News

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

AI Opens Door to Safe, Effective New Antibiotics to Combat Resistant Bacteria

July 31, 2024 • by Marc Airhart

Protein large language models identify ways to make antibiotics better at targeting dangerous bacteria, without being toxic to humans.

A green bacteria-shaped object with a red arrow piercing through its center. The bacteria is surrounded by concentric circles and smaller, blue, bacteria-like shapes. The background is a light blue grid with a pattern of binary code.

Announcements

Building Industry Bridges: Computer Scientist Peter Stone Tackles New Role for Sony, While Leading at UT

July 30, 2024 • by Marc Airhart

Peter Stone of UT computer science leads Sony AI in the U.S. and is now its chief scientist and deputy president.

Peter Stone has been tapped by Sony Corp. to head up the U.S. branch of its new global artificial intelligence research division, called Sony AI.

UT Marine Science Institute

Are Parrotfishes Friends or Foes to Coral Reefs?

July 26, 2024 • by Sally Palmer

Parrotfishes help corals grow and survive, grazing on what can otherwise smother corals. But there are trade-offs.

An underwater image of coral reefs shows clear damage where parts seem to have been nibbled off.

Texas Science YouTube

Insider Insights: Meet Chemistry Major Jonah Downs

July 26, 2024 • by Staff Writer

Hear from one undergrad about how UT’s resources and events enhanced his college career.

A young man in a collared shirt, jacket and glasses smiles as a map-like graphic behind him reads Insider Insights with the hook 'em horns symbol over the name Jonah Downs.

Accolades

College of Natural Sciences Faculty Receive NSF CAREER Awards

July 25, 2024 • by Esther Robards-Forbes

The awards from the National Science Foundation support innovative work by earlier-career faculty.

Features

In Robot Soccer and More, UT Students Best the Competition in Eindhoven

July 24, 2024 • by Christine Sinatra

Among hundreds of teams from around the world competing at RoboCup 2024, UT researchers and their robots shine.

Eight people, half of them in Texas Robotics shirts and half in Wisconsin badgers t-shirts, pose on a soccer field, several of them holding small robots in jerseys.

Texas Science YouTube

Insider Insights: Meet Environmental Science and Biology Major Sierra Chadwick

July 23, 2024 • by Staff Writer

Learn from one undergrad why her majors are ideal for the changing world and what advice she has for new students.

The words Insider Insights appear next to the hook em symbol over the words sierra chadwick and near an image of smiling student with a map-like graphic behind her

McDonald Observatory

Astronomers Better Identify the Cygnus Loop’s Distance from Earth

July 19, 2024 • by Emily Howard

Knowing how far away this supernova remnant is will help answer fundamental questions about what happens when stars explode.

A ghostly blue feature in the middle of a field of bright stars and the blackness of space

Podcast

AI at Work

July 18, 2024 • by Marc Airhart

Maytal Saar-Tsechansky and Samantha Shorey consider the ways that AI might change how we work and how to prepare for the future.

A row of wooden blocks with icons indicating various office tasks. Meanwhile, a hand reaches down to place a block with an icon representing artificial intelligence

Research

Paving the Way to Extremely Fast, Compact Computer Memory

July 17, 2024 • by Marc Airhart

Materials with high magnetoelectric coupling could be useful in novel devices such as magnetic computer memories, chemical sensors and quantum computers.