Research News
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Modest moss supports billions of tons of carbon storage
Did you know that over its lifetime, a tree can absorb more than a ton of carbon from the air and store it in wood and roots? Researchers now contend that mosses have the potential to store a massive amount of carbon in the soil beneath them, an important antidote to climate change.
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An eye on the sky
The Extremely Large Telescope (or ELT) could change everything we know about the universe — including how the first galaxies were created and where life on other planets may exist. And U-M is the only U.S. university involved in helping develop it.
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A surprisingly simple way to foil car thieves
Skyrocketing vehicle theft rates have drawn attention to an inconvenient truth: the increasing amount of technology in our vehicles can make them more vulnerable to hacking or theft. U-M researchers have found a solution, though, leveraging perhaps the lowest-tech feature of today’s vehicles — the cigarette lighter.
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Unlocking the mind
Imagine an everyday brain-computer interface, where brain activity is translated into actionable insights. Two U-M alums behind the startup Neurable plan to make neurotechnology easily accessible to everyone, everywhere, so humans can participate in the world in a completely new way.
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After the raid
The unseen effects of confinement and other carceral control policies extend far beyond a prison’s walls, says Professor Heather Ann Thompson. LSA’s Carceral State Project aims to document and confront forces of carceral control, through both scholarship and community action.
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State awards U-M $1M for Michigan School Safety Initiative
State support will allow U-M teams to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of Michigan schools, evaluate the effectiveness of existing school safety actions and convene a Michigan-specific school safety advisory board.
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U.S. families experience more chronic food insecurity now than 20 years ago
Researchers find the rate of families reporting chronic food insecurity between 2015-19 more than doubled compared to families surveyed in 1999 to 2003. Bad timing: SNAP and similar benefits may decrease as the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 comes to an end.
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Study shows promising treatment for tinnitus
Some 15% of adults in the U.S. have tinnitus, that ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound of silence. U-M researchers at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute suggest relief may be possible.
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A promising new target for antibiotics
In an effort to prevent another global health crisis, scientists have discovered a promising target for new and improved antibiotics. Riboswitches are small stretches of RNA that regulate a process necessary for the production of proteins by the bacterial cell.