News: Research

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

Research

Snacking on Hummus Shown to Improve Diet Quality, Appetite, and Mood

Snack choice can also affect alertness, the study found.

Photo of dish of hummus and pita bread with graph lines juxtaposed over the top.

UT News

New Online Master’s Degree in Data Science is a First for The University of Texas at Austin

Massive demand for data scientists in the U.S.

Artist image of the UT tower with data graphs imposed over the top in burnt orange

UT News

For Each Day’s Delay in Social Distancing, a COVID-19 Outbreak Lasts Days Longer

Every day a city delayed social distancing increased an outbreak by 2.4 days.

Calendar showing LOCKDOWN written in bold orange letters

Research

Researchers Discover Genetic Mechanism Behind Scoliosis in Fish

Finding could shed light on spinal condition.

X-ray images showing side and above view of four fish with crooked spines

Research

Scientists Discover Molecular Culprits Linked to Alcohol Use Disorders

Findings help explain why some people go from moderate alcohol users to dependent on alcohol.

LMO4 (Red) and kappa opioid receptor (green) mRNA are expressed in the same cells in the basolateral amygdala.The blue dye stains the nucleus of the cells.

Department of Statistics and Data Sciences

Updated: Model Forecasts When States, Cities Likely to See Peak in COVID-19 Deaths

A University of Texas at Austin model that projects COVID-19 deaths for all 50 U.S. states and dozens of metro areas using geolocation data.

A map of the US forecasts daily deaths from COVID-19

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Antibodies from Llamas Could Help in Fight Against COVID-19

The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19 has led researchers to find an improbable ally for their work: a llama named Winter.

Winter is a llama from the Belgian countryside

Research

Model Predicts Which Coral Reefs Will Better Adapt to Global Warming

​Climate change is causing coral reefs around the world to decline.

Underwater photo of a large coral reef

UT News

Long-Living Tropical Trees Play Outsized Role in Carbon Storage

A group of trees that grow fast, live long lives and reproduce slowly account for the bulk of the biomass.

Irene del Carmen Torres Dominguez measures the diameter of a tree on Barro Colorado Island in Panama.

Research

Social Support Aids Recovery from Drug Addiction, Study Suggests

Having an option to receive social support rather than use drugs is better at reducing relapse than cutting out drugs completely, a new study suggests.

An abstract line drawing of human figures connected to each other against a green background