Research Stories

The study of complex systems doesn't need to be complex; Just ask Elinor Ostrom,
ASU's newest Nobel Prize winner. --by Carol Hughes

Whether your companions are overweight or skinny and how much they put on their plates can greatly influence how much you eat. --by Debbie Freeman

The "Spin In" concept is a shift from the old business model designed to "spin off" new companies from universities. "Spin In" provides a new mechanism for a business relationship between the university and an outside company. ASU's Skysong is poised to build just those kinds of relationships. --by Conrad J. Storad

Distracted drivers cause thousands of deaths in car crashes every year. Robert Gray is making driving safer by finding the best ways to bring people's attention back to the road. --by Diane Boudreau

For the first time since 2007, Phoenix-area home prices increased from one month to the next, indicating that the worst may be over in the housing decline. --by Debbie Freeman

Humans are overstepping environmentally safe "Planetary Boundaries," according to a new, international study. And it's not just greenhouse gas emissions that threaten Earth's equilibrium. What does this mean for humanity? --by Jodi Guyot

Every year, NASA's Desert RATS spend two weeks in the Arizona desert conducting tests in anticipation of future lunar exploration. This year, two crew members lived for more than 300 hours inside NASA's new moon vehicle, the Lunar Electric Rover. --by Nikki Staab

Single DNA mutations can make the difference between robust health and debilitating illness, but how do we know which mutations are which? Current tests aren't very reliable, but ASU scientists are helping find better ways to decipher our genetic codes. --by Richard Harth

Phoenix-area housing prices are declining at a slower rate than earlier this year, indicating that the worst is over for falling home values, a new ASU study has found. --by Hal Mattern

How big was the world’s heaviest hailstone? Where is the hottest place on Earth? How fast was the fastest tornado? A new, interactive map of weather extremes lets you find out the answers and lots more. --by Diane Boudreau