News: Research

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

Research

Newfound Link Between Alzheimer’s and Iron Could Lead to New Medical Interventions

A novel imaging method using DNA-based fluorescent sensors is yielding new insights about the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

A doctor shows a brain scan image to a woman in a blue hospital gown

Research

James Webb Space Telescope Images Challenge Theories of How Universe Evolved

Hefty young galaxies defy the reigning model of cosmology, called "dark energy + cold dark matter" or ΛCDM.

Six candidate galaxies

Research

James Webb’s First Stunning Image of Cassiopeia A, Fragments of a Hellish Explosion

A new image of a supernova remnant reveals wonders, beauty, secrets of star structure and building blocks of life.

Wisps of colorful gas and dust in a telescope image showing the remains of a supernova explosion

Research

A New Way of Looking at the Differences Between the Sexes

Researchers set out to explain the variation in how the same genes are expressed in men and women.

Illustration of a DNA helix in different colors

Research

CREATE Program Brings Research Opportunities to Community College Students

Chemists Sean Roberts and Shawn Amorde collaborate to help prepare students for later scientific careers.

Shawn Amorde sets up a separations column which is used to purify chemicals after a reaction. Photo credit: Jackie Stamatedes

Research

As Temperatures Climb, Preschoolers Become Less Physically Active

“Go outside and play”—the time-tested strategy for generations of parents and caregivers ready to see their little ones tuckered out by exercise—may be fading in...

A preschool aged boy plays in a water sprinkler with bright sunlight shining

Research

New Simulation Reveals Secrets of Exotic Form of Electrons called Polarons

Feliciano Giustino leads effort to turn computational predictions into new materials.

Illustration of atoms in a two dimensional material

Research

The Brain’s Internal Compass is More Complex Than Once Thought

New details about how the brain senses orientation might lead to earlier Alzheimer’s detection.

A person with an umbrella walks across a grid of intersecting white lines

Research

The Achilles Heel That Could Lead to Universal Coronavirus Treatments

Alone, this target might not be strong enough to directly block infection, but might be used to jump-start or boost an immune response.

A man in white lab coat holds a three dimensional model of a viral protein and an antibody attached

UT News

Invasive Grass in Texas Uses Chemical Warfare to Crowd Out Native Species

An invasive grass causing havoc in Texas and contributing to wildfires packs a one-two wallop against native plants. Guinea grass uses a combination of crowding...

Researchers in the field examine Guinea grass