News: Texas Field Station Network

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

Features

After Fire Damages Stengl Lost Pines, Scientists Say Discovery Will Rise from the Ashes

More than two-thirds of the Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station (SLP), which was home to forests, savannah, and wildlife inhabitants, burned in a fire.

Firefighter at wheel of vehicle consults with colleagues outdoors

Podcast

Neutralizing Crazy Ants

Biologist Edward LeBrun is weaponizing a natural pathogen to use as a biocontrol for tawny crazy ants from South America that have become prevalent in...

Scientist walking through grass and brush with an orange bucket

Features

Living Laboratories: Field Stations Offer Opportunities for Real-World Science

A network of field stations helps scientists understand invasive species, climate change impacts and search for potential green fuels.

A bearded man in a blue shirt stands in a field of tall grass

UT News

Invading Hordes of Crazy Ants May Have Finally Met Their Kryptonite

UT Austin scientists have demonstrated how to use a naturally occurring fungus to crush local populations of invasive tawny crazy ants.

Ants swarm on a larger, dead insect

Research

Some Trees May Play an Outsized Role in the Fight on Global Warming

A new study shows that nitrogen-fixing trees could help forests remove more heat-trapping COS from the atmosphere than previously thought.

Sunlight peeks through the trees

Features

Unlikely Partners: Bees and Turtles

Honey bees and sea turtles may seem like strange bedfellows, but through two of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve's (NERR) stewardship programs – Fennessey...

A sea turtle rests on a towel as it is handled by a person in protective gloves

Announcements

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Receives Field Station Designation

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has been integral for UT Austin's involvement in life sciences research.

A building with a cafe and plants and visitors at the Wildflower Center

Features

Technological Leaps Help Biologists Study Quickly Changing Landscapes

Technology allows scientists to gather data where they never could before.

Five people stand in a field in outdoor gear

UT News

Hunting for a Better Biofuel Is Scope of New UT Austin-Led Research

How to make humble switchgrass into a biofuel powerhouse.

Aerial photo shows a large field of clumps of switchgrass

UT News

The Nurdle Patrol Wages War on Plastic Pellets, With Boost from Lawsuit Settlement

Plastic pollution has contaminated every continent on Earth, and some of the smallest plastic particles, called nurdles, are among the most insidious.

Closeup image of thumb and forefinger holding a tiny plastic ball between them with a blurry beach in the background