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News

From the College of Natural Sciences

When Climate Change Isn't the Only Answer

Climate change might not be to blame for all cases of species - like pollinators and the flowers that depend on them - being out of sync.

Think Globally, But Act Locally When Studying Plants, Animals, Global Warming, Researchers Advise

Global warming is clearly affecting plants and animals, but we should not try to tease apart the specific contribution of greenhouse gas driven climate change to extinctions or declines of species.

Podcast: Tough Talk on the Hard Science of Climate Change

Ray Orbach, director of the Energy Institute, breaks down the science, and the politics of the science, on climate change.

Fluorescent Color of Coral Larvae Predicts Whether They’ll Settle Or Swim

Young staghorn coral that fluoresce redder are less likely to settle and develop into coral polyps than their greener peers, a finding that could help scientists monitor coral adaptation to global warming.

What’s Next for the Arctic Ocean?

Marine scientist Ken Dunton talks with Alaska Public Radio about the future of the Arctic Ocean. Listen online.
Switchgrass and Climate Change

Switchgrass and Climate Change

Researchers have received a $4.6 million grant to explore how switchgrass, a native prairie grass and promising source of biofuel, will fare under future climate change.

Biologists in $25 Million Project to Develop Fuel from Algae

Biologists in $25 Million Project to Develop Fuel from Algae

 AUSTIN, Texas — Biologists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have been selected to be a part of a $25 million project that would transform algal oil to jet fuel. Algal feedstock is considered one of the best sources for biofuel. It is renewable, does not compete with food crops and grows in wet or dry environments using brac...
Marine Scientists to Assess Arctic Ocean Environment

Marine Scientists to Assess Arctic Ocean Environment

AUSTIN, Texas — Through a $2.9 million, three-year grant from the Minerals Management Service (MMS), a team led by University of Texas at Austin marine scientists will assess the biological and chemical conditions on the seabed of the Chukchi Sea before the area opens for offshore oil drilling. The contract from the MMS (U.S. Department of the Int...

Scientists Find New Clues to Explain Amazonian Biodiversity

AUSTIN, Texas--Ice age climate change and ancient flooding—but not barriers created by rivers—may have promoted the evolution of new insect species in the Amazon region of South America, a new study suggests. The Amazon basin is home to the richest diversity of life on earth, yet the reasons why this came to be are not well understood. A team of ...
Global Warming Experts Recommend Drastic Measures to Save Species

Global Warming Experts Recommend Drastic Measures to Save Species

AUSTIN, Texas—An international team of conservation scientists from Australia, the United Kingdom and United States, including University of Texas at Austin Professor Camille Parmesan, calls for new conservation tactics, such as assisted migration, in the face of the growing threat of climate change. They report their policy ideas in a paper publi...