News: Public Health

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

Research

Coal Power Killed Half a Million People in U.S. over Two Decades

Deaths from coal were highest in 1999, but by 2020 decreased by about 95%, as coal plants have installed scrubbers or shut down.

A white plume of exhaust spews from power plant smokestacks

Announcements

College Announces Newest Inductees to Hall of Honor

The Hall of Honor recognizes Distinguished Alumni, Distinguished Service and Emerging Leader award winners.

Amir Husain, Christina Reed and Wayne Alexander

Research

Health Benefits of Wind Power Rely on Which Fossil Fuel Plants It Replaces

Health benefits of using wind energy instead of fossil fuels could quadruple if the most polluting power plants are selected for dialing down, new study...

Row of wind turbines at sunset

Research

Seven Natural Sciences Faculty Receive NSF CAREER Awards

Learn about faculty members from UT Austin's College of Natural Sciences who have been awarded CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation.

Headshots of 7 faculty members

Department of Molecular Biosciences

New Vaccine Advances Could Help Against More Viral Illnesses

Jason McLellan and his team advance understanding of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which can help them develop vaccines.

Two scientists in lab coats looking at a computer screen

Research

New Study Shows How Deep-learning Technology Can Improve Brain Imaging

The technology can be used to train computers to increase the resolution of low-quality cellular and tissue images acquired on point-scanning systems, such as MRI

Comparison of brain imaging before and after the new technique

Research

New Model Can Help Improve COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

A new model could help public health officials in Central Texas better manage what amounts to a much larger vaccination campaign than was carried out...

Illustration of people getting vaccinations

UT News

Coronavirus Mutation May Have Made It More Contagious

The virus that causes the coronavirus disease COVID-19 is accumulating genetic mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious.

Map of Houston representing COVID-19 trends in each zip code

UT News

Curbing COVID-19 Hospitalizations Requires Attention to Construction Workers

A new study shows how much more likely construction workers are to get diagnosed with COVID-19 compared to non-construction workers

Construction workers at a plant

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Locking Down Shape-Shifting Spike Protein Aids Development of COVID-19 Vaccine

An experimental COVID-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 elicits neutralizing antibodies and a helpful T-cell response with the aid of a carefully engineered spike protein.

A medical professional vaccinates a patient