News: Research
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
Chemical Cartography Reveals the Milky Way’s Spiral Arms
The method overcomes the challenges of dust that block the view of some of the Milky Way's stars.
James Webb Telescope Catches Glimpse of Possible First-Ever ‘Dark Stars’
Stars powered with dark matter still need proving but could reveal clues about the nature of one of the universe’s great mysteries.
Webb Telescope Detects Most Distant Active Supermassive Black Hole
At about 9 solar masses, this black hole is a real lightweight compared to previously seen ones in the early universe that are typically 1...
New Technique Reveals Protein Production in Early Embryos
The earliest stages of developing life have been, in many ways, a black box for researchers before now.
Scientists use Exotic Stars to Tune into Hum from Cosmic Symphony
A team of astrophysicists has found evidence for gravitational waves that oscillate with periods of years to decades.
New Era of Exoplanet Discovery Begins with Images of ‘Jupiter’s Younger Sibling’
Astrometry uses the shift in a star’s position on the sky relative to other stars to infer the existence of orbiting planets.
‘We’re All Asgardians’: New Clues about the Origin of Complex Life
All complex life, a.k.a. eukaryotes, trace their roots to a common Asgard archaean ancestor.
New Material Transforms Light, Creating New Possibilities for Sensors
A group of scientists and engineers that includes researchers from The University of Texas at Austin has created a new class of materials that can...
McDonald Observatory
Giant Tails of Helium Observed Escaping Jupiter-Like Planet
Astronomers used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at the McDonald Observatory to discover some of the longest tails of gas yet observed escaping a planet.
Vulnerable Neighborhoods Bore Brunt of Pandemic Well into its Second Year
A study in PLOS Computational Biology from University of Texas at Austin epidemiologists examined COVID infection and hospitalization rates by zip code.
