In the News
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September 15, 2025
“These types of attacks are coming from lone offenders … They’re not part of organized groups. They are not operating in a cellular structure. There’s no command and control,” said Javed Ali, associate professor of practice of public policy, about the Charlie Kirk assassination. “Almost always … they have not been subject to a previous law enforcement or even FBI investigation or interest. So that’s what makes it really difficult to find these people in advance and stop them before they try these types of attacks.”
CBC News -
September 12, 2025
Loneliness — considered to be an epidemic in the U.S. — is not common in Costa Rica, said Edward Ruiz-Narvaez, associate professor of nutritional sciences, who found that Costa Ricans with good social connections have a nearly 30% lower mortality rate than those with weaker ties. “In Costa Rica, it’s common to observe houses with three generations (living in them) … and that’s a part of the social connection,” he said.
The Economic Times (India) -
September 12, 2025
Light regulates mood via the body’s internal clock, so the timing of when people are exposed to light is important, said Daniel Forger, professor of mathematics and of computational medicine and bioinformatics: “Our circadian rhythm processes sunlight into time. There are other environmental cues that could signify time, like temperature, but I think in humans, or animals, the most important signal is light.”
The Scientist -
September 12, 2025
The number of children in Michigan whose parents have died as a result of a “stigmatized death” is on the rise, according to research by Sean Esteban McCabe, professor of nursing: “Parental deaths from overdoses, homicides, suicides and other substance-related causes are associated with more adverse health outcomes and higher rates of early mortality in their children, so more attention is needed in this area because no child should ever have to grieve alone.”
WLNS Lansing -
September 11, 2025
“Right now the whole idea of carbon dioxide removal … is kind of a Wild West scene, with lots of actors promising to do things that may or may not be possible,” said Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability. “The priority has to be on reducing emissions, not on durable CDR at this point.”
Grist -
September 11, 2025
Elevated metals in Alaska’s Salmon River are no surprise, given the well-documented chemical changes happening in drainage from some permafrost sites, said Rose Cory, professor of earth and environmental sciences, but she’s leery of drawing strong conclusions about trends of “rusting” rivers. “What I think we don’t know is — are these events really more common? Or do we have more people up there with cameras?” she said.
Science -
September 11, 2025
Despite plans by the Trump administration to repeal greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles, automakers have no choice but to publicly address their climate efforts, said Tom Lyon, professor of sustainable science, technology and commerce: Companies “see it’s a relevant business issue. To suddenly pretend that it’s not is irresponsible.”
The Wall Street Journal -
September 10, 2025
“This fish represents a key evolutionary step and helps us understand how ancient ecosystems functioned and how modern fish lineages came to be,” said Matt Friedman, director of the Museum of Paleontology and professor of earth and environmental sciences, whose research uncovered the earliest known fish to have evolved an extra set of teeth to grip and crush prey — a 310 million-year-old fossilized ray-finned fish, Platysomus parvulus.
Cosmos Magazine -
September 10, 2025
“I have seen this maybe once or twice in my career of 20 years, but this is something different. My guess is that these grand jurors are seeing prosecutorial overreach and they don’t want to be part of it,” said Barbara McQuade, professor from practice of law, about grand juries in Washington, D.C., refusing to indict fellow residents involved in the president’s immigration crackdown or his more recent show of force with hundreds of troops and federal agents in the nation’s capital.
The New York Times -
September 10, 2025
“I am so grateful to be at a university that is still laser-focused on climate action, on sustainability, on issues of equity in the environment,” said Shalanda Baker, vice provost for sustainability and climate action. “We were one of the catalysts for the first-ever Earth Day in this country. We began the country’s first-ever environmental justice program at a university, and … we were the first-ever university to have a school for natural resources.”
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