News: Biodiversity and Sustainability

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

UT News

Study of Secret Sex Lives of Trees Finds Tiny Bees Play Big Part

When it comes to sex between plants, tiny bees the size of ladybugs play a critical role in promoting the genetic diversity that protects against...

A stingless bee approaches a cluster of floewrs

Research

Scientists on the Trail of Central Texas’ Elusive Satan Fish

The fish are part of a project to monitor the overall ecological health of Central Texas aquifers and better understand how water flows through them.

X-ray image of a fish from above and from the side

Research

Oil Impairs Ability of Coral Reef Fish to Find Homes and Evade Predators

Just like a person after one too many cocktails, a few drops of oil can cause coral reef fish to make poor decisions.

Damselfish, Chromis species.

Podcast

Can Sound Save a Fish?

Gulf Corvina look pretty ordinary—they're a couple of feet long and silvery. Yet the sounds they make—when millions get together to spawn—are a kind of...

Illustration of people in a boat with a microphone dangling in the water and a group of fish emitting waves of sound

Accolades

Mathew Leibold Named Fellow of Ecological Society of America

Mathew Leibold, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at UT Austin, was elected a fellow by the Ecological Society of America (ESA).

Matthew Leibold at a table in front of a bookshelf

Features

What’s the Buzz: Reflecting on a Life's Work Inspired by Pollinators

Shalene Jha has been interested in pollinators her entire life. Now, as an assistant professor, she studies the interactions of native bees and plant communities for...

Portrait of a woman in blue dress in front of a yellow background

UT News

Rare, Blind Catfish Never Before Found in U.S. Discovered in Texas

An extremely rare eyeless catfish species previously known to exist only in Mexico has been discovered in a National Recreation Area in Texas.

A pair of eyeless catfish

UT News

Genetic Potential of Oil-Eating Bacteria from the BP Oil Spill Decoded

Microbiologists led by Brett Baker have discovered potential in bacteria that helped to clean up the BP oil spill.

An Oil Slick stretches across a span of ocean

Research

Scientists Unveil the Most Comprehensive Genomic Tree of Life

Genetic data reveal a group of bacteria that are so diverse genetically that they represent half of all the diversity of bacteria on the planet

Archaea and eukaryotes.

Features

Graduate Students Ensure Science Under the Stars Shines Bright

The free, monthly public lecture series was founded and is run completely by students in the Plant Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (EEB) graduate...

A mother and child attend Science Under the Stars.