News: Research
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
McDonald Observatory
Astronomers Better Identify the Cygnus Loop’s Distance from Earth
Knowing how far away this supernova remnant is will help answer fundamental questions about what happens when stars explode.
![A ghostly blue feature in the middle of a field of bright stars and the blackness of space](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/cygnus-loop1200x800.jpg)
Paving the Way to Extremely Fast, Compact Computer Memory
Materials with high magnetoelectric coupling could be useful in novel devices such as magnetic computer memories, chemical sensors and quantum computers.
![Illustration showing two corkscrew-shaped lines twisting in opposite directions, rising up out of a layer of small spheres that represent atoms, each with an arrow pointing in the direction of a feature called its magnetic moment](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/001_horizontal_4x3.png)
The Lesser of Two Weevils: Size Differences in Some Insects Lead to Tradeoffs in the Competition for Mates
The largest males have bigger weapons, but smaller males have other advantages.
![three jousting weevils on a wooden log](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/weevil_thumb.png)
Department of Computer Science
Transforming Video Accessibility Through Artificial Intelligence
UT researchers developed an AI technology that empowers users with visual impairments to engage with digital media.
![A smart phone is held by its sides via a metal stand.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/transformingvideoaccessibilitywithshortscribearticlehero2.jpg)
Texas Advanced Computing Center
Surprising Vortex Behind New Solar Cell and Lighting Materials
Using supercomputer simulations, Feliciano Giustino and his team are revealing why perovskites are so promising for solar cells, lighting and computer memory.
![A colorful image of a spherical structure of arrows pointing in all directions](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/hole_polaron1200x800.png)
For Rainforest Amphibians, the Bigger the Toes, the Higher They Go
In rainforests in Gabon, amphibians with larger toes relative to their body length are found higher in the forest canopy.
![Photo of orange and brown frog leptopelis boulengeri on a tree branch](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/frog_thumb.png)
Targeted Grazing May Help Beat Invasive Buffelgrass
Researchers head to Kenya to unlock the weaknesses of invasive buffelgrass to combat it here in Texas.
![Image of buffelgrass and cattle](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/buffelgrass_thumb_1.png)
Improved Method for Estimating the Hubble Constant with Gravitational Waves
There’s a big debate in cosmology about how fast the universe is currently expanding.
![A cosmic pairing is bifurcated by a dynamic force shown in light as gases swirl about.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/2017_obs_neutronmerger_3-2.jpg)
McDonald Observatory
Galaxies Actively Forming in Early Universe Caught Feeding on Cold Gas
James Webb Space Telescope images reveal three galaxies that may be actively forming when the universe was only 400 to 600 million years old.
![A swirl of blue-white gas and dust against a black background](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/early_gas.jpg)
Transitioning Gender Identities Is Not Linked With Depression
A landmark longitudinal study of LGBTQ+ youths has found that transitioning gender identities is not associated with depression.
![Five teenaged boys and girls stand in a row with their arms around each others' shoulders laughing and smiling.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/genderid-thumbnail.jpg)