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News

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Using Unique Approaches to Study Plants in Future Conditions

As major changes continue for our planet’s climate, scientists are concerned about how plants will grow and adapt. Researchers in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, or PRL, Sharkey lab are studying changes in plant metabolism that occur when plants are grown in high light, high CO2 conditions.
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Afro-Caribbean Artists Reclaim Stories of Slave Trade in New Documentary

Safoi Babana-Hampton, Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, has produced and directed a documentary that features artists, historians, and policymakers who challenge Eurocentric narratives to reclaim, reshape, and preserve the memory of the Black Atlantic experience.
A zoom in of two orange butterflies sitting on a blade of grass together

Study Raises the Possibility of a Country Without Butterflies

Butterflies are disappearing in the United States. All kinds of them. With a speed scientists call alarming. Elise Zipkin, director of MSU’s Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, and her MSU colleague and co-author Nick Haddad, professor of integrative biology in EEB, have been major figures in assessing the state of U.S. butterflies.
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How MSU’s Global Reach Benefits Michigan

MSU is one of the most internationally engaged universities in the U.S. With more than 350 partnerships in 60 countries and more than 1,600 faculty and academic staff involved in international research, teaching and outreach, MSU continues to share knowledge and improve lives around the globe and right here in Michigan.
Picture captured of space with clouds of gas and dust swirling around forming stars

MSU Scientists Discover New Sources for ‘The Molecule That Made the Universe’

From helping catalyze interstellar reactions and fueling the birth of stars to its presence in neighborhood gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter, trihydrogen, or H3+, is best known as the “the molecule that made the universe.”
Close-up of a microscope focusing in on a glass slide with a small green leaf underneath

Pestka Seeking to Improve Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, as many as 50 million Americans may be living with an autoimmune disorder. Many of these remain undiagnosed and, without intervention, can worsen over time. Given current treatment options, however, even those being actively managed can be met with complications.
Monarch butterfly landing on a red flower in nature

MSU Brings New Approach to Stopping the Biodiversity Crisis

What if saving one animal species from extinction at a time isn’t the most effective approach? Michael Belitz, a Michigan State University postdoctoral researcher in the Zipkin Quantitative Ecology Lab, asked himself that question during his graduate work protecting a single butterfly species.
Art of semi-transparent human body with highlighted stomach surrounded by helixes and molecules

More Than a Gut Feeling: How Climate Change Affects GI Health

From heat-related illnesses to the geographic expansion of infectious diseases, the effects of climate change on human health are complex. And indeed, dimensions of this interaction, such as the impact of climate change on gut health, remain overlooked. Emerging research shows this global phenomenon may make you sick to your stomach — literally.
Announcements
MSU Scientist Jason Rowntree Recognized for Sustainable Agriculture Research, Leadership
Jason Rowntree received NCR-SARE's Hero Recognition for his long-term leadership and contributions to sustainable agriculture across the North Central region.
12 MSU Scholars, Students Named Fulbright Finalists
The Fulbright Program has selected five Michigan State University faculty members and seven students as finalists for the 2026–27 academic year.
Seed Grants Nurture New Directions and Collaborations Campus Wide
MSU’s Ecology, Evolution and Behavior program awarded seed grants to 12 interdisciplinary research teams, providing early funding to help launch innovative projects and secure future external research support across fields ranging from AI to conservation and public health.
MSU AgBioResearch Funds Three Projects to Advance Health, Food Systems and Community Well-Being
MSU AgBioResearch has selected three projects to fund through the Growing Healthy Together Initiative, a program designed to solve complex health challenges through transdisciplinary research.
Ren and Shipley Named Guggenheim Fellows
Two MSU professors have been named 2026 Guggenheim Fellows: Xuefei Ren, a professor of sociology in the College of Social Science, and Lara Shipley, assistant professor of photography in the College of Arts and Letters’ Department of Art, Art History and Design.

Michigan State University Advances One Health Research at Summit
This faculty-based initiative brought together more than 600 researchers to shape interdisciplinary pathways and position MSU as a national leader in One Health.