More than 1,200 U-M students are working with world-class flu researchers on an epic test to determine the best ways to prevent the spread of flu. Some students are wearing surgical masks, others are washing their hands often, and still others are doing both. This video shows why and how it's being done. And why it matters so much.

Acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol and other pain relievers, can have serious side effects. Excessive use can cause liver damage bad enough to require a liver transplant or to cause death. Yet many who take the drug, according to a U-M study, either did not know about the dangers or did not know enough about proper dosages.

Most people don't appreciate an angry look, but a new U-M study found that some people find angry expressions so rewarding that they will readily learn ways to encourage them. "An angry expression...can be like a tasty morsel" for some people, says researcher Oliver Schultheiss. "Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting 'annoyed look' on someone else's face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again."

Reading violent scriptures increases aggressive behavior, especially among believers, a new U-M study finds. "To justify their actions, violent people often claim that God has sanctioned their behavior," says researcher Brad Bushman, who explains that both religious and secular students were more aggressive after reading violent passages from the Bible.

A U-M study has found that the level of "hardship" a family experiences because of low income has a profound impact on children--including their cognitive, emotional, and social competence. The more a family suffers from low income (by, for instance, not having enough to eat), the graver the effects on children's test scores, behavior, and emotional lives.

Female athletes are up to eight times more likely to suffer knee injuries during their careers than males. A new study suggests that the jumping mechanics of women, especially when they're fatigued, may be the culprit. Researchers hope that by pinpointing the problem, they can find ways to head off such injuries before they occur

In a unique example of collaborative scholarship, 50 universities, including U-M, have joined forces to find the genetic causes of autism. Initial findings implicate a pair of sources that seem to play a critical role in autism spectrum disorders.

Three hundred million years ago, Earth's climate shifted dramatically from icehouse to hothouse, with major environmental consequences. That shift was the result of both rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the melting of vast ice sheets, says U-M researcher Chris Poulsen. His finding does not necessarily predict climate change today, but it does reveal how massive changes in climate have happened in the past.