Big chill? Not in this ‘Circle of Estrogen’

It’s been 40 years since ‘The Big Chill’ examined the nature of lifelong bonds — the ones forged in college — that couldn’t survive the real world. In the case of 12 alumnae who met as U-M freshmen in 1985, those bonds remain as solid as the day they moved into Alice Lloyd Hall.
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Are you there, AI? It’s me, God
As artificial intelligence apps such as ChatGPT have proliferated, so have chatbots with a religious bent. In this video and Q&A, Webb Keane, U-M professor of anthropology, shares his thoughts about so-called “godbots,” and the danger of giving moral authority to artificial intelligence.
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Study: Average teen received more than 200 app notifications a day
A report explores tween and teen relationships with phones, offering families guidance to promote healthier technology habits. The top three most popular social platforms among 11- to-12-year-olds were TikTok, Snapchat, and gaming platform Discord.
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Improvements in human genome databases offer a promising future for cancer research
A gene sequencing method called ribosome profiling has expanded our understanding of the human genome by identifying previously unknown protein coding regions. Also known as Ribo-seq, this method allows researchers to get a high-resolution snapshot of protein production in cells.
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A pill to treat postpartum depression? It’s here
The fast-acting pill, paired with psychosocial treatment, offers a comprehensive treatment plan, but price concerns remain
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University seeks nominations for honorary degree recipients
Nominees may be individuals who have advanced their field of endeavor in significant ways, or who have made compelling contributions to society. Nominating deadline for candidates to be considered for the 2024 Spring Commencement Exercises is 5 p.m. Oct. 16.
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Life at Prettyman’s
Horace and Jennie Prettyman’s sprawling manse on North University was Ann Arbor’s best-known boarding house, serving more than a million meals to students from 1875 to 1914 — including Fielding Yost’s varsity football players, who ate there nightly.
Columns
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President's Message
Breaking ground in Detroit
President Ono closes the year with a groundbreaking report from Detroit and news of an institute honoring Raoul Wallenberg. -
Editor's Blog
Let’s be friends
This one-time early adopter of new technologies has become a late bloomer. -
Climate Blue
On the surface
Recent weather disasters are telling us how water will flow and how fire will spread. But are we listening? -
Health Yourself
Are we having fun yet?
Victor Katch seeks to answer the essential question that has challenged people since time began.
Higher ed meets higher purpose
Call it action-based learning, community engagement, applied academics, or any other catchy term you can conjure. Since the University’s founding, its faculty experts, alumni, and enterprising students have combined research, fieldwork, and passion to impact the state’s economy and its citizens. Projects and partnerships span the Mitten, impacting everything from children’s health to the maritime industry. Learn more about how these Wolverines are using education and experience to create actual value — in the real world — every single day.