News

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

Dell Medical School Mission Critical

Predicting the Unpredictable Regarding Gestational Diabetes

Nutritional sciences and Dell Med faculty leverage science, medical imaging and AI for predicting the condition.

A man and woman, each wearing blazers gesture with their hands as they converse near an MRI machine

Research

Dark Matter Might Have Formed Earlier than Thought

The new model is called WIFI, which stands for dark matter production during Warm Inflation via Freeze-In.

A horn-shaped illustration shows how the universe expanded rapidly during a period called cosmic inflation, with black dots representing the formation of dark matter particles throughout this period

McDonald Observatory

Astronomers Discover Youngest Transiting Planet Ever

The planet, named TIDYE-1b, is roughly the size of Jupiter and is an estimated 3 million years old.

Illustration of a planet passing in front of its star

McDonald Observatory

Pioneering Instrument Returns to McDonald Observatory

The Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph (IGRINS) splits infrared light into more individual wavelengths than a traditional spectrograph.

Illustration of the IGRINS instrument

Research

Surprising Patterns in Infant Growth After Gestational Diabetes Exposure

Infants exposed to gestational diabetes in utero may not have as weighty of challenges as previously believed.

A pregnant woman (left) holds out her right hand as a doctor (right) performs a blood sugar test.

Research

Scientists Use Ancient DNA to Shed Light on Adaptation of Early Europeans

By using ancient samples, the scientists managed to look back in time to uncover novel signatures of adaptation at the dawn of the agricultural revolution.

An excavation of a human burial site.

Research

This Enzyme Plays a Key Role in Protecting Cells from Aging and Disease ​

Researchers from UT Austin have discovered insights about an enzyme that can protect cells from oxidative stress.

A representation of a n enzyme and a blob with a glowing reaction sparked by it

UT News

2024 Hamilton Book Award Grand Prize Goes to David Hillis for Homage to Texas Hill Country’s Biological Diversity

The Biodiversity Center director penned “Armadillos to Ziziphus,” a celebration of life in the Texas Hill Country.

A man in a hat and boots holds binoculars while standing on a rocky point looking over brushland and a sunset.

Features

Catch Up on All Things Artificial Intelligence-Inspired at AI LIVE

This week brings dozens of AI learning opportunities, spanning six tracks, from research to health to ethics.

AI LIVE appears against a burnt orange haze over the University of Texas at Austin campus surrounded by squares representing pixels.

UT News

Computer Science Professor Receives Regents’ Recognition for Outstanding Teaching

Etienne Vouga, a computer science professor at UT Austin, has received a 2024 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.

A man in glasses and a polo shirt smiles while outdoors on a campus with people passing by in the distance