News
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
UT News
Variety in Diet Can Hamper Microbial Diversity in the Gut
Scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and five other institutions have discovered that the more diverse the diet of a fish, the less...
![Two stickleback fish, the type used in the study, are held in the hand of a researcher collecting them from the wild.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/sticklebacks.jpg)
Trapping a Bacterium in a Laser Beam Aids Study of Biofilms
Biofilms are responsible for most chronic infections and are notoriously resilient and hard to treat.
![Two-channel fluorescence image of a stamped pattern of P. aeruginosa in an isotropic background of S. aureus at t = 6 h, after the initial pattern has developed into a localized cluster.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/figure0-700x420.jpg)
Neurons in the Brain Tune into Different Frequencies for Different Spatial Memory Tasks
The findings may provide insight into the cognitive and memory disruptions seen in diseases such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's.
![A slice of rat brain stained purple to indicate the hippocampus](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/hippocampus2400x1350.jpg)
Possible Explanation for Human Diseases Caused by Defective Ribosomes
A new study, which uses a genetic approach to examine this paradox, suggests ribosomopathies are caused by a sequence of mistakes at the molecular level.
![An illustration of a molecular structure with surface structures and smaller molecular structures of varying sizes floating nearby](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/ribosome-export-landscape_0.jpg)
Crazy Ants Dominate Fire Ants by Neutralizing Their Venom
It’s the first known example of an insect with the ability to detoxify another insect’s venom.
![One large ant with its hindquarters raised in the direction of smaller ants](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/gilbert_2400x1350.jpg)
UT News
Bats Use Water Ripples to Hunt Frogs
As the male túngara frog serenades female frogs from a pond, he creates watery ripples that make him easier to target by rivals and predators...
![Ripples continue for several seconds after a male túngara frog has stopped calling. Credit: Ryan Taylor/Salisbury University.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/tungara-ripple-700px_20140123-172330_1.jpg)
UT News
Symbiotic Fungi Inhabiting Plant Roots Have Major Impact on Atmospheric Carbon
Microscopic fungi that live in plants’ roots play a major role in the storage and release of carbon from the soil into the atmosphere, according...
![An Amanita mushroom from a field site in Harvard Forest. This particular mushroom is the fruiting body of an ectomycorrhizal fungus associated with the roots of a Hemlock tree. Photo by Colin Averill.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/amanita-mushroom-700px_20140106-213657_1.jpg)
Three Natural Sciences Faculty Selected to Receive President's Associates Teaching Excellence Awards
The award recognizes faculty members who have achieved a consistent level of excellence in teaching undergraduate students.
![President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/presidents-award-01-01_0.jpg)
Chemist and Computational Biologist Elected Fellows of National Science Organization
AAAS fellows are chosen annually by their peers to recognize their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
![Ron Elber and William Press.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/elberandpresscover.jpg)
Hungry Bats Spy on Neighbors to Find a Good Meal
The use of such social information by animals has been the subject of extensive research.
![Illustration by Jenna Luecke.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/bat_drawing_color3_700x420_20131025-202352_1.jpg)