To help clean up an oil spill or any other kind of environmental disaster, sometimes humans can learn a thing or two from nature.
A team of researchers from the Michigan State University College of Engineering is creating a kind of robotic sensor that could eventually be used to collect environmental pollution data from rivers, streams and lakes. (more…)
Small retailers willing to sacrifice fairness for success
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fairness is not always the most important priority for small retailers. In an international study, University of Missouri researchers found that some small retailers are less concerned about whether they are treated fairly by business suppliers than other factors, such as cash flow and company survival. (more…)
A new fuel-cell concept, developed by an Michigan State University researcher, will allow biodiesel plants to eliminate the creation of hazardous wastes while removing their dependence on fossil fuel from their production process.
The platform, which uses microbes to glean ethanol from glycerol and has the added benefit of cleaning up the wastewater, will allow producers to reincorporate the ethanol and the water into the fuel-making process, said Gemma Reguera, MSU microbiologist and one of the co-authors. (more…)
Michigan State University researchers have identified a genetic mutation in Doberman pinschers that causes albinism in the breed, a discovery that has eluded veterinarians and breeders worldwide up until now.
Paige Winkler, a doctoral student in the College of Veterinary Medicine, co-led the study with Joshua Bartoe, an assistant professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, and discovered a mutated gene that is associated with a form of albinism in humans. (more…)
If it seems the federal government has largely ignored the public’s biggest concerns for the past 70 years, it’s because it has, contends a new book by a Michigan State University political scientist.
In “Artists of the Possible: Governing Networks and American Policy Change Since 1945,” Matt Grossmann argues the president, Congress and Supreme Court have failed to respond to popular opinion when passing laws or issuing executive orders and decisions that lead to new policy. (more…)
As the world remembers the horrific genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago, a Michigan State University scholar is helping survivors tell their stories through a book of poems.
Laura Apol, an award-winning author and associate professor of education at MSU, wrote “Requiem, Rwanda” based on a series of workshops she organized for citizens in Rwanda to promote healing through writing, and her own experiences learning about the tragic events. (more…)
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery – especially in the predator/prey/poison cycle.
In nature, bright colors are basically neon signs that scream, “Don’t eat me!” But how did prey evolve these characteristics? When did predators translate the meaning? (more…)
A new type of agriculture has been proposed in Africa that complements conventional annual crops with new genetic options that grow for extended periods and can double sunlight capture, nitrogen fixation and water cycling.
This transformative approach also potentially offers a new way to address climate variability, by stabilizing grain yields and providing more forage for livestock. (more…)
