Increasing rates of obese and overweight children in the United States may be contributing to a later onset of puberty in boys, a U-M study suggests. The late puberty of overweight boys contrasts with findings that for girls, being heavier may bring on puberty earlier.

New U-M research shows that meals eaten after each exercise session have an important impact on controlling blood sugar. The study suggests that eating meals with a relatively low carbohydrate content after exercise (but not low in calories) improved the control of blood sugar into the next day.

Plus: Childhood obesity may lead to early onset of puberty in boys

Over the course of evolution, bats and whales acquired echolocation abilities independently, for use in very different environments, so you’d expect the means by which each accomplishes the feat to differ. But a new U-M study suggests that at the microscopic level, the molecular structures for both species are very similar. It’s a striking discovery that overturns conventional thinking in evolution.

Gently rocking embryos while they grow during in vitro fertilization (IVF) improves pregnancy rates in mice by 22 percent, new University of Michigan research shows. The procedure could one day lead to significantly higher IVF success rates in humans.

Banks with strong political connections were more likely to receive bailout money from the government—and more of it—in the past year than those with weaker ties, say researchers with the U-M Ross School of Business.

In a study that helps to explain the origins of water on Earth, U-M astronomers have found that water vapor can form spontaneously in habitable zones of solar systems.

U-M researchers and colleagues working in Argentina have discovered how dinosaurs were able to navigate muddy and slippery inclines.

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U-M researchers disclosed 350 new inventions in fiscal year 2009, setting a new record. Despite the state’s economic woes, the university licensed eight new startups in the last fiscal year.

Modern tissue engineering developed at the University of Michigan Health System could improve the function of prosthetic hands and possibly restore the sense of touch for injured patients.