A group of leading research universities has launched Futurity (www.futurity.org), an online research channel covering the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health, and more. New York University is one of 35 partners supporting the project.

Since launching a beta version of the site in March, Futurity has included a range of stories on research by NYU faculty, including: the impact of micro-financing on developing economies; how the make-up of Congress influences which cases the Supreme Court chooses to hear; which types of voters drove the passage of California’s Proposition 8; and how snakes use both friction generated by their scales and redistribution of their weight to slither along flat surfaces.

The site is designed to encourage interaction-stories include links to published reports and supplemental materials that allow readers to explore topics in more detail. Futurity.org is available in a mobile friendly version, and visitors can comment on stories and sign up for a daily e-mail update.

A complete list of participating universities may be found at: http://futurity.org/about/.