News

Eric Hegg, dean of the Michigan State University College of Natural Science, was honored with The Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) 2025 IMPACT Award.

Ph.D. student Sarah Marei shares her work as a Spartan cancer researcher 

Plant scientists from labs and research groups across MSU will present 'The World of Plants,' a showcase featuring 17 unique booths dedicated to different aspects of plant science, at the 2025 SciFest STEAM Expo Days.

By unraveling the complex choreography of cellular machinery, Michigan State University researchers are helping identify the next generation of drug targets and cancer therapies.

Researchers in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory Sharkey lab are studying changes in plant metabolism that occur when plants are grown in high light, high CO2 conditions.

Gut health isn’t just a catchphrase – it’s a crucial part of digestion that, when out of balance, can cause chronic illnesses and make us feel sick.

Ben Orlando, Robert Last, and Robert Hausinger were honored at this year's awards for research and mentorship excellence.

Research associate Hillary Fischer has received $225,000 grant from the USDA for research into aphid saliva.

In a Nature Communications paper, the Orlando and Kroos research groups report the first high-resolution experimentally determined structures of SpoIVFB. 

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

Now in its second year, the Building Bridges program continues to forge bonds between MSU and indigenous communities.

Polly Hsu received $3.7 million in funding to expand genetic research that has applications for heartier crops and healthier lives.  

Quinn received a $2.5 million award from the NIH that builds on recent microbiome breakthroughs.

Researchers have found how fungi rebuild, reinforce their cell walls after exposure to antifungals, opening opportunities to improve current therapies

Spartan researchers have developed a way to get poplar trees to produce valuable molecules usually derived from shark livers.

The nearly $1.8 million award will support work in drug discovery through molecular dynamics research in plants

Researchers have developed new DIY laboratory tools to greatly speed up a crucial analytical process.

New MSU-led research uses technology related to ChatGPT to accelerate advances in medicine

The award supports Peter Lundquist’s search for “master regulators” in the stress response of plants

A group of graduate and undergraduate students participated in the 2024 EnergyTech University Prize, making it to the regionals portion of the competition. The contest is organized by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions and challenges students to create and present a business plan in the energy sector.

Joshua Kaste and Xinyu Fu have been awarded the 2024 Anton Lang Memorial Award. The lecture was given by Robert Last.

BMB's Björn Hamberger claimed the 2024 Innovation of the Year Award, one of three total different winners from the College of Natural Science. 

MSU researchers have made an evolutionary biology breakthrough

Cheryl Kerfeld was a panelist at an event in Washington, DC commemorating US innovation at the nanoscale.

Spartan researchers join a nationwide team to create a new way to design cell-sized microfactories that could help make medicines, biofuels and more.

With its streamlined genome, environmental versatility, and a single-minded focus on fermenting sugar into alcohol, Zymomonas mobilis could be a star player in the quest to replace fossil fuels with plant-based alternatives. Led by UW–Madison and collaborating with MSU BMB's Michaela TerAvest, scientists are working to understand what makes this microbe tick.

Michigan State University researchers discovered the enzyme responsible for producing microbially conjugated bile acids, some of the most abundant and crucial molecules in our gut. Published in Nature alongside a collaborative paper from Penn State, these findings reshape our understanding of the human microbiome with huge implications for bodily health. 

Michigan State University researchers have shed new light on the ancient relationship between moss and fungi in a recent paper published in The Plant Journal.