The hottest stars in the universe spin so fast that they get a bit squished at their poles and dimmer around their middle. A 90-year-old theory predicts the extent of this phenomenon—but a new U-M study shows that theory has major flaws. “It is surprising to me that von Zeipel’s law has been adopted in astronomy for such a long time,” says researcher Xiao Che.

In a surprise discovery that overturns a century-old tenet of physics, U-M professor Stephen Rand and his team found that a light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected. The discovery could lead to a revolution in solar power.

The blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of mussels—the zebra and quagga—is stripping the lakes of their life-supporting algae, resulting in a remarkable ecological transformation and threatening the multibillion-dollar U.S. commercial and recreational Great Lakes fisheries.

U-M professor Lutgarde Raskin and her collaborators have developed what’s called an “anaerobic membrane bioreactor” that could make it possible to turn municipal wastewater into energy.

A new program at U-M aims to help patients with depression manage their symptoms by making someone who cares about them an important part of their treatment.

Older adults don’t have to accept the loss of strength and muscle. Even people in their 70s and 80s can build “significant strength improvement” with simple exercises.

Recent advances by U-M researchers are significant milestones in the march toward millimeter-scale computing, believed to be the next electronics frontier.

So says a U-M study that looks at whether it’s best to start regular screening at 40 or 50.

Some orthodontists may be exposing young patients to unnecessary radiation when they order 3-D X-ray imaging for simple orthodontic cases before considering traditional 2-D imaging.