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Scientists Discover a Brain Cycle That May Explain Why Learning Eventually Stalls

UMD scientists found that a matrix surrounding brain cells loosens and rebuilds during learning—and gradually stops recurring once a skill is learned, offering new clues to why progress can grind to a halt.

August 7, 2026
Rare Supernova Observation Reveals New Ways That Stars Can Die

UMD astronomers glimpsed a massive star’s death from the first explosive moment, reporting their findings in a new study. 

August 5, 2026
Chasing Neutrinos at the ‘End of the World’

Working on a giant subatomic particle detector at the South Pole helped UMD physics Ph.D. student Rachel Procter-Murphy discover a new side of herself.

August 5, 2026
Scientists Use Moonquakes to Locate Lunar Ice

By studying how seismic waves travel through frozen soil on Earth, UMD geophysicist Nicholas Schmerr helped develop a better way to detect water ice on the moon—a critical resource for future astronauts and extended lunar missions.

July 31, 2026
Playing Both Sides of His Brain

For UMD junior Jacob Goldman, science and music are in educational harmony.

July 30, 2026
$3.25M from the State of Maryland Matches $4M Gift for Two Eugenia Brin Endowed Chairs

The new endowed chairs at UMD will conduct research in Parkinson's disease and data assimilation.

July 29, 2026
$8.16M Gift Honors Longtime Supporter of UMD Science and Arts

The Brin family’s commitment was matched by a $3.25M award from the state for 2 endowed chairs.

July 29, 2026
Scientists Discover an Antidote to Lethal Snake Bites that Comes Straight from the Source

A new UMD-led study provides a blueprint for the next generation of antivenoms—using snakes’ natural molecular defenses against their own deadly venom.

July 29, 2026
First-Ever ‘Wandering’ Black Hole Spotted at the Edge of a Galaxy

Normally invisible as it whizzes around outer space, this supermassive black hole revealed itself to UMD astronomers by shimmering as it swallowed a star.

July 27, 2026
Tiny Ocean Fronts Reshape the Air Above Them, UMD Study Finds

Sharp, fleeting temperature boundaries on the ocean’s surface transform the atmosphere in ways not yet captured by climate and weather models.

July 21, 2026
Seven Science Terps Received CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Awards

The awards enable the students to conduct research and present at scientific conferences over the summer.

July 20, 2026
‘Clumped’ Methane Reveals Human Climate Impact—and Potentially Future Climate Progress

UMD researchers reconstructed the first-ever timeline of a rare form of methane, exploring whether it could be used to assess future climate progress. 

July 15, 2026