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Wendy Leuenberger smiles at camera while holding a monarch butterfly on her finger

Midwestern butterfly count: Big data yields bad news and clues

A 32-year study of over 4.3 million butterfly observations across the Midwest reveals widespread declines in butterfly populations.

A sign attached to a wooden post, surrounded by barbed wire. The sign warns readers not to enter the area ahead as it is a bombing range.

On a Florida bombing range, endangered woodpeckers get a second chance

Spartan scientists are using the range to test something other than weapons: innovative strategies to save threatened species.

graphic of X-ray of human head with throat area highlighted in orange. Three clusters of cells are centered in the orange area.

New $3M NIH grant supports Henry Ford + MSU researchers studying HPV-positive head and neck cancers

Researchers have been awarded a $3M grant to study new treatments for patients who have head and neck cancer caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

crop of corn with a spot of bright sunlight peeking through the top of tall stalks

A new pathway helps clean up toxic chemicals from plant cells

A newly discovered pathway in a plant process could help farmers grow more successful crops, particularly in places where harsh, high light stresses plants.

Eagle with wide spread wings flies over a wooded area

Ask the expert: What’s at risk for arctic wildlife if oil drilling expands in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

What this drilling expansion could mean for arctic wildlife, Indigenous communities and the environment.

A closeup of yellow-gold rice coral.

How corals teach their offspring to beat the heat

Knowing how some corals pass along thermal tolerance can help build healthier coral reefs and protect their future.

Three people stand next to each other in front of a window. They are smiling at the camera.

Hidden bacterial redundancy could be antibiotic game-changer

MSU researchers have made a discovery that could reshape how we target pathogens like staph infections.

diagram shows trajectory of interstellar comet 3iatlas as it passes through the solar system

First scientific paper on 3I/ATLAS interstellar object

Astronomers at Michigan State University turned their telescopes to capture data on the new celestial sighting.

Thomas D. Sharkey

Thomas D. Sharkey retires after 51 years of plant research

Sharkey’s prolific career in the plant sciences spans continents and scientific topics, touching on the lives of many researchers who continue to work in the field today

Close up of mass spec instrumentation

Critical mass: core upgrades pave way for Spartan science

With a revamped facility space and new instruments, Spartan researchers take on the world's biggest challenges

McCusker receives Royal Society of Chemistry Prize

McCusker is recognized for his cost-effective, environmentally friendly and scalable chemistry

Sarah Gonzalez sits on the rocks at the Santa Elena Ophiolite in Costa Rica.

Biofilms and the search for life beyond earth

New research reveals how microbial communities survive in extreme environments and what that might mean for finding life on Mars.

Open top chambers beneath rainout shelters at Kellogg Biological Station LTER

Some studies might not paint full picture of how plants respond to climate change

Scientists may be underestimating how plants will respond to rising global temperatures when they study hot summers but not warming winters, Michigan State University ecologists found.

A gloved hand holds a petri dish.

MSU research A to Z

Spartan researchers are exploring the unknown, solving urgent problems and advancing knowledge that changes lives.

A gloved hand holds up a flask of cyanobacteria, or green liquid, in a lab.

Recreating an important moment on the evolutionary timescale

A new project is underway that could help researchers understand the evolution of the chloroplast.

A graduate student and a professor put a soybean leaf in a piece of equipment.

Some plants make their own pesticide, but at what cost to the atmosphere?

A natural alternative to pesticides may be hiding in a misunderstood plant compound — but it could come at an environmental cost.

A woman in a park ranger outfit stands in the woods.

A Spartan making a positive impact on Michigan

Kate Reitz, a 2012 environmental biology and zoology graduate in Michigan State University’s College of Natural Science, works as a biological science technician in Sleeping Bear Dunes

A computer simulated image of proteins on a membrane

Directionally challenged proteins lead to eye and neurological disease

If a protein faces the wrong way, it could lead to eye and neurological diseases

Molecules with a microscope

FRIB researchers use SuN to shine light on exotic nuclear shapes

A team of researchers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) discovered that cobalt-70 isotopes form different nuclear shapes when their energy levels differ only slightly.

PeVatron candidate we studied with a green circle that highlights the pulsar wind nebula we discovered that is associated with this PeVatron

Where did cosmic rays come from? MSU astrophysicists are closer to finding out

Shuo Zhang and her group led two studies that shed new light on where cosmic rays might have come from.

Small plants growing in soil

How to make nitrogen more accessible to crops

A microscopic enzyme could be the key to helping nitrogen fertilizers stick better to the soil and prevent run-off that causes harmful algal blooms.

An elementary student looks through a microscope while Dr. Hardy looks on.

MSU outreach sparks scientific curiosity in sixth-graders

Grassroots outreach brings science, mentorship, and opportunity to Flint elementary schools.

Photo of Burak Hatinoglu

Mathematics instructor receives postdoc teaching award

Burak Hatinoglu, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, has been named one of the recipients of the 2025 Postdoctoral Excellence in Teaching and/or Mentoring Award (PETMA).

An adult rough-skinned newt rests in the gloved hand of doctoral student Sam Westcott.

The genetic blueprint of a neurotoxin

A cross-disciplinary team of MSU researchers aims to identify the genes responsible for producing one of nature’s most powerful neurotoxins.

Tyrone Rooney looks at discs of melted rock to find clues to why continents break apart.

MSU's own rock detective

Tyrone Rooney has spent his career solving the mystery of how continental rifting works.

Erich Grotewold

Erich Grotewold named MSU Research Foundation Professor

Grotewold's research explores how plants can be the solution to many of the world's biggest problems.

A rhinosceros in her habitat

How the Endangered Species Act is under threat

Mariah Meek, a conservation biologist and molecular ecologist at Michigan State University, explains how the Trump administration’s proposed changes will impact the Endangered Species Act.

Christoph Benning holding a tray of plants

Christoph Benning elected to National Academy of Sciences

Christoph Benning, Michigan State University researcher, inventor and one of the world's foremost experts in plant lipid metabolism, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

A Michigan State University clock tower

Loan forgiveness program launched for aspiring science teachers

Michigan State University is launching the Spartan Teacher Promise, a forgivable loan program designed to reduce financial barriers for students pursuing careers in science education.

Plants sit under grow lights in a greenhouse.

Updates to MSU greenhouse facility renovations

Renovations include a new headhouse and greenhouses. The final stage is expected to be complete by November 2026.

Elena Litchman made ESA Fellow

MSU ecologist Elena Litchman, a University Research Foundation Professor of aquatic ecology, was awarded a Fellowship from one of the world's premier ecological research societies.

Portrait o a person with a bird sitting on their hand.

MSU study uncovers critical accessibility gap in ecology and evolution journals

New Michigan State University research reveals a significant oversight in some academic publishing that could limit access for scientists with disabilities.

Photo of the asteroid Vesta

New research shatters long-held beliefs about asteroid Vesta

Michigan State University has contributed to research revealing Vesta's interior structure is more uniform than previously thought.

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Chemistry's 'Mr. Fix-It' honored with Breslin Award

Bob Rasico is honored for nearly three decades of Spartan Spirit

Solar panels with sun rising over the edge

Should farm fields be used for crops or solar? MSU research suggests both

Strategic use of solar arrays could provide financial boost, help farmers continue producing crops and even save water.

clear glass globe Earth with warm glow on blue background

Ask the expert: Why is the Earth heating up faster than expected?

Climate researcher Wolfgang Bauer explains an important detail that climate models aren’t taking into account — and what we can do to make our environment more resilient.

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