Michigan Today

U-M geologist Ben van der Pluijm in Michigan Stadium

Good vibrations

Michigan Shake project measures crowd response during U-M home football games; data could inform earthquake studies.

Compostable diapers

U-M startup Ecovia Renewables hopes to rid the planet’s landfills of disposable diapers; team is working with manufacturers to put a biodegradable material into product prototypes.
U-M tool measures ‘iffy’ news

U-M’s Center for Social Media Responsibility analyzes news on Facebook and Twitter, just in time for 2018 election.
U-M delivers record 21 startups in FY2018

U-M researchers reported a 10-percent rise in new inventions with 484 for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
- Business and Economy
- Education & Society
U-M shatters fundraising records

Some 382,000 donors have given more than $5 billion to U-M — a campaign high among the nation’s public universities.
- Education & Society
- Philanthropy
Video game helps kids avoid predators

UM-Dearborn undergrads and a UM-Ann Arbor librarian teamed up to help young people with autism stay safe online.
- Education & Society
- Research News
Emeritus professor wins Nobel Prize

Gérard Mourou advanced ‘chirped pulse amplification,’ pushing the limits of optical science.

Columns

Editor's Blog
Michigan yesterday

Sometimes it is preferable to live in the past, especially when the present is a bit too ugly to handle.
Health Yourself
Cannabis and health: Part 1

Vic Katch reviews the history of cannabis use, its many ingredients, and its therapeutic applications.
Talking About Words
Ceep the rth clyn

Nicholas Delbanco reminds us that the act of writing (i.e., making marks on a surface) changes with the times.
Talking About Movies
‘He felt what we felt’

Frank Beaver celebrates the Wolverines’ love for late announcer Bob Ufer, star of a new documentary.

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In the news

Whale of a tale

The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History will offer interactive, “minds-on” exhibits in its new home, opening in April 2019. Till then, experts continue to carefully transport precious specimens from the Ruthven Building to the new Biological Sciences Building. Enjoy this moving experience of two such specimens. (Images by Michigan Photography, unless otherwise noted.)

Goodbye to you

Moving is never easy. But it does help when your new home is within walking (or should we say ‘swimming’) distance of your old one. That’s the Biological Sciences Building on the left. The Ruthven Building is on the right. Oh, and that’s Dorudon, the first whale specimen to make itself at home in the new natural history museum. Its companion, Basilosaurus, followed soon after.
Moving out

It’s a big day for this prehistoric fellow, known as Dorudon (“spear-tooth”). This Orca-sized, early species of whale from the Eocene Period has not seen the light of day for an estimated 35 million years.
Already gone

Sometimes a new environment is just what you need to give your old bones a lift. Long before it was displayed in the natural history museum, the extinct Dorudon lived in warm seas around the world.
On the road again

Slow and steady wins the race when you are moving a prehistoric whale on a college campus. If these bones had any meat on them, this creature could weigh between one and two tons, making it as big as the Orca or the Killer Whale.
Hit the road, Jack

Just another day on the bustling U-M campus. Watch your step, students!
Moving on up

The “skeleton crew” from Research Casting International — specialists in fossil and cast installation and relocation — prepare to hoist the giant whale skeleton skyward.
Bust a move

Long accustomed to its perch high atop the Hall of Evolution, this prehistoric creature now hangs in the five-story atrium at the entrance of the new Museum of Natural History.
Night moves

Visitors to the Biological Sciences Building may see Basilosaurus and Dorudon high atop the five-story atrium. A trip to the museum’s second floor provides a close-up view of the ancient specimens. This image is taken from the ground floor, looking straight up. (Image by Mike Cherney.)

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In the news

Whale of a tale

Goodbye to you

Moving out

Already gone

On the road again

Hit the road, Jack

Moving on up

Bust a move

Night moves