ANN ARBOR—A new study conducted at the University of Michigan reveals a previously unrecognized threat to monarch butterflies: Mounting levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide reduce the medicinal properties of milkweed plants that protect the iconic insects from disease. Milkweed leaves contain bitter toxins that help monarchs ward off predators and parasites, and the plant is Read more

ANN ARBOR—The Amazon is likely to face continued warming in addition to possible multiyear droughts, a new study finds. The research suggests that primary ecosystem services—biodiversity, water cycling, carbon capture and others—are at greater risk than anticipated. Adaptive management strategies may be required to safeguard these key benefits of the rainforest. Prior research has shown Read more

ANN ARBOR—Tropical oceans teem with the dazzle and flash of colorful reef fishes and contain far more species than the cold ocean waters found at high latitudes. This well-known “latitudinal diversity gradient” is one of the most famous patterns in biology, and scientists have puzzled over its causes for more than 200 years. One frequently Read more

ANN ARBOR—Orangutans have long been viewed as an ecologically sensitive species that can thrive only in pristine forests. But a new synthesis of existing evidence has shown that orangutans can, and do, inhabit in areas impacted by humans, and that may mean only good things for the survival of the species. Orangutans are a critically Read more

ANN ARBOR—As much as seeking out the waters of the Great Lakes is a cherished tradition across Michigan, it can also be a dangerous pursuit that ends in hundreds of drownings and rescues each year. About a third of those drownings are caused by rip currents, an invisible channel of water that forms and “is Read more

ANN ARBOR—Hearing loss seems like one of the great equalizers of aging, striking people as their ears gradually lose the ability to pick up sounds or hear certain pitches. But a new national study reveals major gaps in whether Americans over age 55 get help for their hearing loss—gaps that vary greatly with age, race, Read more

ANN ARBOR—A diverse mix of species improves the stability and fuel-oil yield of algal biofuel systems, as well as their resistance to invasion by outsiders, according to the findings of a federally funded outdoor study by University of Michigan researchers. U-M scientists grew various combinations of freshwater algal species in 80 artificial ponds at U-M’s Read more

LELAND, Mich.—As an undergraduate student doing research at the University of Michigan Biological Station, Nels Carlson was fascinated by what he learned from the aquatic invertebrates he caught, the water samples he collected and the data he analyzed. The waters and what lives in them were something Carlson studied informally his whole life. It’s a Read more

ANN ARBOR—University of Michigan researchers have developed a new technique of observing and discovering very young, very large planets. Catching young planets in the act of formation is important for understanding how planets form and how they build their atmospheres. U-M astronomer Richard Teague’s new method involves imaging very small changes in the speed of Read more