Science and Technology

  1. The fossilized skull of Coccocephalus wildi, an early ray-finned fish that swam in an estuary 319 million years ago. The fish is facing to the right, with the jaws visible in the lower right portion of the fossil. The eye socket is the circular, bumpy feature above the jaws. This fish would have been 6 to 8 inches long, about the size of a bluegill. Photo credit: Jeremy Marble, University of Michigan News.

    319-million-year-old fish preserves the earliest fossilized brain of a backboned animal

    The CT-scanned skull of a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish, pulled from a coal mine in England more than a century ago, has revealed the oldest example of a well-preserved vertebrate brain.

  2. Díaz in Cuba as a child. He is dressed in white with a light blue tie and has his harm on the shoulder of a younger child dressed in overalls with no shirt underneath. They look to be in school.

    From Cuba to chemical engineering: ‘I’m supposed to be here’

    Ph.D. student José Carlos Díaz first merged his knack for engineering and science by repairing microscopes for use in his sixth-grade class. He was 11 years old. He’s now an ion-diffusion researcher at one of the top chemical engineering programs in the U.S.

  3. Albert Shih, who leads the N95 project at U-M, visits the N95 and mask production factory floor of the industry lead DemeTECH. Image courtesy: Albert Shih.

    U-M researchers helping to develop a machine for on-demand N95 mask manufacturing

    Launched with $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, the project aims to develop better respirators with new manufacturing processes that can be ramped up on demand, protecting both health care workers and the public.

  4. Replica of the complex molecule, stemoamide, built in mere three steps in Tim Cernak’s Lab. Image credit: Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography

    U-M discovery dramatically reduces time it takes to build molecules

    With a big assist from artificial intelligence and a heavy dose of human touch, U-M researchers have discovered how to speed up the time-consuming chemical process of building molecules that will be tomorrow’s medicines, agrichemicals, or materials.

  5. Artist rendering of a Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) microsatellite. Image credit: NASA

    Tracking ocean microplastics from space

    Harmful microplastics — tiny flecks that can ride ocean currents for thousands of miles — are extremely difficult to track and clean up. But, it turns out these same microplastics tag along with soapy or oily residue, which satellites are great at spotting.

  6. The 700kHz, 260-element histotripsy ultrasound array transducer used in Prof. Xu’s lab. Image credit: Marcin Szczepanski/Lead Multimedia Storyteller, Michigan Engineering

    How sound waves trigger immune responses to cancer in mice

    By breaking down the cell wall “cloak,” the treatment exposes previously hidden cancer cell markers and could offer patients a treatment option without the harmful side effects of radiation and chemotherapy.

  7. Kyla McMullen and Jeremy Waisome recording Modern Figures.

    Not hidden but modern

    U-M’s first Black woman to graduate with a PhD in computer science and engineering is driving change within the University of Florida and scaling her influence with a podcast.

  8. Plastic

    U-M team recycles previously unrecyclable plastic

    PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is one of the most-produced plastics in the U.S. and the third-highest by volume worldwide. Until recently, it had a zero percent recycling rate in the U.S. But scientists at U-M recently discovered how to chemically recycle PVC into usable material.

  9. D. Dan and Betty Kahn portrait with graphic of new hospital

    New hospital to be named for D. Dan and Betty Kahn

    The D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion is scheduled to open in fall 2025. The $920-million facility will include 264 private inpatient rooms, a neurosciences center, specialty cardiovascular and thoracic care services, and much more.

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