News Highlights

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

Podcast

Can Tiny Bubbles Help Save the Planet?

Seagrasses store a lot of carbon in their tissues, making them a potential counterweight to rising levels of atmospheric CO2.

An illustration of a seagrass meadow, with the sediment cross-sectioned to reveal roots. There are two small black microhpones resting on the top of the sediment, connected by a cable running back to a metal box.

Accolades

Celebrating the 2025 College of Natural Sciences Dean’s Honored Graduates

Meet the graduating seniors being recognized for excellence in research, academics and improving the community.

2025 Dean's Honored Graduates

Research

University of Texas-led Team Solves a Big Problem for Fusion Energy

Their method to speed up the design of “magnetic bottles” offers an answer to a complex 70-year-old challenge.

An abstract, colorful pattern resembling topographic maps. The design features concentric, oval-shaped rings in vibrant shades of blue, green, red and orange. The background is filled with intricate textures and speckles in lighter blue tones.

Accolades

Guggenheim Foundation Names 3 at UT in 100th Class of Fellows

Swarat Chaudhuri, a computer scientist, and Feliciano Giustino, a physicist, are among this year’s fellows.

Three headshots are surrounded by graphics representing the Guggenheim Foundation and UT Austin.

Features

Top Prize Image for Visualizing Science Shows a Logistic Map’s Chaotic Portion

A mathematics undergraduate took first place alongside other winners of the college’s 2025 contest.

Lavender background covered by wispy white cobweb-looking mathematical derivations.

Research

Improved Brain Decoder Holds Promise for Communication in People With Aphasia

Restoring some language for aphasia sufferers, like Bruce Willis and a million other Americans, could involve AI.

Colorful illustration of a human brain with different colors ranging from pink to blue to purple, indicating brain activity

Research

Some Bacteria Evolve Like Clockwork With the Seasons

The longest natural metagenome time series ever collected reveals a startling evolutionary pattern on repeat.

Reeds peek above the surface of a lake with colorful clouds reflected in the water

Features

In This Lab, Students Dig Into Antibiotic-Resistance Research

Meet the team behind a newly transformed experiential-learning biology course, reaching hundreds of UT students.

Meet the team behind a newly transformed experiential-learning biology course, reaching hundreds of UT students.

Accolades

UT Austin Math and Computing Named Among Best in Global Ranking of Academic Subjects

UT Austin ranked fifth in mathematics and eighth in computer science and engineering worldwide in a new report.

Arial photo of the UT Austin campus

Features

Turbocharging Protein Engineering with AI

Biotech advances from UT’s new Deep Proteins group are changing the game with help from artificial intelligence.

Three people stand silhouetted  in front of a wall-sized video display that shows several large colorful illustrations of molecules