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News

From the College of Natural Sciences

Department of Energy Fellowship Provides Support for Grad Student

College of Natural Sciences graduate student Cory Nelson has received a fellowship as part of a new U.S. Department of Energy program.

Biologists Use Bacteria from Hot Springs to Reveal Clues To Evolution of Early Life and To Unlock Biofuels’ Potential

Biologists Use Bacteria from Hot Springs to Reveal Clues To Evolution of Early Life and To Unlock Biofuels’ Potential

A bacteria that lives in hot springs in Japan may help solve one of the mysteries of the early evolution of complex organisms, according to a study just published in PLoS Biology.

Scientists Find New Genes for Cancer, Other Diseases in Plants, Yeast and Worms

Scientists Find New Genes for Cancer, Other Diseases in Plants, Yeast and Worms

From deep within the genomes of organisms as diverse as plants, worms and yeast, scientists have uncovered new genes responsible for causing human diseases such as cancer and deafness.

Scientists Identify New Approaches to Treating PTSD

Scientists Identify New Approaches to Treating PTSD

Drugs known as HDAC inhibitors may prove useful in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study conducted by faculty at The University of Texas at Austin’s Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research.

Professor Receives Grant to Develop More Rapid Technology For Screening Blood Samples

Professor Receives Grant to Develop More Rapid Technology For Screening Blood Samples

Dr. Jennifer Brodbelt has received a $734,068 grant from the NIH to develop a new method for rapidly screening blood samples for biomarkers.

Better Drugs to Fight Flu is Goal of $1.5 Million NIH Project

University of Texas at Austin and Rice University scientists have won a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to scrutinize the influenza A virus for clues that could lead to more effective antiviral drugs.

Discovery of Enzyme Structure Points Way To Creating Less Toxic Anti-HIV Drugs

By discovering the atomic structure of a key human enzyme, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have pointed the way toward designing anti-HIV drugs with far less toxic side effects.

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...
Discovery Opens Door For Drugs To Fight Bird Flu, Influenza Epidemics

Discovery Opens Door For Drugs To Fight Bird Flu, Influenza Epidemics

AUSTIN, Texas—Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Rutgers University have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight avian flu and other virulent strains of influenza. The researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of a site on an influenza A virus protein that binds to one of the human...
New Source for Biofuels Discovered

New Source for Biofuels Discovered

AUSTIN, Texas--A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation’s transportation fuel if production can be scaled up. Along with cellulose, the cyanobacteria developed by Profe...