News

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

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

Features

7 Ideas from the School of Human Ecology for Responding to COVID-19

Stephen Russell talks about how we can use the pandemic to reach greater human connection.

A person walks across the Gearing Hall courtyard alone near the UT Tower

Podcast

Science Amid the Social Distance

A compilation from our previous episodes that we hope will help you find some solace right now: in rediscovering life, the people we're closest with...

A cross-section of a nautilus shell

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

Research

Cancer Drug with Better Staying Power and Reduced Toxicity Shows Preclinical Promise

The texaphyrin molecule is designed to be more easily absorbed by cancerous cells than healthy human cells, reducing the drug’s side effects.

The drug candidate, called OxaliTEX, is made of two parts.

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

Podcast

The Next 50 Years: An A.I. Designed to Make Life Better

Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. But will AI have mostly positive or negative impacts on society?

Illustration of a robot walking through a cloud of symbols for money, driving, housekeeping and health care float by

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

Features

Joydeep Biswas Builds Robots to Navigate the Real World

Joydeep Biswas leads the Autonomous Mobile Robotics Laboratory (AMRL) at UT

Robotic car

Accolades

Four Natural Sciences Faculty Receive President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Awards

Michael Drew, Janice Fischer, Marci Gleason and Vernita Gordon received President's Associate Teaching Excellence Awards.

Profile photos side by side of 2020 President's Associates Teaching Award winners Michael Drew, Janice Fischer, Marci Gleason and Vernita Gordon.