News
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
Elders Who Live Alone See Benefits in Interacting with Others
Older adults living alone during the pandemic saw distinct benefit from in-person visits when compared to electronic communications.
![Illustration of an older man sitting in front of a laptop computer at a dining room table](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/hdfs-age-pandemic-1400px.jpeg)
Longhorn Students, Researchers in the Pandemic Fight
Graduate and undergraduate students are jumping into research fighting the pandemic.
![Zoom gallery image of six UT Austin students displaying Hook 'Em hand signal](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/students_20201120-231316_1.png)
Texas Astronomers Revive Idea for ‘Ultimately Large Telescope’ on the Moon
A group of astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin has found that a telescope idea shelved by NASA a decade ago can solve...
![A cylinder-shaped telescope on the surface of the moon](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/llmt_731x593.jpeg)
Tech Startup Powered by Two Computer Science Professors Teams Up with Intel
Katana Graph specializes in graph computing and analyzing enormous data sets.
![Interconnected dot map of Katana Graph data models](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/katana-grap_20201110-180210_1.jpeg)
Faculty Members Named to Professorships and Endowed Chairs
Several College of Natural Sciences faculty members have been newly appointed to special professorships and endowed chairs at The University of Texas at Austin.
![Seal of the University of Texas at Austin with a burnt orange filter on the image](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/seal_1400.jpeg)
UT News
COVID-19 Pandemic is Having Little to No Effect on Intimate Relationships
People’s overall satisfaction levels with their relationships changed little during the pandemic, even amid significant stressors, from job losses to health concerns.
![Artist rendering showing couples and families in soap bubbles](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/hdfs-pandemic-couples-families-1400px-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
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](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/map-houston-1400px.jpeg)
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](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/b2ap3_large_construction-1400px.jpeg)
UT News
Invasive Cactus Moth Likely to Spread and Destroy Native Prickly Pear
A tiny invasive insect has the potential to cause huge ecological and agricultural damage in Texas and beyond.
![Photo shows a closeup of a brown and grey moth on a prickly pear pad](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/cactoblastis_cactorum_moth_femal_20200330-161027_1-1200x800-c-default.jpeg)
Artificial Intelligence Revs Up Evolution’s Clock
When Risto Miikkulainen and Padmini Rajagopalan simulated hyenas forming mobs to steal prey from lions, they found something surprising.
![A lion faces a mob of hyenas](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/hyena-standoff-2400x1350.jpg)