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September 2010 | Home

The Two-Dollar House

students in front of socialist house

How a handful of Depression - era students ditched the profit motive and started U-M's co-ops

Alumni

The last survivors

Emanuel Tanay

Even the youngest Holocaust survivors, like Dr. Emanuel Tanay, are reaching their 80s. What does it mean to have lived, and to remain a witness to one of history's great atrocities?

Most commented
Faculty

The fight to stop modern slavery

Bridgette Carr

Video: U-M law prof Bridgette Carr is fighting against the world's second - biggest criminal enterprise.

More Michigan English

rutabaga

The words that make Michigan's language distinct.

Combat docs old and new

soldiers in the movie restrepo

Some of the most powerful war films have been documentaries. You can add a recent movie to the list of all-time greats.

Michigan football players Ryan van Bergen and Mike Martin Football's back!

Stories and photos you can only find in Michigan Today.

 

Faculty
video still showing Christopher Peterson

A life worth living

Video: What are the essentials of a happy, satisfying life? What choices can help you build a life with meaning? As U-M launches its "What Makes Life Worth Living" theme semester, psychology professor Christopher Peterson has some deceptively simple — but not necessarily easy — answers.

alumni
scene from answer this movie, with two lovers in front of wall mural

From U-M to Hollywood and back

'Answer This!' is a sweet, smart romantic comedy. It's also a movie-maker's love letter to Michigan. Director Chris Farah tells the story of coming back to his alma mater to film his first feature, starring Christopher Gorham, Arielle Kebbel and legendary professor Ralph Williams.

Plus: Play the Michigan Today trivia game for a chance to win an 'Answer This!' Ralph Williams t-shirt!

Witness to the spill

fire and smoke on the surface of the gulf of mexico

U-M's John Masson, a petty officer first class in the US Coast Guard Reserve, reports from the Gulf oil spill clean-up.

U-M in the News

Media coverage of the University of Michigan

Economic news; stem cells; childhood obesity; the North Campus Research Complex's new residents; inspiration from teachers, researchers and Brock Mealer; the origins of 'Jumping the Shark' and more.

Research News
tin can

Sperm may be harmed by exposure to BPA, study suggests

BPA is a common chemical (more than 6 billion pounds of it are produced annually) that's stirred controversy in the media over its safety. Now, in one of the first human studies of its kind, researchers have found that urinary concentrations of BPA may be related to decreased sperm quality and sperm concentration. The findings are preliminary but point to the need for more study.

Research News
illustration of black hole ejecting star from milky way galaxy

A black hole slingshot

Hypervelocity stars, discovered about five years ago, are the fastest stars ever observed. They are escaping the galaxy at beyond what was thought to be its stellar speed limit. A U-M study has identified the source of their astounding speed: the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, which acts as a gravitational slingshot, blasting stars right out of the galaxy at 1.8 million miles per hour.

On Campus
the tower on north quad

North Quadrangle is U-M’s new 
home for student living, learning

This month, the first-ever residents of North Quad moved into the state-of-the-art building. Get a glimpse of the facility in this story from the University Record.

Plus: Discover the history of North Quad and the story behind its quirky details. North Quad and Nellie's books

Faculty
people standing alongside massive floodwaters in pakistan

A climate expert's take on Pakistan's floods

U-M professor Ricky Rood, an expert in world and regional climate issues, calls Pakistan's catastrophic flooding "a case study of climate disaster."

Research News
black hawk helicopter in Iraq

Laser-based missile defense for helicopters being developed

It's "like throwing sand in the eyes of the missile," says U-M's Mohammed Islam. He is developing sturdy and portable lasers that could blind heat-seeking weapons, including shoulder-launched missiles that have proved deadly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Research News
closeup view of paper wasp's face

A karate belt for wasps

In a remarkable study of animal behavior, U-M researchers have found that a given wasp's facial markings serve as a sort of karate belt, giving a clue to its fighting ability. Even more interesting, wasps "punish" other wasps that are actually stronger or weaker than their markings suggest. "White belt" wasps who pretend to be black belts are asking to get picked on.

Health
brain scan

Brain connections break down as we age

It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new U-M study suggests.