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News

Death Valley

Death Valley Plant Reveals Blueprint for Heat-Resilient Crops

In a new paper published in Current Biology, MSU Research Foundation Professor Seung Yon “Sue” Rhee and Research Specialist Karine Prado report that T. oblongifolia grows faster in Death Valley’s summer conditions by rapidly adjusting its photosynthetic system to withstand the heat.
Monna Hanna at RX Kids convention

Rx Kids Linked to Higher Civic Engagement, Voter Turnout

As the 2026 midterm elections are around the corner, MSU’s Rx Kids program is associated with bolstering voter turnout and engagement as well as improving public health. According to new research supported by Rx Kids, a first-in-the-nation community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, is strengthening civic engagement, especially among women of childbearing age.
Cows grazing food

Rapid Action and Partnerships: MSU’s Role in the National Response to Avian Influenza

When highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, first appeared in U.S. dairy cattle, it shocked the scientific community. The virus, long associated with birds, had crossed a species barrier no one anticipated. In Michigan, however, the response framework was already underway.
Person sitting in front of computer

How Reliable is AI Information?

While artificial intelligence, or AI, tools like ChatGPT might be great for helping you pick where to go for dinner or which TV show to binge watch, would you trust it to make decisions about your medical care or finances? As AI tools become smarter and gain more widespread use in daily life, so do the stakes for the accuracy and dependability of using this evolving technology.

Scientist working with flasks

‘Evolution Under a Microscope’ Continues to Thrive

Evolution is usually far too slow to witness in a single human lifetime — but not in this lab. For over three decades, researchers have watched E. coli transform across more than 75,000 generations. Their Long-Term Evolution Experiment opens a rare window into how life adapts and innovates in real time. What happens inside these 12 unassuming flasks is reshaping how scientists understand evolution in the world’s most complex environments.
The Earthseed Lab and research project group in forest

MSU Partners With Georgia Tech on Earthseed Project

Michigan State University has joined the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Earthseed Project, a humanities-centered research initiative that uses Afrofuturist literature to connect horticulture, climate resilience and food sustainability knowledge and practices.
Beaumont tower alongside trees

Using Language to Build and Unite

Alex Guo, a third-year undergraduate student in the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University, is researching the power of language to build community and advocate for change. Guo represented the College of Arts & Letters at this semester’s Ignite Talks MSU where she presented her undergraduate research project, “Beyond Rhetoric: Building Trans-Affirming Communities.”
Thu Dong in research lab

Discovery May Transform What Time of Day Doctors Induce Labor

In a discovery that could shift labor and delivery practices around the world, researchers at Michigan State University have found that the effectiveness of oxytocin — a common medication used to induce or speed up labor — depends on the time of day it’s administered, especially for patients with gestational diabetes.
Announcements
15 MSU Faculty Receive Research Foundation Postdoctoral Scholars Program Awards
The Michigan State University Office of Research and Innovation has selected 15 faculty members to receive support through the inaugural MSU Research Foundation Postdoctoral Scholars Program. The program supports health-related research while providing postdoctoral scholars with mentorship and training opportunities to advance their development as independent investigators.
MSU Museum Celebrates 25 Years as Michigan’s First Smithsonian Affiliate
The MSU Museum is celebrating 25 years as Michigan’s first Smithsonian Affiliate, a partnership that has connected communities with nationally recognized exhibitions, educational programs, and research opportunities.
Stabenow Shares Vision for Future of Food and Farm Policy at MSU
Two-time MSU graduate Debbie Stabenow returned to campus to deliver the Stuckman Lecture, reflecting on decades of public service and her vision for the future of food and farming.
Nwando Achebe Elected Overseas Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters
MSU historian Nwando Achebe has been elected an Overseas Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters which is one of the highest honors bestowed by Nigeria's premier scholarly organization for the humanities, arts, and literature.
Q&A with Nick Miller, Director of Business Connect at the MSU Innovation Center
In this Q&A, Nick Miller, director of Business Connect at the MSU Innovation Center, shares insights on the value of industry-sponsored research, resources available to help faculty connect with corporate partners, and steps researchers can take to initiate successful collaborations.
NIH Awards Multi-University Team Over $4M to Improve Women’s Health
A $4.6 million NIH award is supporting an MSU-led research team working to improve women’s health through advanced computer models that account for hormonal changes across the lifespan.