Watt a journey: Lighting up the Amazon

U-M researchers and engineering students traveled to the far reaches of the Amazon rainforest to help light up rural schools and develop innovative incinerators. Their efforts will support local autonomy, preserve residents’ unique habitats, and generate ecotourism.
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Listen to your mother—especially if your mother is a climate scientist.
Sierra Petersen, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, studies what Earth’s climate was like millions of years in the past. She also is a member of Science Moms, a group of mothers who are scientists who study climate change. They hope to make climate change a normal topic of conversation—and therefore one that deserves action and attention.
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Not so simple machines: Cracking the code for materials that can learn
It’s easy to think that machine learning is a completely digital phenomenon, made possible by computers and algorithms that can mimic brain-like behaviors. But the first machines were analog and now, a small but growing body of research is showing that mechanical systems are capable of learning, too, say physicists at U-M.
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Who was Robben Fleming?
U-M Regent Philip Power once remarked that Robben Fleming, U-M president from 1968-78, viewed clashes as the engine of progress. Power wasn’t wrong. Fleming’s background in labor law prepared him for the tumultuous decade when student protest and anti-war sentiment captivated the campus.
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Dental alumni discover they have more than Michigan in common: They are siblings
This brother and sister went through the U-M dental school one year apart but never knew about each other until 30 years later. Today, they enjoy a newly expanded network of relatives, friends, and of course, Michigan alumni.
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‘Unprecedented’ level of control allows person without use of limbs to operate virtual quadcopter
A brain-computer interface, surgically placed in a research participant with paralysis in all four limbs, provided him an unprecedented level of control over a virtual quadcopter — just by thinking about moving his unresponsive fingers. Such groundbreaking technology could impact one’s ability to socialize, work, and enjoy recreational activities.
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New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals
Cutting acid and base treatments from conventional desalination plants could save billions of dollars globally, making seawater a more affordable option for drinking water, say experts at U-M. A study describing the new technology has been published in Nature Water by engineers at Michigan and Rice University.
Columns
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President's Message
Vision, momentum, and the arts in 2025
Let's give a warm welcome to honorary Wolverine Rhiannon Giddens, artist-in-residence at the U-M Arts Initiative. -
Editor's Blog
What’s in a name?
They say every picture tells a story, right? Well at Michigan, so does every building. -
Climate Blue
Do we require catastrophe?
We need to do more than "protect and persist," warns Ricky Rood, as climate disasters wreak havoc on our lives. -
Health Yourself
Do you believe in magic? How about weight-loss meds?
Vic Katch takes a look at some 'miracle' weight-loss drugs to help understand how they work in the body.
Listen & Subscribe
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MGo Blue podcasts
Explore the Michigan Athletics series "In the Trenches," "On the Block," and "Conqu'ring Heroes." -
Michigan Ross Podcasts
Check out the series "Business and Society," "Business Beyond Usual," "Working for the Weekend," and "Down to Business." -
Michigan Medicine Podcasts
Hear audio series, news, and stories about the future of health care.
‘An example worthy of imitation’
When they passed through the grand columns at the entrance of their just-completed building in October of 1850, the 95 students and five faculty of the University of Michigan Medical School couldn’t possibly imagine what they were starting. They also couldn’t predict the discoveries and innovations that those who followed them would make in U-M medical laboratories, classrooms, and hospitals over the next 175 years. Enjoy this historical overview and watch this video celebrating Michigan Medicine’s incredible legacy. And if you’re feeling sentimental, please share your memories of Michigan Medicine.