U-M engineering professor Jessy Grizzle and his students have built a robot that can successfully navigate uneven surfaces—a critical talent for robots to handle movement over most of the planet’s surface. Includes video.

“When we talk to local officials across the state, we find that most of them feel that the stimulus has not helped improve their local economies so far, and is unlikely to help them in the future,” said U-M’s Brian Jacob.

The projects have been included in the National Science Foundation’s “Sensational 60” list of scientific discoveries or advances that have had a major impact on Americans. They include studies on elections and the economy as well as crucial medical advances.

The University of Michigan has been named part of an energy hub using advanced capabilities of the world’s most powerful computers to make significant leaps forward in nuclear reactor design and engineering. U-M will receive up to $8.5 million for its work in the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL).

On average, women outlive men, and at any given age men have higher mortality rates. But why? U-M researcher Daniel Kruger’s new study shows that it’s the result of an evolutionary gambit: men often risk everything for the chance to reproduce.

They often get a bad rap, but in-laws can be a woman’s best friend.

Plus: Americans live surprisingly close to their mothers

Most Americans live within 25 miles of their mothers, according to a report issued by the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center.

U-M researchers have found that PTSD, the severe anxiety disorder that can follow traumatic events, is not just a psychological problem. “Traumatic events can get under your skin and literally alter your biology,” says researcher Monica Uddin, whose team found that trauma seems to change gene expression, altering the immune system.

The muscle-building abilities of hormones known as insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are legendary. But key details about how IGFs work on muscle cells have been lacking. Now, researchers have cleared up a longstanding mystery about the workings of IGFs. The team’s findings could lead to new treatments for muscle-wasting diseases and new ways of preventing the muscle loss that accompanies aging.