News: Research

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

Research

Discovery about Brain Cells that Promote Healing from Strokes Offers Treatment Insights

A type of cell once thought to hinder recovery in stroke patients may actually promote the healing process.

Blood vessels, shown in green, and astrocytes, shown in magenta, adjacent to a stroke.

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Our Immune Systems Blanket the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein with Antibodies

Most antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the blood target areas of the viral spike protein outside the receptor binding domain, or RBD

A spike protein from the virus SARS-CoV-2 with antibodies attached

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Hepatitis C Drugs Boost Remdesivir’s Antiviral Activity Against COVID-19

Four drugs used to treat hepatitis C render remdesivir 10 times better at inhibiting the coronavirus in cell cultures.

A hand holds a pill against a backdrop of other medical interventions such as shots and IV bags

UT News

Climate-friendly Microbes Chomp Dead Plants Without Releasing Heat-trapping Methane

Scientists have identified an entirely new group of microbes quietly living in hot springs, geothermal systems and hydrothermal sediments around the world.

Hot springs

UT News

Exoplanet is Gobbling Up Gas and Dust as it Continues to Build Mass

The Hubble Space Telescope has allowed astronomers including Brendan Bowler from The University of Texas at Austin to get a rare look at a young...

An artist's image suggests a planet is sucking a stream of orbiting light into its mass

Research

UT Chemistry Researchers Encode Jane Austen Quote in a Polymer

The technique, which relies on short polymers called oligourethanes, encodes information with greater density than DNA-based approaches

Illustration of a book showing how to translate chemical components of a polymer into English letters

Research

Cosmic Rumbles: New Faculty Probe Universe for Gravitational Waves

A couple who joined the Department of Physics in 2020, Pablo Laguna and Deirdre Shoemaker, study violent events in the universe, like when cosmic heavyweights...

Portrait of a man and woman

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Human Trials Begin for a Low-Cost COVID-19 Vaccine to Extend Global Access

A COVID-19 vaccine in human trials in Vietnam, Thailand and Brazil, holds promise for affordable vaccine manufacturing in countries currently dependent on imported vaccines.

A masked person holds a glass vial of vaccine

Research

Two Postdocs Receive Fellowships to Study Extrasolar Planets

Brianna Lacy and Yifan Zhou have received a fellowship that will give them the support to conduct research on exoplanets.

Portrait of two scientists

UT News

Twin Study Shows Why Physical Punishment Leads to Child Behavior Problems

Harsh parenting practices, not genetics, are linked to higher levels of behavior problems in children, according to a new study.

Photo of a shadow of an adult holding the hand of a child