Tutu embraces forgiveness in post-apartheid South Africa

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu says he became a political leader by default. “The real leaders were in prison, in exile or were under some restriction,” the anti-apartheid activist said. President Mary Sue Coleman honored his courageous actions Oct. 29 by presenting him with the 18th U-M Wallenberg Medal More >

Masks, hand washing, prevent spread of flu-like symptoms by up to 50 percent

Wearing masks and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers may prevent the spread of flu symptoms by as much as 50 percent, a landmark new study suggests More >

Survey: Nearly 70 percent of public supports embryonic stem cell research

With both presidential candidates vowing to ease federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and important scientific advances reported widely in the media, a new University of Michigan study shows a majority of the public supports embryonic stem cell research More >

Creating a legacy for someone nearing death improves communication

Family members who spend time creating a scrapbook with photographs or videotaping family stories can strengthen their bond with individuals with chronic, life-limiting illnesses, a study shows More >

U-M researchers uncover new links between stem cells, aging and cancer

Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation More >

At the magical age of eight, belief synchs with behavior

I think I can, I think I can. Believe. You can fly if you just believe. I won't die if you just believe.

Archetypal advice from The Little

Engine That Could and Tinkerbell notwithstanding, a new study finds that until children are at least eight years of age, their beliefs have little or no connection to their behavior More >

Straw-bale home topic in U-M's ‘Arts & Environment’ event

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Creative architectural design, ecological sustainability and a personal commitment to environmental stewardship all come together in Joe Trumpey’s bold endeavor to design and build a solar heated, water cooled straw-bale house in Grass Lake, Michigan More >

Libraries in the digital age is focus of symposium

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A webcast lecture and panel discussion about the future of libraries in the Internet era will take place 3-5:30 p.m., Oct. 22, 2008, involving the founder of the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine Brewster Kahle More >

Major library partners launch HathiTrust shared digital repository

There's an elephant in the library; organizers promise it will never forget

A group of the nation's largest research libraries are collaborating to create a repository of their vast digital collections, including millions of books, organizers announced today. These holdings will be archived and preserved in a single repository called the HathiTrust. Materials in the public domain will be available for reading online More >

Cassini flyby of Saturn moon offers insight into solar system history

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is scheduled to fly within 16 miles of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Oct. 9 and measure molecules in its space environment that could give insight into the history of the solar system
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U-M research hits record $876 million

Industry partnerships cited in 6.4% rise

Research spending at the University of Michigan reached $875.8 million in 2007-08, an all-time high and a 6.4 percent increase over the previous year More >

Election '08: U-M experts to discuss taxes, trade, health care, housing/financial crisis

In the midst of one of America's worst financial disasters and the contentious 2008 presidential election season, four University of Michigan economists will offer their views and critique the candidates' proposals on taxes, trade, health care and the housing/financial crisis More >

Green coffee-growing practices buffer climate-change impacts

Chalk up another environmental benefit for shade-grown Latin American coffee: University of Michigan researchers say the technique will provide a buffer against the ravages of climate change in the coming decades More >

Meat-eating dinosaur from Argentina had bird-like breathing system

The remains of a 30-foot-long predatory dinosaur discovered along the banks of Argentina's Rio Colorado is helping to unravel how birds evolved their unusualn breathing system More >

Paper wasps show surprisingly strong memory for previous encounters

With brains less than a millionth the size of humans', paper wasps hardly seem like mental giants. But new research at the University of Michigan shows that these insects can remember individuals for at least a week, even after meeting and interacting with many other wasps in the meantime More >

Big Ten poll finds Michigan slightly favors Obama

Concerns about jobs and the economy and a widespread need for change are leading Michigan residents to slightly favor Barack Obama over John McCain, according to results from the Big Ten Battleground Poll released today More >

U-M experts available to discuss 2008 presidential elections

The University of Michigan has distinguished experts to offer insight on the issues discussed by the presidential candidates More >

U-M experts: Lehman bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch buyout

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Banking experts at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business are available to discuss the bankruptcy protection filing by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and the purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. by Bank of America Corp More >

U-M at forefront of new era in publishing

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With the installation of a state-of-the-art book-printing machine at one of its libraries, the University of Michigan stands at the new frontier of 21st-century publishing, offering printed and bound reprints of out-of-copyright books from its digitized collection of nearly 2 million books, as well as thousands of books from the Open Content Alliance and other digital sources More >

Michigan's URC fuels new industries, creates 69,285 jobs

Toyota Motor Corp. is investing $100 million in a new R&D complex in the heart of Michigan's University Research Corridor as URC scientists develop bio-fuels from plant waste, next generation windmills and smart sensors "doing things we couldn't imagine." The URC partners – Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University – generated 69,285 jobs, educated more students than any of the nation's best comparable R&D clusters, and produced $13.3 billion in economic impact in 2007, according to a new report that highlights a major URC priority: alternative energy research More >

New Bluetooth system orients blind and sighted pedestrians

A new Bluetooth system designed primarily for blind people places a layer of information technology over the real world to tell pedestrians about points of interest along their path as they pass them More >

Cooking up an unprecedented political movement

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Ostensibly, the result of mixing ingredients found in the cookbooks on exhibit at the William L. Clements Library is to cook up a tasty dish. But the favorite dishes found in the books–dating from Civil War times to the present–aren't main entrées when examining the impact of the social networking required to create, publish and distribute the collection of recipes. More >

Potholes and cracked sidewalks disable many older people

The growing number of potholes, broken curbs and cracked sidewalks in American cities are more than eyesores emblematic of the nation's economic troubles More >

Recovery efforts not enough for critically endangered Asian vulture

Captive breeding colonies of a critically endangered vulture, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled from tens of millions to a few thousand, are too small to protect the species from extinction, a University of Michigan analysis shows More >

Michigan integral to world's largest physics experiment

After 20 years of construction, a machine that could either verify or nullify the prevailing theory of particle physics is about to begin its mission More >

Thomas Friedman

NY Times' Thomas Friedman to focus on green revolution

Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman will offer the keynote at a day-long event focused on making green power the next great global industry Wed. Sept. 17, 2008, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Mortgage crisis: Blame the bank?

Banks have played a big role in the mortgage crisis, not only because they issued loans to suspect borrowers, but because many originated and sold bad loans to other lenders, says a University of Michigan business professor

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University of Michigan opens new doors in campus living

After two years of construction activity, and still humming with final preparations, the new Hill Dining Center and the completely renewed Mosher-Jordan Hall stand ready to welcome University of Michigan students this month More >

U-M faculty available to discuss national poverty, uninsured statistics

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The U.S. Census Bureau will release new national poverty and health insurance figures on Aug. 26, and University of Michigan experts are available to discuss the data More >

Phelps, U-M athletes and staff in Beijing

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Club Wolverine's Michael Phelps, along with more than two dozen U-M athletes and staff representing seven countries, are celebrating their participation in Beijing More >

Hefty people can have healthy hearts

Many obese Americans may have much less heart disease risk than is widely believed and conversely, about one fourth of normal weight individuals could have a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors More >

U-M experts on vice president selections, conventions

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The University of Michigan has experts available to discuss the U.S. presidential election, including the candidates selecting a vice president and the upcoming party conventions More >

South Africa's Tutu to visit U-M campus, receive medal

Nobel Prize winner and South African cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be awarded the 18th University of Michigan Wallenberg Medal by University of Mi chigan President Mary Sue Coleman in October More >

U-M experts available to discuss the need for expanded embryonic stem cell research

The University of Michigan has several distinguished stem cell scientists who can discuss the need for expanded embryonic stem cell research in Michigan and why it's critical to the search for disease cures More >

U-M experts available to discuss 2008 presidential elections

The University of Michigan has distinguished experts to offer insight on the issues discussed by the presidential candidates More >