Oct. 11: Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold ’79 Listed Among Top Entrepreneurs

In search of what makes a top innovator, Michigan State professors Michele Root-Bernstein *81 and Robert Root-Bernstein ’75 *80 found past Nobel Prize winners are unusually likely to be creative polymaths who “perceive their varied interests and hobbies as important stimulants,” unlike typical professionals who see them as detrimental. — The Conversation
 
For the first time, consumer advocate Ralph Nader ’55 is campaigning for the Democrats. “What’s different now is in 2000 there wasn’t a fascist drive coming over the horizon,” he told columnist Dana Milbank. — The Washington Post

Kathy Kiely ’77, the Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies at the Missouri School of Journalism, said it’s dangerous when celebrities make anti-media comments like Kanye West recently did, because they could signal to dictators, drug dealers, and others that it’s acceptable to target reporters. — Newsweek
 
In a lecture at DePauw University, Puck Media correspondent Julia Ioffe ’05 said that journalists “bending over backward to appear neutral rather than truthful” is one reason behind the decline in public trust of the media. — The DePauw

Retired Gen. David Petraeus *85 *87 said he worries about the war in Ukraine spiraling out of control, saying, “I think it is legitimate for U.S. leadership and for leadership of other countries to avoid starting World War III.” — CNBC
 
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn ’57 made perhaps $250 million by betting that Elon Musk would back out of his deal to buy Twitter. — The Wall Street Journal
 
Berkeley astronomer Courtney Dressing ’10 is looking for Neptune-size planets that get lots of ultraviolet light, part of an effort “to see how exactly a planet keeps its atmosphere over time.” — BBC Sky at Night Magazine

“Are our rights equal to each other? Some are equal to each other, but one is greater than all, as none of the rights catalogued briefly above can be exercised without it. That is, of course, the right to live.”

— Andrew Napolitano ’72, comparing natural human rights to privileges bestowed by governments. — USA Today Network

Nobel Prize-winning chemist Frances Arnold ’79, who has cofounded biopesticide and biofuel companies, made Forbes’ list of 50 women entrepreneurs over 50. — Forbes
 
In the year since they received the Nobel Peace Prize, journalists Maria Ressa *86 of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia have been fighting continued attacks on their news organizations. — The Economic Times
 
Harvard professor Joseph Nye ’58 broke down the short-term and long-term reasons behind Vladimir Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine, showing how the invasion became “increasingly probable over time.” — The Korea Times
 
Dr. Laura Forese ’83 is retiring as executive vice president and COO after four decades with the NewYork-Presbyterian hospital system. — Healthcare Dive