A new University of Michigan-led study estimates that Caribbean seagrass meadows provide approximately $255 billion in annual ecosystem services, including vast carbon storage. The study highlights the importance of conserving these threatened ecosystems, which are critical allies in the fight against climate change.
Young adults' past-year use of non-LSD hallucinogens increased from 3.4% in 2018 to 6.6% in 2021, raising public health concerns. The study found that male and white young adults used these substances more frequently.
A new study estimates that the overall benefits of switching ride-hailing vehicles from gasoline to electric would be very modest, with a 3% gain per trip. The study found that traffic-related factors, such as congestion and crash risk, dominate societal costs, outweighing emissions reductions.
A University of Michigan research team has discovered a mitochondrial loop that allows cells to retreat up the path of differentiation, enabling cell plasticity. This finding challenges traditional views on cell differentiation and has implications for tissue regeneration and cancer treatment.
A new AI model, NeCLAS, can predict how nanoparticles bind to proteins, a crucial step in designing antibiotics and antivirals. This breakthrough could help combat antibiotic-resistant infections and develop new treatments for diseases.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed the workings of a bacterial RNA riboswitch, a promising target for new antibiotics. The discovery uses a combination of biochemistry, structural biology and computational modeling to show how the riboswitch regulates transcriptional pausing.
Scientists at the University of Michigan have created a structure called 'fire ice' using nanoparticles, which harnesses a strange physical phenomenon to manipulate light. The finding showcases an unusual effect called entropy compartmentalization, where entropic forces stabilize even more complex crystals.
A new study suggests expanding the search for habitable planets to consider the space between a star and the soot line in planet-forming disks, which could lead to discovering worlds with rich organic carbon and poor water content. This new model proposes that such planets may have more carbon than Earth and potentially harbor life.
A mathematical model developed by researchers at the University of Michigan could help engineers control the behavior of vortex rings in nuclear fusion and other applications. Vortex rings form during fuel compression and can disrupt the efficiency of fusion reactions. The model, which draws parallels with smoke rings, aims to understa...
A study reveals that South Africa's desert-like interior was more fertile and temperate during two glacial periods, supporting human populations living around paleolakes. Researchers used various technologies to date and reconstruct ancient lakes and shorelines, finding evidence of human presence in the region.
A recent study found that gorillas who survived past age 6 were largely unaffected by difficulties they encountered as infants or juveniles. In contrast, young gorillas who experienced multiple forms of early life adversity had a 70% reduction in the risk of death across adulthood. This suggests that gorillas may have a different biolo...
A new study analyzes over 86,000 bird specimens to reveal that smaller bird species are declining faster in body size while increasing their wing length. The research suggests that climate change may be driving this shift, with smaller birds potentially adapting more quickly to evolutionary pressures.
A new AI system, BacterAI, has mapped the metabolism of two beneficial bacteria associated with oral health. By testing hundreds of amino acid combinations daily, it discovered the required nutrients for their growth, producing accurate predictions 90% of the time. This technology could drastically speed up scientific discoveries in va...
A new study uses tusk analysis to show that adult male woolly mammoths experienced musth, a testosterone-driven episode of aggression. The research demonstrates the potential for teeth to hold records of hormones, offering insights into ancient biology and life history.
A new sensing system, SAWSense, repurposes technology from bone-conduction microphones to detect surface-acoustic waves on various surfaces. The system recognizes different inputs with 97% accuracy, enabling intuitive input mechanisms for smart objects and medical sensing applications.
Researchers at University of Michigan created a realistic driving simulation based on a 'crash-prone' intersection in Ann Arbor. The NeuralNDE uses real-time data to test the safety of autonomous vehicles, reducing the need for actual crashes.
A recent study found that predators can reduce disease levels in prey populations, but may also lead to a decline in population size. The researchers used a small predator-prey-parasite system to test the healthy herds hypothesis, which proposes that predators can help prey populations by picking off the sick and injured.
A new study found that increased tree diversity enhances soil carbon storage by 30-32% and nitrogen storage by 42-50% over a decadal timescale. Tree diversity leads to greater accumulation of carbon and nitrogen in forest soils, validating previous biodiversity-manipulation experiments.
A new study reveals that health surveys and clinical studies often exclude transgender and gender-diverse individuals due to the way they record sex or gender. This exclusion can lead to reduced accuracy and inclusivity in study results, resulting in increased health disparities and limited access to healthcare for these communities.
A study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that an extra copy of the DSCAM gene in mice with Down syndrome causes improper neuron development and excessive inhibition. This discovery suggests modulation of DSCAM expression levels could be a viable therapeutic strategy for repairing synaptic deficits seen in Down syndrome.
A new study in Nature Photonics demonstrates that quantum entanglement improves the precision of optomechanical sensors, enabling more accurate navigation without GPS. The technology also holds promise for detecting dark matter by identifying subtle forces.
Researchers analyzed Google Trends data to understand interest in human rights globally, finding steady demand across the globe. Key findings suggest that people in countries like Uganda and Guatemala frequently search for information on human rights, with relative rates surpassing those of other important concepts like malaria.
A US study finds that schools with higher rates of ADHD stimulant therapy also report the highest rates of prescription stimulant misuse. The study highlights a significant association between ADHD stimulant therapy and misuse, suggesting individual schools should assess their own students for substance misuse behaviors.
Researchers developed an open-source optimization framework, Zeus, that studies deep learning models during training and pinpoints the best tradeoff between energy consumption and speed. This framework reduces energy demands of AI models by up to 75%, with minimal impact on training time.
Researchers at the University of Michigan suggest that ape ancestors lived in seasonal woodlands with broken canopies and ate leaves, not fruit. This new model for ape origins pushes back the origin of grassy woodlands from 7-10 million years ago to 21 million years ago.
A University of Michigan-led team found that Gulf offshore oil and gas production has twice the climate warming impact as official estimates, primarily due to methane emissions from older platforms closer to land. Simple steps could mitigate those releases, with actions such as capturing or flaring the gas having outsized climate benef...
A study co-led by a University of Michigan researcher provides direct evidence for the consumption of yak milk, as well as horse and ruminant blood proteins. The discovery was made possible by the preservation of ancient DNA in permafrost, revealing intriguing protein sequences.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new virtual testing environment that reduces the time and cost of autonomous vehicle (AV) testing by 99.99%. The system uses simulated terrible drivers to create challenging scenarios, allowing AVs to encounter rare safety-critical events in a shorter amount of time.
A new study analyzes 415 environmental social media research studies, revealing the potential of user-generated data to transform sustainability science. The research team identified key findings on how ideas about climate change are shaped online, highlighting opportunities for science communicators to hone environmental messaging.
Researchers observed a shift towards earlier springtime flowering in common morning glory plants as temperatures rose, with increased investment in floral rewards such as nectar and pollen. The study used the 'resurrection' approach to examine changes in floral morphology over nine years, revealing significant increases in flower size ...
A team of researchers from the University of Michigan has developed a way to control the degree of twist in nanostructured particles, opening up new avenues for machine vision and medicine production. The development enables robots to accurately navigate complex environments by encoding information in twisted light, which is preferenti...
A study by University of Michigan researchers found that older adults with dementia are at a higher risk of mortality after hurricane exposure due to disruptions in caregiving and daily routines. The analysis highlights the need for integrated preparedness and response strategies that address the special needs of people living with dem...
A new type of ferroelectric semiconductor has been integrated into a reconfigurable transistor, enabling multifunctional devices to be combined on the same platform. This breakthrough could lead to more efficient and lower-cost electronics, including reconfigurable radio frequency and microwave communication systems.
Researchers develop photo-acoustic chemical imaging to map tumor chemical makeup, predicting radiation therapy efficacy. The method uses nanoparticles to sense specific chemicals in tumor tissue, providing real-time high-resolution chemical maps.
Researchers at the University of Michigan developed a new control algorithm for ankle exoskeletons that can handle different speeds and changes in gait. The algorithm directly measures muscle physiology, providing more accurate measurements than current methods.
Simulations suggest a tenfold increase in frequency, with peak powers reaching 100 trillion watts, enabling more efficient generation of high-energy laser light. The new approach involves wakesurfing behind electron beams, maintaining coherence and alignment of the waves.
A team from the University of Michigan has developed LabGym, an open-source software that uses artificial intelligence to identify, categorize and count defined behaviors across various animal model systems. By teaching the software what it should count, researchers can analyze animal behaviors more efficiently and accurately.
University of Michigan researchers used artificial intelligence and data science to reduce molecule synthesis time from 7-26 steps to just three steps. The breakthrough has powerful implications for developing medicines, agrichemicals, and materials.
A new technique tracks ocean microplastics by monitoring changes in wave activity caused by surfactants, not the plastics themselves. This method could improve microplastic tracking and predict their movement through waterways.
Researchers found that Nepalese tigers crossed highways significantly more times during the COVID-19 lockdown, with one tiger's home range tripling in size. The study suggests that reducing vehicle traffic can lead to quick conservation benefits by enabling tigers to roam freely.
A new textile technology developed by the University of Michigan enables invisble, indelible sorting labels for clothing recycling. This innovation increases efficiency and precision in recycling processes, addressing the challenge of sorting complex fabrics.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have successfully created a five-nanometer-thick ferroelectric semiconductor, paving the way for integrating this technology with conventional components in computers and smartphones. This could enable ultra-efficient, low-power devices for AI and IoT applications.
A University of Michigan study found that humans are less forgiving of robots after multiple mistakes and that trust is difficult to get back. The researchers tested four repair strategies, but none were able to fully restore trust after three violations.
A 319-million-year-old fish fossil has yielded the earliest known fossilized brain of a backboned animal, providing insights into the neural anatomy and early evolution of ray-finned fishes. The discovery also sheds light on the preservation of soft tissues in fossils, which were previously thought to be rare.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new technique called histotripsy, which uses sound waves to break apart tumors and trigger an immune response in mice. This approach has shown promising results in preventing tumor growth and recurrence, and could potentially offer a new treatment option for patients with cancer.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have discovered that smaller Hall thrusters can produce significantly more thrust than previously thought, making them a viable option for interplanetary travel. The study showed that by increasing the propellant flow rate, the thruster's efficiency was maintained, and in some cases, improved.
Researchers have proposed a new model for dark matter, the HYPER model, which explains how its interaction with normal matter changes abruptly after the formation of dark matter in the early universe. This phase transition could make dark matter detectable and explain its abundance.
In a new study, red squirrels that gamble with their reproductive strategy outperform those that play it safe, especially during mast years. Despite short-term costs, female squirrels that increase litter sizes in low-food years experience greater lifetime fitness if they get to experience a mast year.
New research found that many homebound older adults canceled medically necessary home-based health care services out of fear of getting COVID-19. This led to new or worsening medical conditions and left providers feeling uninformed about advising patients on continued care.
A new study finds that over 90% of US households will see a reduction in transportation energy costs with electric vehicles, but the lowest-income households may not benefit equally. The study highlights the need for targeted policies to promote energy justice and increase EV accessibility for low-income communities.