News: Integrative Biology
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
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](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/coralreef_formatte_20200414-055657_1.jpeg)
Brett Baker Receives Simons Award
The faculty member who helped envision a changed the tree of life received the award.
![Brett Baker in a zippered shirt stands in a lab in front of cabinets](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/brett_baker.jpeg)
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.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/b2ap3_large_measuring-trees1400.jpeg)
UT News
Pandemic Model Shows Importance of Social Distancing in 22 Texas Cities
A new pandemic model of COVID-19 shows the positive role social distancing can play in preventing the spread of the illness in areas across Texas.
![A map of texas with counties shaded in different colors](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/ancelmeyers-paper_1400px-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
UT News
A New Texas COVID-19 Pandemic Toolkit Shows the Importance of Social Distancing
Since 2012 a pandemic-planning tool developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has helped public health officials plan for the consequences of...
![A graph shows various projections of the impact of social distancing on COVID-19 spread](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/covid-19_analysis_austin_hospitalizations-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
UT News
Coronavirus Spreads Quickly and Sometimes Before People Have Symptoms, Study Finds
Measures including isolation, quarantine, school closures, travel restrictions and cancellation of mass gatherings may be warranted.
![Artist rendering of a magnified coronavirus](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/coronaviruscdc-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
UT News
Demographics Linked to Choice Not to Vaccinate Children in Texas, Study Finds
The findings could help public health officials identify pockets of low vaccination rates where communities within the state are at higher risk for an outbreak.
![A young boy on the left receives a vaccination in his arm from a woman in a lab coat on the right](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/cdc_vaccination_2_1400px-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
The Texas Scientist
20/20 Foresight
So what will the next 50 years bring? Absent a crystal ball, your best bet would be to ask a scientist.
![Illustration by David Steadman.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/feature-next-fifty-years.jpeg)
UT News
Researchers Say Spread of Coronavirus Extends Far Beyond China’s Quarantine Zone
Virus likely spread beyond Wuhan before quarantines and lockdowns.
![The last metro train prepares to leave a station in Wuhan, China before the city was placed under quarantine. Courtesy of Chinese News Service.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/wuhan_train-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
Department of Molecular Biosciences
Bacteria Engineered to Protect Bees from Pests and Pathogens
Genetically engineered strains of bacteria protect bees from mites and viruses that can lead to colony collapse.
![A Varroa mite, a common pest that can weaken bees and make them more susceptible to pathogens, feeds on a honey bee.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/moran_story_mite_1400px.jpeg)