University of Michigan
A wake-up call for manufacturing
May 24, 2012 6:42 am | News | CommentsU.S. factories produce about 75% of what the country consumes, but the right decisions by both business and political leaders could push that to 95%, say University of Michigan researchers.
Cell network security holes revealed
May 21, 2012 7:59 am | News | CommentsPopular firewall technology designed to boost security on cellular networks can backfire, unwittingly revealing data that could help a hacker break into Facebook and Twitter accounts, a new study from the University of Michigan shows. The researchers also developed an Android app that tells phone users when they're on a vulnerable network.
Study: Texting ups truthfulness
May 16, 2012 12:06 pm | News | CommentsText messaging is a surprisingly good way to get candid responses to sensitive questions, according to a new study to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
Twist on ancient math problem could improve medicine, microelectronics
May 10, 2012 6:22 pm | News | CommentsA hidden facet of a math problem that goes back to Sanskrit scrolls has just been exposed by nanotechnology researchers, who say we've been missing a version of the famous "packing problem,” which seeks the best way to cover the inside of an object with a particular shape.
Researchers identify potential target for anthrax drug
May 9, 2012 6:10 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the University of Michigan have identified new targets for drugs that could potentially treat anthrax, the deadly infection caused by Bacillus anthracis . The team found a new way to block the bacteria's ability to capture iron, which is vital to its survival and its disease-causing properties.
Smart gas sensors for better chemical detection
May 1, 2012 10:35 am | News | CommentsPortable gas sensors can allow you to search for explosives, diagnose medical conditions through a patient's breath, and decide whether it's safe to stay in a mine. These devices do all this by identifying and measuring airborne chemicals, and a new, more sensitive, smart model is under development at the University of Michigan.
Gas mileage, CAFE performance up 20% since late 2007
April 10, 2012 10:57 am | News | CommentsFuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States has topped 24 mpg for the first time ever, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Scientists capture first full image of vitamin B12 in action
March 27, 2012 8:11 am | News | CommentsResearchers from the University of Michigan Health System and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report they have created the first full 3-D images of B12 and its partner molecules twisting and contorting as part of a crucial reaction called methyltransfer. The reaction is crucial to biological systems and has implications for fuel development.
Biologists find potential drug that speeds cellular recycling
March 13, 2012 9:53 am | News | CommentsA University of Michigan cell biologist and his colleagues have identified a potential drug that speeds up trash removal from the cell's recycling center, the lysosome. The finding suggests a new way to treat rare inherited metabolic disorders and common neurodegenerative diseases.
Liquid-like copper ion material aids conversion of heat to electricity
March 13, 2012 4:32 am | News | CommentsScientists from the Chinese Academy of Science's Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, in collaboration with scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Michigan, and the California Institute of Technology, have identified a new class of high-performance thermoelectric materials. In their study, liquid-like copper ions carry electric current around a solid selenium crystal lattice.
Nerve gas litmus test could sense airborne chemical weapons
March 12, 2012 9:21 am | News | CommentsNerve gases are colorless, odorless, tasteless, and deadly. While today's soldiers carry masks and other protective gear, they don't have reliable ways of knowing when they need them in time. That could change, thanks to a new litmus-like paper sensor made at the University of Michigan, which are designed to change color from blue to pink within 30 sec of exposure to trace amounts of nerve gas.
Heart-powered pacemaker could eliminate battery-replacement surgery
March 5, 2012 3:18 am | News | CommentsA new power scheme for cardiac pacemakers turns to an unlikely source: vibrations from heartbeats themselves. Engineering researchers at the University of Michigan designed a device that harvests energy from the reverberation of heartbeats through the chest and converts it to electricity to run a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator.
Researchers help rethink smartphone design with computational sprinting
February 28, 2012 9:07 am | News | CommentsComputational sprinting is a new approach to smartphone power and cooling that could give users dramatic, brief bursts of computing capability to improve current applications and make new ones possible. Its developers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan are pushing mobile chips beyond their sustainable operating limits, much like a sprinter who runs extremely fast for a relatively short distance.
Fastest wind from stellar-mass black hole discovered
February 22, 2012 11:25 am | News | CommentsThe fastest wind ever discovered blowing off a disk around a stellar-mass black hole has been observed by a team of astronomers. Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory they clocked the record-breaking super wind at about 20 million mph, or about 3% of the speed of light.
Energy-recycling computer technology goes global
February 21, 2012 6:21 am | News | CommentsAn energy-recycling computer circuit born at the University of Michigan will enable a new generation of power-efficient laptop PCs and servers. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) announced that the company's forthcoming 64-bit processor core, dubbed Piledriver, incorporates the technology.
Research initiative will study best approaches for quantum memories
February 16, 2012 4:49 am | News | CommentsThe United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research has awarded $8.5 million to a consortium of seven U.S. universities that will work together to determine the best approach for generating quantum memories based on interaction between light and matter. The team will consider three different approaches for creating entangled quantum memories that could facilitate the long-distance transmission of secure information.
U-M human embryonic stem cell line placed on national registry
February 15, 2012 5:58 am | News | CommentsThe University of Michigan's first human embryonic stem cell line will be placed on the U.S. National Institutes of Health's registry, making the cells available for federally funded research. It is the first of the stem cell lines derived at the University of Michigan to be placed on the registry.
Liquid lasers help detect genes linked to cancer
January 31, 2012 8:54 am | News | CommentsUsing a liquid laser, University of Michigan researchers have developed a better way to detect the slight genetic mutations that might predispose a person to a particular type of cancer or other diseases. The work could advance understanding of the genetic basis of diseases.
Galactic magnetic field in lab bolsters astrophysical theory
January 25, 2012 9:31 am | News | CommentsWhy is the universe magnetized? It's a question scientists have been asking for decades. Now, an international team of researchers including a University of Michigan professor have demonstrated that it could have happened spontaneously, as the prevailing theory suggests.
Computer model predicts cholera outbreaks up to 11 months in advance
January 23, 2012 11:21 am | News | CommentsA new University of Michigan computer model of disease transmission in space and time can predict cholera outbreaks in Bangladesh up to 11 months in advance, providing an early warning system that could help public health officials there.
Gaseous ring around young star raises questions
January 20, 2012 3:23 am | News | CommentsAstronomers have detected a mysterious ring of carbon monoxide gas around the young star V1052 Cen, which is about 700 light years away in the southern constellation Centaurus. The ring is part of the star's planet-forming disk, and it's as far from V1052 Cen as Earth is from the sun. Discovered with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, its edges are uniquely crisp.
Fuel economy of new vehicles slipped in December
January 16, 2012 8:06 am | News | CommentsAfter two months of increases, the average fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States fell by a half mile per gallon last month, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Flipping an egg carton of light traps giant atoms
January 3, 2012 3:57 am | News | CommentsIn an egg carton of laser light, University of Michigan physicists can trap giant Rydberg atoms with up to 90% efficiency, an achievement that could advance quantum computing and terahertz imaging, among other applications.
'Fingerprinting' method tracks mercury emissions from coal-fired power plant
December 15, 2011 5:28 am | News | CommentsFor the first time, the chemical 'fingerprints' of the element mercury have been used by University of Michigan researchers to directly link environmental pollution to a specific coal-burning power plant. This technique provides a tool that will enable researchers to identify specific sources of mercury pollution and determine how much of it is being deposited locally.
Fuel economy of new vehicles continues to rise
December 6, 2011 8:40 am | News | CommentsAverage fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States is up for the second straight month, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Average fuel economy of cars, light trucks, minivans, and SUVs purchased in November was 22.7 mpg, up from 22.6 mpg in October and up from 22.1 mpg in both August and September.
