Cows can be partners, not enemies, in search for food

Princeton researchers are leading an effort to put to pasture the long-held convention of cattle ranching that wild animals compete with cows for food. Two studies offer the first experimental evidence that allowing cattle to Continue Reading →

Worse Than a Monolith: Alliance Politics and Problems of Coercive Diplomacy in Asia

Thomas Christensen explains how problems in alliance politics complicate coercive diplomacy in international relations and thereby make war more likely and peace accords harder to reach. Christensen is the William P. Boswell Professor of World Continue Reading →

The Life of an Ethiopian saint

The Ethiopian saint Walatta Petros scolded her fellow females for wasting time on manicures instead of praying. She argued forcefully with the male leaders of her country. And she helped drive Portuguese missionaries from Ethiopia Continue Reading →

Sheldon Garon – Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves

How important are government policies and institutions in encouraging savings? Very important. My book shows that people tend to save more when they are offered accessible, convenient and safe savings institutions. In the United States Continue Reading →

Harold T. Shapiro receives National Academy of Sciences’ Public Welfare Medal

Harold T. Shapiro (left), Princeton president emeritus and a professor of economics and public affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, was awarded the 2012 National Academy of Sciences’ Public Welfare Continue Reading →

Princeton historian Peter Brown wins international Balzan Prize

Peter Brown, Princeton’s Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History Emeritus, and senior historian, received the 2011 Balzan Prize for his research on ancient history, specifically the Greco-Roman world. Four Balzan Prizes are awarded annually Continue Reading →

Princeton poet Tracy K. Smith wins Pulitzer Prize

Tracy K. Smith, an assistant professor of creative writing in Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for poetry for Life on Mars, which the prize committee called “a collection of bold, Continue Reading →

Princeton biologist Bonnie Bassler receives L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science award

Bonnie Bassler, the Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, was among five scientists worldwide selected to receive the 2012 For Women in Science Award presented by UNESCO and cosmetics Continue Reading →