Life sciences

MSU’s life sciences researchers study fundamental building blocks of life—cells, proteins, genes—to understand the complexity of living systems, from microbes to mammals. The highly interdisciplinary nature of MSU research means that biologists, geneticists, and others in the life and medical sciences collaborate extensively with physical scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. MSU is a major contributor to advances in studies of biological systems.

THE book on South Asian birds

MSU News, Sep 28 2012

Pamela Rasmussen, Michigan State University assistant professor of zoology and assistant curator of mammalogy and ornithology at the MSU Museum, recently completed the second edition of the two-volume "Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide.”

The second edition features the newest findings on classifications and vocalizations. It features several new species to the region, including newly discovered species. One new species, observed for the first time this year, is a Great Nicobar Crake photographed foraging on Great Nicobar Island.

E. coli's evolutionary process documented

MSU News, Sep 19 2012

A team of researchers at Michigan State University has documented the step-by-step process in which organisms evolve new functions.

The results, published in the current issue of Nature, are revealed through an in-depth, genomics-based analysis that decodes how E. coli bacteria figured out how to supplement a traditional diet of glucose with an extra course of citrate.

Why do organisms build tissues they don't seem to use?

MSU News, Aug 10 2012

Why, after millions of years of evolution, do organisms build structures that seemingly serve no purpose?

A study conducted at Michigan State University and published in the current issue of The American Naturalist investigates the evolutionary reasons why organisms go through developmental stages that appear unnecessary.

Division of labor offers insight into the evolution of multicellular life

MSU News, Aug 7 2012

Dividing tasks among different individuals is a more efficient way to get things done, whether you are an ant, a honeybee or a human.

A new study by researchers at Michigan State University’s BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action suggests that this efficiency may also explain a key transition in evolutionary history, from single-celled to multi-celled organisms.

New computational technique solves microbial data logjam

MSU News, Aug 1 2012

It’s relatively easy to collect massive amounts of data on microbes. But the files are so large that it takes days to simply transmit them to other researchers and months to analyze once they are received.

Researchers at Michigan State University have developed a new computational technique, featured in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that relieves the logjam that these “big data” issues create.

Researchers find mechanism behind massive animal horns

MSU News, Jul 27 2012

In the animal kingdom, huge weapons such as elk antlers or ornaments like peacock feathers are sexy. Their extreme size attracts potential mates and warns away lesser rivals.

Bacteria in worms can switch from harmonious to harmful

MSU News, Jul 5 2012

Michigan State University researchers led a study that revealed how a bacteria flips a DNA switch to go from an upstanding community member in the gut microbiome to deadly killer in insect blood.

Real-life CSI: Study to gauge stress of forensic scientists

MSU News, Feb 29 2012

They’re glorified on TV shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” but in real life forensic scientists face stress from heavy caseloads, political pressure and exposure to extremely violent crime scenes and child pornography.

But just how stressful are their jobs? And what can be done to potentially improve their working environments, productivity and, ultimately, the criminal justice system?

Studying the evolution of life’s building blocks

MSU News, Feb 22 2012

Studying the origin of life at its building blocks offers a unique perspective on evolution, says a researcher at Michigan State University.

Robert Root-Bernstein, MSU physiology professor, answered the question of why a physiologist studies the origin of life at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Feb. 16-20 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

MSU researchers show how new viruses evolve

MSU News, Jan 26 2012

In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations.