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News

Drawing of a person exposing brain "maze"

Feeling More Extroverted? Study Finds You May Have Learned How to Handle Daily Stress Better

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.
Red tractor in a sunny crop field

MSU Team Develops Scalable Climate Solutions for Agricultural Carbon Markets

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.
6 shadows of people doing sports

Young Athletes Should Take a Cross-Training Vacation for Better Performance, Health

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.
Lamprey upclose

Research Reveals Sea Lamprey Travel Patterns in Great Lakes Waterways

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.
Colorful strings arranged together

Researchers Studying Transgender and Nonbinary Healthcare at MSU and Greater Lansing

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.
Woman sitting under tree in forest

Survey Finds High Rates of Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Among MSU Students

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.
Two fisted hands showing off tattoos

Have Tattoos? New Study Shows People Consistently Misjudge Your Personality

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.
Duncan Boren posing for a headshot

Directionally Challenged Proteins Lead to Eye and Neurological Disease

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.
A petri dish showing subjects

Biofilms and the Search for Life Beyond Earth

In a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers from Michigan State University explored how some of the planet’s most ancient and resilient life forms, microbial biofilms, survive in extremely harsh environments. These structured communities may hold the key to understanding how life could survive and be detected on other planets.
Solar System Diagram

First Scientific Paper on 3I/ATLAS Interstellar Object

When the news started to spread on July 1, 2025, about a new object that was spotted from outside our solar system, only the third of its kind ever known, astronomers at Michigan State University — along with a team of international researchers — turned their telescopes to capture data on the new celestial sighting.
Colorful line up of lithium batteries

MSU Researchers Develop Wood-Based Material That Improves Safety and Life of Lithium-Ion Batteries

For consumers worried about the risks associated with using lithium-ion batteries — which are used in everything from phones to laptops to electric vehicles — Michigan State University has discovered that a natural material found in wood can improve battery safety while also improving the battery’s life.
Announcements
MSU Fulbright Scholars and Students Announced for 2025–26
Eleven faculty and nine students* from Michigan State University were offered Fulbright awards for the 2025-26 academic year.
McCusker Receives Royal Society of Chemistry Prize
James K. McCusker, a University Research Foundation Professor in the College of Natural Science, has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s prestigious Mond-Nyholm Prize for Inorganic Chemistry.
Jain Awarded BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
Anil Jain, University Distinguished Professor at MSU, has received the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Information and Communication Technologies, alongside Michael I. Jordan of UC Berkeley, for their foundational work in machine learning and its broad societal impact.
Woodruff Receives Highest Award From Society for the Study of Reproduction
Michigan State University Research Foundation Professor Teresa K. Woodruff is the 2025 recipient of the Carl G. Hartman Award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Woodruff, an internationally recognized expert in ovarian biology and reproductive science, will receive the award in Washington, D.C. at the society’s annual meeting in late July.
10 MSU Faculty Members Earn University Distinguished Professor Designation
Ten Michigan State University faculty have been named University Distinguished Professors in recognition of their outstanding achievements in teaching, research and public service.
Bringing the Heat: Researchers Convene to Discuss the Impacts of Extreme Heat
Researchers convened on May 14, 2025, at the Wharton Center for the interdisciplinary research forum Heat Stress: Challenges to Human and Animal Health, on the impacts of heat stressors on people, plants, and animals.