News release feature — home page

A photo of produce in containers

UMaine research highlights how PFAS uptake differs among crops

One way people ingest a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS is through consuming produce, dairy and meat products that have been exposed to contaminated soil and irrigation water. Some guidance is available on how growers can try to mitigate the uptake of PFAS, but it’s limited due in part to a lack of […]

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Right whale distribution models detailing prey can inform conservation efforts

Despite being one of the largest animals on the planet, the small population of the North Atlantic right whale and its vast habitat makes these marine mammals difficult to track. Models accurately detailing where they are located at different times of the year are essential for conservation. A new study published in the journal Endangered […]

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Culture is driving a major shift in human evolution, new theory proposes

Researchers at the University of Maine are theorizing that human beings may be in the midst of a major evolutionary shift — driven not by genes, but by culture. In a paper published in the Oxford journal BioScience, Timothy M. Waring, an associate professor of economics and sustainability, and Zachary T. Wood, a researcher in […]

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New UMaine research could help lower prescription drug costs

One of the main factors driving prices in pharmaceuticals, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs and antibiotics, is the cost of production and materials. Researchers at the University of Maine Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) have discovered a sustainable method to produce the key ingredient in a broad range of pharmaceuticals, which could help address high prescription […]

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Maine to pilot Outdoor School for All 

Thanks to private funding and the passage of bipartisan legislation, thousands more Maine students will benefit from overnight outdoor educational experiences in the 2025-26 school year  Thousands of Maine students will participate in transformative overnight outdoor educational experiences in the coming school year — at no cost to their districts.   Maine Outdoor School for All […]

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A photo of UMaine President Joan Ferinni-Mundy and Jared Golden

UMaine opens cutting-edge robotics and automation training facility 

New space will grow Maine’s economy, national security and global competitiveness by supporting statewide advanced manufacturing workforce development  Answering increasing demand from industry for highly skilled manufacturing workers in Maine and beyond, the University of Maine has opened the B.O.T. Loft, a state-of-the-art robotics and automation training facility that will offer factory-authorized training, a suite […]

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Atlantic bluefin tuna diets are shifting in a changing Gulf of Maine

Maine’s coastal communities have been hooked on the Atlantic bluefin tuna since at least the late 1880s — first as bycatch, until the 1930s when the fish became a prized target in fishing tournaments. Through the subsequent decades, bluefin tuna have and continue to support working waterfronts in Maine and beyond. Despite a decline in […]

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