How Longhorns Got Their Long Horns
Evolutionary biologist David Hillis, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, is featured in an in-depth Q-and-A piece in the New York Times.
News
From the College of Natural Sciences
Corals Are Already Adapting to Global Warming, Scientists Say
Some coral populations already have genetic variants necessary to tolerate warm ocean waters, and humans can help to spread these genes, a team of scientists from The University of Texas at Austin, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Oregon State University has found.
2015 Summer Blockbusters: Meet Our Science Truth Detector
With summer movie season in full swing, cinema-goers are leaving theaters with one big question in mind: “Wait, could that really happen?”
Researchers Discover First Sensor of Earth’s Magnetic Field in an Animal
A team of scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin has identified the first sensor of the Earth’s magnetic field in an animal, finding in the brain of a tiny worm a big clue to a long-held mystery about how animals’ internal compasses work.
Genetic Road Map May Bring About Better Cotton Crops
A University of Texas at Austin scientist, working with an international research team, has developed the most precise sequence map yet of U.S. cotton and will soon create an even more detailed map for navigating the complex cotton genome.
Crowdfunding Science
Scientists reportedly are up against one of the toughest environments for research support in generations.
Cyanobacterium Found in UT Algae Collection Holds Biotech Promise
A fast-growing bacterial strain found on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin in the 1950s might ultimately prove useful for carbon sequestration, biofuel production, biosynthesis of valuable chemicals and the search for novel pharmaceuticals, scientists announced in newly published paper.
Graduate Student Leads Field Trip into the Infamous Darien Gap
Kidnappings. Guerillas. Impenetrable jungle. The Darien Gap is famous for many things. This 60-mile-wide swath of rainforest straddling the Panama-Colombia border has long been the stomping ground of drug traffickers and guerillas, most notably the left-wing FARC, who until 10 years ago were still conducting high-profile kidnappings of foreign travellers seeking to tackle this notoriously dangerous part of the world. Flash forward a decade and scientists working just outside the gap discovered that, while there were still occasional reports of violence, things were now relatively peaceful in the gap.
New Statistical Method Helps Reveal Timing of Key Events in Plant Evolution
Using a host of methodologies, including a new statistical method developed at The University of Texas at Austin, an international collaboration of researchers have completed a large-scale DNA study that reveals important details about key transitions in the evolution of plant life on our planet.
Leaping Lizards: Scientists Catch Evolution in Action
Thanks to an invasive lizard from Cuba, scientists have documented green anoles rapidly evolving better gripping feet. Yoel Stuart was lead author on the study appearing in the journal Science. For more, read our press release or check out these reports in the media from Oct. 23-24:
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