Research News

  1. Light twists rigid structures in unexpected nanotech finding

    In findings that took the experimenters three years to believe, U-M engineers and their collaborators have demonstrated that light itself can twist ribbons of nanoparticles. Matter readily bends and twists light. That’s the mechanism behind optical lenses and polarizing 3-D movie glasses. But the opposite effect—light bending matter—has rarely been observed.

  2. Get up and go

    Sea lilies can break off their own stalks and ‘crawl’ away from sea urchins that try to eat them. The remarkable survival strategy is an example of how an ‘arms race’ between predators and prey can guide the evolution of species.

  3. Michigan will finally snap decade-long streak of job losses

    After enduring one of its worst years ever in 2009, Michigan’s economy will flounder this year before showing some improvement in 2011, say University of Michigan economists

  4. Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking

    “For amputees, what they experience when they’re trying to walk normally is what I would experience if I were carrying an extra 30 pounds,” says U-M professor Art Kuo. He has developed a prototype of an artificial foot that recycles energy otherwise wasted in between steps, making it easier for amputees to walk.

  5. New dinosaur rears its head

    The remains of a new dinosaur, discovered near the world-famous Carnegie Quarry in Dinosaur National Monument, may help explain the evolution of the largest land animals ever to walk the earth.

  6. Snake vs. dinosaur

    An extraordinary 67-million-year-old fossil reveals a snake attacking a nest of dinosaur eggs and hatchlings. The finding provides a rare glimpse at an unusual feeding behavior in ancient snakes. Includes Video and a slideshow about the fossils.

  7. Business professor lends hand to Michigan's laid-off workers

    U-M’s Ross School of Business is part of a new partnership that provides free online learning for the state’s unemployed workers. The courses focus on health care, government and nonprofits, emerging technologies and entrepreneurship, and aim to help 100,000 unemployed Michigan workers to re-enter the work force in a new career.

  8. Freezing breast tumors helps stop cancer's spread in mice

    A new study shows cryoablation—killing cancer by freezing it in its place—could be an effective treatment for breast cancer. The study, done in mice, found that cryoablation also helped prevent cancer from spreading to other organs. The results have translated to a clinical trial that’s now enrolling patients.

  9. The sound of the sun

    A musical version of solar wind melds science and art…and helps researchers discern hidden data about the sun. Plus video.