Features

Caused by stressful conditions like warming ocean temperatures, coral bleaching is a leading threat to some of our planet’s most diverse and vital ecosystems. Now, a team of researchers has found that some corals survive warming ocean temperatures by passing heat-resisting abilities on to their offspring.

Poster session information for the Great Lakes Plant Science Conference

A new study led by Michigan State University found that as people get better at handling stress on a daily basis, they also become more extroverted, agreeable and open to new experiences over a nearly 20-year period. Likewise, the worse they manage daily stressors, the more introverted, unfriendly and closed off from new experiences they become.

New research from MSU, led by agricultural systems scientist Bruno Basso, tackles a key flaw in agricultural carbon markets: inaccurate “baselines” used to measure climate benefits, which can distort carbon credit calculations and undermine market trust.

Some professional football players practice ballet. An NCAA champion runner also swims. An Olympic gold medal speed skater does six-hour biking sessions. According to researchers from Michigan State University, these athletes are ahead of the game because cross-training can help prevent injury in youth athletes.

Kandace Griffin, a fisheries and wildlife doctoral student, and Michael Wagner, professor in the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, found that sea lampreys — a parasitic fish considered an invasive species in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. — follow a clear pattern of staying in the deepest parts of a river.

Between finding providers, dealing with insurance and being far from home, healthcare for incoming college students is tough to navigate for most first-year students. For trans and nonbinary students, the process becomes even more intimidating to find the right place to receive gender-affirming care.

A recent survey conducted at Michigan State University (MSU) reveals troubling levels of housing instability among its student population. The survey, carried out in April 2025 by MSU assistant professors Stephen Przybylinski and John Kuk found that 8.5% of students had experienced homelessness within the past year, while more than 37% faced at least one form of housing insecurity.

A new study led by Michigan State University provides insights into the personality perceptions surrounding tattooed individuals. As tattoos become more mainstream, this research sheds light on how specific tattoos are judged — and shows how wrong those judgements can be.

New research shows that important proteins in the human body need to be positioned correctly at their workstation to do their job. Graduate student Duncan Boren was awarded the 2025 Keegstra and Thomashow Travel Award for this research.