University of Michigan entomologist Thomas Moore was walking in the yard of his Ann Arbor-area home on Monday afternoon when he heard the unmistakable droning buzz of a single periodical cicada in the distance. He knew instantly what it was, down to the exact species, and a thrill shot through him.

The University of Michigan will achieve carbon neutrality across all greenhouse gas emission scopes, committing to geothermal heating and cooling projects, electric buses, the creation of a revolving fund for energy-efficiency projects and the appointment of a new executive-level leader, reporting to the president, focusing on carbon neutrality-related efforts. President Mark Schlissel announced these concrete Read more

Some climate activists advocate large-scale tree-planting campaigns in forests around the world to suck up heat-trapping carbon dioxide and help rein in climate change. But in a Perspectives article scheduled for publication May 21 in the journal Science, a University of Michigan climate scientist and his University of Arizona colleague say the idea of planting Read more

Most people can correctly identify photographs of common animals such as deer, raccoons, skunks and squirrels. But can you distinguish a gray wolf from a coyote or correctly identify members of the mustelid family, which includes the American marten, the long-tailed weasel, the fisher and the mink? Nearly 4,000 citizen scientists, including many K-12 students, Read more

Following a pandemic year in which visitors were asked to stay away, the nearly century-old peony garden in the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum is open and getting ready to bloom. The garden, begun in 1922 with a gift of peony plants from U-M alumnus W.E. Upjohn, celebrates its 99th year of bloom from about Read more

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, was a short interval of highly elevated global temperatures 56 million years ago that is frequently described as the best ancient analog for present-day climate warming. Fish are among the organisms thought to be most sensitive to warming climates, and tropical sea-surface temperatures during the PETM likely approached temperatures Read more

Nearly half a billion people on the planet have diabetes, but most of them aren’t getting the kind of care that could make their lives healthier, longer and more productive, according to a new global study of data from people with the condition. Many don’t even know they have the condition. Only 1 in 10 Read more

The U.S. and Michigan economies are showing signs of the recovery experts hoped for as the population emerges from the pandemic, say University of Michigan economists. Real gross domestic product—the value of everything produced in a country—has expanded at a 6.4% annualized pace in the first quarter of this year. That’s even better and sooner Read more

More than 90 years ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble observed the first hint of the rate at which the universe expands, called the Hubble constant. Almost immediately, astronomers began arguing about the actual value of this constant, and over time, realized that there was a discrepancy in this number between early universe observations and late universe Read more

Whether it’s trying on lipstick or clothing online, using floor plan software to find out how furniture will fit in a new home or ordering a contactless Coke using a cell phone, businesses are continually finding new ways to promote their products and services using extended reality (XR) technology. Investment in augmented and virtual reality—together Read more

FACULTY Q&A Police reform efforts nationwide have sparked debate about qualified immunity, a federal doctrine that legally protects officers accused of wrongdoing while on duty. Michael J. Steinberg, a professor from practice and director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School, says eliminating this protection will hold police officers Read more

News images of immigrants have an effect on some Americans’ attitudes towards immigration, a new University of Michigan study shows. Photos of large groups of immigrants, such as the migrant caravan, may decrease support for immigration. Images of individuals, however, produce the opposite effect. In line with work on “person positivity,” personalized images tend to Read more

FACULTY Q&A Since May 10, more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis have died in fighting in Israel and the occupied territories. Juan Cole, the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, studies the ongoing political change in the Middle East and is author of the blog Informed Comment. He discusses the history behind Read more