In the News
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April 10, 2026
While real GDP in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow 4.5% this year, more than 90% of its exports remain unprocessed raw materials, said Howard Stein, professor of Afroamerican and African studies: “The continent … has found itself as the exporter of raw materials at the bottom of the international value chain,” which creates structural dependence on external capital and limits policy autonomy. “The key characteristic of the global financial architecture is the hierarchy of currencies.”
AJP News Agency (South Korea) -
April 10, 2026
Research shows that pollen seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer. “And then additional studies have shown that due to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, we’re seeing that plants are producing more pollen and stronger pollen that’s causing more allergy symptoms,” said Mariel Benjamin, clinical assistant professor of allergy and immunology.
WJBK Detroit -
April 10, 2026
Startups that offer generative AI tools for attorneys like Harvey Legal AI use large language models to perform tasks such as research, analysis and drafting. Law School Dean Neel Sukhatme, whose students have free access to Harvey, said hands-on experience exposes students to both the benefits and pitfalls of AI. With practice, “you intuitively know what they’re good at and what they’re not good at.”
Reuters -
April 9, 2026
With “vehicle-to-grid” technology, electric vehicles could turn into a vast network of backup power. But Ziyou Song, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, warns that for V2G to fully compensate for all those batteries plugging in, the technology needs an assist, in the form of infrastructural improvements like new transformers and transmission lines. “We have to upgrade our power system as soon as possible because V2G is not a silver bullet,” he said.
Grist -
April 9, 2026
If over-the-counter abortion medication seems like a radical idea, that “may have to do with the fact that reproductive health is highly stigmatized in our society,” said Julie Maslowsky, associate professor of nursing and of public health, who asserts such medications would meet the safety and efficacy criteria for the FDA to make them available over the counter.
Michigan Public -
April 9, 2026
“A person doesn’t walk into Congress knowing how things work. And the more that you have people who are fresh, kind of green, don’t know how to navigate the institution, the more power that special interests, lobbyists and so forth might have to influence the political process,” said Jonathan Hanson, lecturer in public policy, on the large number of House lawmakers and Senators planning to leave office this year.
Michigan Advance -
April 8, 2026
“I would think that they would look at us like we were crazy … but they would come out. I mean, why come here otherwise unless you’re going to sit and observe,” said Edwin (Ted) Bergin, professor of astronomy, who believes that if intelligent beings navigated vast distances to reach Earth they would make themselves known — despite humanity’s penchant for creating chaos.
The Associated Press -
April 8, 2026
Michigan’s revised jobs report for January shows the state essentially held steady in 2025, says Gabriel Ehrlich, director of the Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics: “I don’t think it changes our fundamental understanding … Michigan is in a soft patch for growth right now, and I think that’s still the correct interpretation, and let’s be honest, hanging in kind of a tough external environment.”
Michigan Public -
April 8, 2026
“We are looking at the sun 24/7, specifically the magnetic evolution of the sun and events such as flares and eruptions, to see if any extra energy will be released,” said Lulu Zhao, assistant professor of climate and space sciences and engineering, and principal investigator of U-M’s CLEAR Center, which is providing forecasts of dangerous solar radiation to help NASA protect the Artemis II crew.
Earth.com -
April 7, 2026
U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Rogers proposes ending no-cost preventive health care. “In the short term, costs go down,” but if you charge copays for preventive care, “the health of individuals and populations gets worse,” said Mark Fendrick, director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design. Anand Parekh, chief policy officer at the School of Public Health, said “we end up paying for more costly care for things that could have been prevented, or at least treated at less expense.”
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