News

A group of researchers that includes Michigan State University faculty called attention to potential risks to humans and global ecosystems from the development of mirror bacteria — synthetic organisms that at the molecular level are ‘mirror’ versions of those found in nature.

An Italian Academy that once counted the trailblazing astronomer Galileo Galilei amongst its ranks has recognized a Michigan State University researcher whose ambitions extend beyond Earth's orbit.

Researchers at MSU and the Univ. of Wisconsin have uncovered a new and important insight about a rare immune disorder. WHIM syndrome – Warts, Hypogammaglobulinemia, Infections, and Myelokathexis – can lead to conditions such as persistent skin and genital warts and increased risk of HPV-related cancer. Researchers have previously determined that WHIM is caused by a mutation in a gene known as CXCR4.

Wendy and Doug Robbins have long been champions of theW.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. Their financial support for its ongoing renovation is about more than just preserving a cherished Michigan landmark — it’s about ensuring future generations experience the wonder of nature.

Research led by Michigan State University’s College of Natural Science has uncovered seven new dark comets in our solar system.

With the help of FRIB, MSU researchers are developing new cancer-fighting radiotherapeutics.

Victor DiRita, the Rudolph Hugh Endowed Chair and Chair of the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, has been honored as one of the winners of the 2024 Outstanding Supervisor Award from the MSU office of University Health and Wellbeing.  

For the last decade, the MSU Observatory Research Program has provided undergraduate and graduate students alike with real-world research experience and helped them to decide if astrophysics is the right career path.

Matt Boswell and Jacob Stamm will soon travel to Oak Ridge and Stanford to continue their chemistry research. 

Plant and agricultural sciences must make rapid and significant changes to ensure global food security in the face of climate change, according to a Michigan State University-led international group of plant researchers.

New research from the Walker lab is looking at ways to help plants adapt by introducing engineered enzymes that will make the plants more heat tolerant.

Through a new NSF grant, Spartans and Wolverines are harnessing intense forces in the search for a high-temperature superconductor.

Students and faculty are building sensors that will be embedded deep within Antarctic ice to shed new light on the origins of the universe.

Twenty-nine people from the Michigan State University College of Natural Science were recognized for their outstanding achievements and service at the college Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.

From rural India to MSU, NatSci student Veona Cutinho merges science, art and advocacy.

Sean Crosson, a Rudolph Hugh endowed professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, has been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study the cause of Bang's Disease, Brucella abortus.

Michigan State University’s first cohort of scholars in the 1855 Professorships program includes three faculty members in the College of Natural Science.

Researchers from the Walker lab are looking at how paper birch trees are acclimatizing to changing environments through how they manage a vital plant process called photorespiration.

Michigan State University’s Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) Program offered prospective graduate students an informative peek at the finer points of crafting successful applications with a preview program this fall.

Professor Richard Lenski, a Michigan State University Hannah Distinguished Professor in the department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, has been awarded the Microbiology Society Prize Medal 2025. The medal is awarded to an outstanding microbiologist who is a global leader in their field and whose work has had significant impact in microbiology and beyond.

A Michigan State University researcher’s new model for studying breast cancer could help scientists better understand why and where cancer metastasizes.

An international team of researchers led by scientists from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at MSU uncovered evidence that astrophysics models of massive stars and supernovae are inconsistent with observational gamma-ray astronomy.

With the help of USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant, MSU researcher Hillary Fischer will be able to uncover how small molecules in aphids’ saliva affect plant metabolism, uncovering a large suite of new research topics in plant-aphid interactions.

The Human Biology Program, the largest and most diverse program in the College of Natural Science, has unveiled its first new course in more than 20 years.

Michigan State University researchers from the College of Natural Science say the results of the upcoming election will influence everything from crop resilience and bioenergy to clean energy and species protection. 

Faith Quevedo, a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Human Biology with a minor in Chicano and Latino Studies, made the most of her experience as a Gupta Values Scholarship recipient through her involvement with Kenya Connect.

Annabella Lyndon (she/her/hers) is a first-year genetics and genome sciences and molecular plant sciences Ph.D. student. 

Using molecular dynamics, researchers disprove a long-held view on the permeability of carboxysome shells, revealing a new path for both carbon dioxide and research in photosynthesis.

MSU chemist Tuo Wang reports a breakthrough in the fight against mucormycosis, a dangerous fungal infection.

Aleksandra Skirycz has received a five-year, $1.91 million award from the NIH to uncover the secrets of crucial small molecules.

You might think that a pumpkin carved into a snaggle-toothed, grinning effigy is the scariest that a plant can get. But in the dark underbellies of jungles and tangled mires of gurgling swamps, fascinating and strange plants thrive.

An international research collaboration used world-class instrumentation at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to study the exotic nuclide, or rare isotope, chromium-62. 

The MSU Board of Trustees, for the third consecutive year, has approved a $70 million capital outlay request to the state of Michigan that would support the development of the university’s Engineering and Digital Innovation Center.

A state-of-the-art Plant and Environmental Sciences Building is officially under construction, accelerating climate-critical discoveries and advancing Michigan State University’s excellence in food security.