News: Research

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

Research

Assistant Professor Lief Fenno is Developing New Tools to Treat Addiction

Neuroscientist Lief Fenno of UT Austin partakes in research which advances the understanding of addiction and how it can be treated.

Portrait of a man

Research

When Good RNA Turns Bad

Biophysicist Dave Thirumalai and his team developed a computer model that helps explain how certain kinds of RNA molecules can clump together in a way...

Colorful strands of RNA clump up

Research

Supernova Reveals Secrets to Texas-led Team of Astronomers

The discovery improves understanding of the process of how massive stars live and die.

A drawing with labels shows a supernova with arrows shows shock and reverse shock motions

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Live Cell Imaging Reveals New Clues About Processes Linked to Birth Defects

Live cell imaging reveals how a developing embryo transforms from its early ball shape into a more elongated shape with a distinct head and rear.

Black and white image of cells in a developing embyo

Research

A More Nuanced Approach is Needed to Manage Coral Reef Ecosystems

Instead of focusing entirely on biomass and one-size-fits-all solutions, researchers recommend finding which fish provide the most useful functions in each reef system and protecting...

A school of colorful fish swim over a coral reef

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

New Phononic Crystal Might Enable Better Mobile Communications

UT Austin researchers' new acoustic component, made of aluminum nitride and configured into periodic phononic crystals, allows engineers to direct high frequency elastic waves along...

Light colored pattern on a dark orange background. A path zigs from the right to left like a backward letter Z.

Department of Computer Science

Computer Science Researcher Aims to Automate Software Development

Isil Dillig works to improve the security and reliability of software systems and automatically generate programs from high-level specifications.

Portrait of a woman

Department of Molecular Biosciences

New Vaccine Advances Could Help Against More Viral Illnesses

Jason McLellan and his team advance understanding of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which can help them develop vaccines.

Two scientists in lab coats looking at a computer screen

Research

Dried Bacteria Could Revolutionize Testing, Laboratory Science

What if there were a way to make proteins, enzymes and reagents right in the lab, in small amounts, on demand?

Microscopic image of e.coli bacteria stained blue against a black background