News: Research

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

Research

COVID-19 Can Awaken Hidden Viruses Throughout the Body, UT-Led Study Finds

Researchers say dormant viruses many people harbor can reactivate during COVID-19 and may be linked to long COVID symptoms.

Ball-shaped viruses with studs poking from their surfaces floating in the body

Research

Experimental Drug Turns Cancer’s Favorite Fuel—Sugar—Against It

The dual molecule delivers a one-two punch to cancer cells exploiting their hunger for sugar while cutting off their backup fuel supply.

Microscopic cells stained pink and blue, representing melanoma cells

Marine Science Institute

How Invasive Rats Rewire Coral Reef Food Webs Creating Winners and Losers

Simon Brandl and colleagues found that rats on islands alter the types and abundances of animals living on surrounding coral reefs.

A sandy beach with palm trees and a blue sky above with white clouds

Research

Those Toddler Foods on Grocery Shelves? More than 80% Are Ultraprocessed

UT nutritional scientists found that nearly half of the foods exceeded recommended sugar, sodium, fat or calories.

A toddler in a grocery cart holds a bread roll that has been partially eaten.

Research

Teens who Start the Day with Breakfast, Especially Foods with Protein, Eat Better Overall

Teens who ate breakfast took in more nutrients and consumed less daily fat and sugar than those who skipped it.

A photo of a person ladeling sauce on a plate of meaty tacos

Research

One Idea, Two Cosmic Mysteries: Linking Little Red Dots and Globular Clusters

In a preprint publication, John Chisholm and colleagues find that LRDs may be an early form of global cluster.

Two images from space: On the left, a central yellowish dot is surrounded by a red glow. On the right, a cloud of white dots becoming more concentrated in the center.

Research

Publishing in a Leading Journal as Undergraduates

Three undergraduate researchers published with a team in Nature, shedding new light on a microbe and its host.

Two adult aphids and nymphs on a stem

Research

Inside UT’s Quantum Ecosystem: From Breakthroughs to Possibilities

The University of Texas at Austin is charging ahead with quantum innovations, built on a history of quantum science leadership.

Three scientists in PPE work in a laser facility.

McDonald Observatory

Nearby “Super Earth” May Be a Better Candidate for Life Than Previously Thought

The planet, known as GJ 3378b, orbits a small, cool star is 25 light-years from Earth and is in its star’s “habitable zone.”

An artistic rendering depicting the view from another planet with glowing liquid and a reddish star behind clouds.

Research

Limited Connections: How Stress Affects Our Brain

A study by Alison Preston and colleagues focused on how old and new memories are integrated in the hippocampus.

An illustration of a semi-transparent human head with a glowing feature representing the hippocampus region of the brain