News: Research
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
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.

Targeted Grazing May Help Beat Invasive Buffelgrass
Researchers head to Kenya to unlock the weaknesses of invasive buffelgrass to combat it here in Texas.

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.

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.

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.

Artificial Intelligence Trained to Draw Inspiration From Images, Not Copy Them
Researchers are using corrupted data to help generative AI models avoid the misuse of images under copyright.

Otters, Especially Females, Use Tools To Survive a Changing World
A new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools — most of whom are female — are able to eat larger prey...

To Optimize Guide-Dog Robots, First Listen to the Visually Impaired
Guide-dog users and trainers can provide insight into features that make robotic helpers useful in the real world.

Persistent Strain of Cholera Defends Itself Against Forces of Change, Scientists Find
Unique immune component has kept one strain of cholera on top for more than 60 years.

Department of Computer Science
Transforming Human-Robot Interaction Through Mood-Inducing Music
UT’s Elad Liebman and Peter Stone consider robots that understand not only our commands but also our emotional states.
