News: Research

Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Human Trials Begin for a Low-Cost COVID-19 Vaccine to Extend Global Access

A COVID-19 vaccine in human trials in Vietnam, Thailand and Brazil, holds promise for affordable vaccine manufacturing in countries currently dependent on imported vaccines.

A masked person holds a glass vial of vaccine

Research

Two Postdocs Receive Fellowships to Study Extrasolar Planets

Brianna Lacy and Yifan Zhou have received a fellowship that will give them the support to conduct research on exoplanets.

Portrait of two scientists

UT News

Twin Study Shows Why Physical Punishment Leads to Child Behavior Problems

Harsh parenting practices, not genetics, are linked to higher levels of behavior problems in children, according to a new study.

Photo of a shadow of an adult holding the hand of a child

UT News

Accurately Editing Genes in Living Cells Means Grappling with Knots in DNA

Gene editing inside living cells could become more effective and accurate after researchers unveiled how inner workings can help or hinder the process.

A man in a lab coat and goggles watches from the background as a woman in lab coat and goggles handles a pipette at a lab bench

Research

New Study Shows How Deep-learning Technology Can Improve Brain Imaging

The technology can be used to train computers to increase the resolution of low-quality cellular and tissue images acquired on point-scanning systems, such as MRI

Comparison of brain imaging before and after the new technique

Texas Scientist

The Start of It All

Here’s how eukaryotes might have evolved from simpler life forms

Illustration of the inside of a eukaryotic cell

Research

Four Natural Sciences Faculty Receive Sloan Research Fellowships

​Carlos Baiz, Caroline Morley, Andrew Potter and Urbain Weyemi are among the 128 scholars from across the country selected by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to receive the 2021 Sloan...

Headshots of four scientists

Research

Undergraduate Research Aims to Harness the Power of Mealworms to Degrade Plastic

Undergraduates at the UT Austin Inventors Program are exploring how mealworms, and the microbes in their guts, can naturally degrade household plastics.

Meal worms and plastic

Research

New Model Can Help Improve COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

A new model could help public health officials in Central Texas better manage what amounts to a much larger vaccination campaign than was carried out...

Illustration of people getting vaccinations

Research

Jessica O’Connell Connects Ecology Research with Local Conservation Efforts

Learn about Jessica O'Connell's decision to join UT Austin's Department of Marine Science and what her research focuses on.

A woman with binoculars and a notebook walking along a trail in a forest