In the News
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February 12, 2026
“This will be the first time in the 21st century that a conservative party has won the most seats in a general election, and it is a seismic shift in Thai politics,” said Ken Lohatepanont, doctoral candidate in political science, after the Bhumjaithai Party won 193 seats in Thailand’s 500-member House of Representatives, positioning it to form the next government and return incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to office.
The Associated Press -
February 12, 2026
The internet’s new favorite insult — “Did AI write that?” — is causing many people to use less polished writing on social media. The irony is that this wasn’t always the case, said Nicole Ellison, professor of information, whose past research shows that people were more likely to dismiss someone if their dating profile had typos. “They would see that as a signal that either this person is uneducated, or that they don’t care,” she said. “Now we’ve kind of come full circle, where a typo maybe signals that you actually do care, because you took the time to write it yourself.”
TIME -
February 11, 2026
Instead of school choice transfers, state lawmakers should focus on other areas that may bring educational parity, such as adequate K-12 funding or a redrawing of school district boundaries, says Jeremy Singer, assistant professor of education at UM-Flint: “Ultimately, what we see is that even when borders are more porous … it doesn’t end up leading to a huge jump in the number of students who end up enrolling.”
The Detroit News -
February 11, 2026
“There was a long-standing idea that pronghorn are so much faster than every predator in North America because of a predator-prey arms race between the pronghorn and the American cheetah,” said paleontologist Anne Kort, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences. “Not only was the American cheetah not as cheetah-like as previously thought, but pronghorn have this build for running that existed well before the American cheetah came about.”
Earth.com -
February 11, 2026
“It is a big deal to tear your ACL. And doing anything while being ACL-deficient is a big deal. … Unfortunately, we’re not like lizards,” said Lindsey Lepley, associate professor of athletic training, commenting on American Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament in a practice run about a week before she crashed during her downhill event at the 2026 Olympics.
CNN -
February 10, 2026
Binge drinking after abstaining from alcohol during Dry January can lead to detrimental health impacts. “It triggers something that we call holiday heart syndrome. … It causes some electrical instability in the heart, resulting in abnormal heart rhythms, specifically coming from the top part of the heart,” said cardiologist Stacy Willner, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine.
WEMU Radio -
February 10, 2026
“A year ago, (data centers) was a topic that many people were not focused on, (now) we’ve seen organizing and heated debate and lots of resistance in communities across the state,” said Ben Green, assistant professor of information, who favors abolishing Michigan’s data center tax breaks, calling them “bad deals for states and for citizens.”
Bridge Michigan -
February 10, 2026
U.S. law enforcement and federal agents control crowds by using chemical irritants, kinetic impact projectiles, disorientation devices and electronic control weapons. “These weapons have been dubbed ‘less lethal’ compared with live ammunition. But ‘less lethal’ does not mean harmless. They can cause pain, fear and physiological stress and can result in serious injury or death,” co-wrote Michele Heisler, professor of internal medicine and public health. “In the absence of clearer limits and oversight, people exercising their right to protest face real risks of injury.”
The Conversation -
February 9, 2026
“I worry that many may conclude that heart disease is predominantly a male problem. … Heart disease kills more women than any other illness. We should not downplay its importance,” said cardiologist Kim Eagle, professor of internal medicine and of public health, about new research that shows that men tend to develop cardiovascular disease about seven years earlier than women do.
LiveScience -
February 9, 2026
“It’s a way of embodying the rehearsal for the organizing that you’re trying to accomplish. It can make it so that it’s not as frightening or traumatic as it might be when you’re in the midst of experiencing that oppression,” said M. Candace Christensen, associate professor of social work, about a new era of ‘resistance theater’ in response to the Trump administration’s attacks on the arts and crackdowns on communities.
The Guardian (U.K.)
