Yale University

The caves were still full of surprises.

Researchers have identified a previously unknown species of eyeless cavefish living in cave systems across Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The discovery offers some of the strongest evidence yet that subterranean ecosystems are not the evolutionary dead ends scientists once thought they were.

See what CT scanning and genetic analysis helped reveal: bit.ly/49Apyxo

Handsome Dan showed up. So did a few thousand of his colleagues. 🐾

Staff Appreciation Day is Yale’s annual chance to celebrate the people who keep the university running, with good food and great company.

President Maurie McInnis joined the celebration to thank Yale’s dedicated staff for all they do to make the university the extraordinary place it is.

➡️ Swipe to see a few moments from the event and find more Staff Spirit Week photos and video here: bit.ly/4fyX3Uz

For decades, the standard model of dark matter has explained how the universe is structured at large scales.

A new Yale study suggests that inside galaxy clusters, the model may be missing something entirely, possibly a second type of particle, or one that behaves in ways physicists have never observed.

Astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan and two Ph.D. students explain their findings: bit.ly/3PIXd1d

Wildlife is watching us, and adapting its behavior in response.

A Yale-led study tracked millions of animal movements and found that simply being near people causes more than 65% of species to shift how they move and where they go. Even small changes in human activity, like the quieter streets during the COVID-19 pandemic, showed up in the data.

Explore the findings: bit.ly/42Y2Co4

What helped make CarMax successful? The systems behind the scenes.

When CarMax launched in 1991, bringing a big-box retail model to used-car sales was still a relatively new idea. In an interview, co-founder Austin Ligon ’80 M.B.A. reflects on the company’s growth and the operational strategies that helped power it: bit.ly/4a97cDK

Landscapes can hold centuries of history.

In a recent Yale College course led by instructor Pauline Lin, students explored how parks, gardens, and waterfronts reveal changing relationships between people and the natural world across Chinese history.

Explore how the course brings cultural and environmental perspectives together: bit.ly/3PBZFX3

You never know where a single discovery might lead.

That was a theme of this year’s Yale Innovation Summit, where President Maurie McInnis reflected on the power of curiosity, exploration, and unexpected connections.

Over two days, more than 2,600 founders, investors, researchers, and policymakers from 35 states and 24 countries gathered on campus for conversations, competitions, and collaboration. The summit featured six pitch competitions, awarded more than $450,000 in prizes, and honored Yale scientist Craig Crews with the inaugural Yale Founders Award.

Yale Ventures has the highlights and full list of winners: bit.ly/4uSBbbB

Researchers have been weighing the same population of Azara's owl monkeys in Argentina every year since 1999. What they found after 24 years of data runs counter to a longstanding principle in ecology: as temperatures rose, the monkeys got heavier, not lighter.

See what the study suggests about how animals respond to a warming climate: bit.ly/4fNwT0f

For years, Jillian Accetta struggled to find a prosthetic that truly worked for her.

That changed through a collaboration with Yale Engineering student Alexia Quinn, who designed and created custom devices for Accetta as part of Yale’s Personalized Medicine & Applied Engineering program.

Together, they developed a more personal approach to prosthetic design built around comfort and function.

Read more: bit.ly/4uRtUJf

Understanding the past can start in unexpected places.

In a Yale Latin course, students step beyond the classroom with a hands-on lesson in baking with ancient grains, bringing historical practices into the present.

See how this course connects history, environment, and practice: bit.ly/4chUwfr