NEW YORK - Cancer is caused by mistakes in DNA, and a new study finds that in most cancer cases, these mistakes are completely random; they're not due to heredity or environmental factors, but rather the result of random errors. The mistakes, or mutations, cause cancer to happen because even a tiny error in DNA
DETROIT - Despite the rapid expansion of Michigan farmland dedicated to growing hops and grains for the state’s craft beverage sector, experts say the industry has more room to grow. A new Michigan State University Product Center study examines the potential economic impact for Michigan craft breweries to produce beer exclusively with in-state ingredients. It
ANN ARBOR - Climate change is likely to increase U.S. electricity costs over the next century by billions of dollars more than economists previously forecast, according to a new study involving a University of Michigan researcher. The study shows how higher temperatures will raise not just the average annual electricity demand, but more importantly, the
ANN ARBOR - Increasingly popular techniques that infer species boundaries in animals and plants solely by analyzing genetic differences are flawed and can lead to inflated diversity estimates, according to a new study from two University of Michigan evolutionary biologists. Lacey Knowles and Jeet Sukumaran investigated the accuracy of inferences made by a mathematical model
ANN ARBOR - Monitoring of U.S. drinking water supplies for chemical and microbial contaminants should be increased, especially for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, infants and young children, according to the final report from a panel of scientists and engineers that advises President Obama. In response to concerns about the safety of the nation's
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ANN ARBOR - In a new study from University of Michigan, co-funded by the American Petroleum Institute, researchers challenges the widely held assumption that biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are inherently carbon neutral. Contrary to popular belief, the heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas emitted when biofuels are burned is not fully balanced by the CO2
ANN ARBOR - A pioneering study of worldwide sleep patterns combines math modeling, mobile apps and big data to parse the roles society and biology each play in setting sleep schedules. The study, led by University of Michigan mathematicians, used a free smartphone app that reduces jetlag to gather robust sleep data from thousands of
LANSING - Michigan's legislators tend to be older and more predominately male and white than the state's general population, a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Pew Charitable Trusts said. And legislators are far better educated than the general public, with at least 75 percent having a bachelor's degree or higher
BOSTON - Retailers know the Internet of Things (IoT) is coming and will bring significant changes. Dealing with these changes, well, that they haven’t figured out yet. A new study from RSR Research (“The Internet of Things in Retail – Great Expectations”) 42 percent of surveyed retailers strongly agree and another 38 percent agree that
