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Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

All content by Maluly Martinez Benavides
Maluly

Ode to ball moss, conspiracy theories and science

Maluly Martinez Benavides May 6, 2016

Editor’s note: A 30 column is a chance for departing permanent staff to say farewell and reflect on their time spent in The Daily Texan’s basement office. The term comes from the old typesetting...

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Conspiracy Corner: Forever alone?

Maluly Martinez Benavides May 3, 2016

What lies outside the confines of our pale blue dot? Is there anyone else out there in the vast expanse of the universe — mostly void, partially stars — wondering the same thing? In 1950,...

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Conspiracy Corner: Life As We Don’t Know It

Maluly Martinez Benavides April 15, 2016

Imagine life on an alien planet. Imagine the shapes, the number of limbs, the cells and the biochemical and molecular processes that operate within their bodies. Now imagine alien life on Earth. These...

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Conspiracy Corner: Counter-Earth

Maluly Martinez Benavides April 8, 2016

Ah, space. Beyond the confines of our little blue planet, it looms as a mysterious entity in people’s imaginations. Stories circulate about what might be out there: things that hide on the dark side...

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UT professor develops technique to enhance desirable traits of plants, animals through microbiology

Maluly Martinez Benavides March 9, 2016

Ulrich Mueller, UT professor of integrative biology, has developed a way to enhance an organism’s desirable traits through microbiology. In a growing trend, scientists are trying to manipulate...

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Recognizing UT’s rising chemistry star

Maluly Martinez Benavides March 2, 2016

Christopher J. Ellison, chemical engineering associate professor,led his research team in a series of groundbreaking nanotechnology projects — from increasing the storage capacity of hard drives...

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Researchers attempt to tame invasive fire ants with “zombie”-like phorid fly intervention

Maluly Martinez Benavides February 25, 2016

UT researchers are shaking the ants out of Texan pants. UT’s invasive species research program introduced South American phorid flies to control invasive fire ant populations in Texas, with...

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Studies show complicated relationship between race, genetics

Maluly Martinez Benavides December 3, 2015

Editor's note: This article is part of a package about diversity on campus. Click here to read the other stories. There was no way to distinguish one ethnicity from another when scientist J....

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‘Marvel’s Jessica Jones’ doesn’t pull punches, surpasses expectations

Maluly Martinez Benavides November 24, 2015

The Netflix original series “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” which overtly deals with dark and unsettling themes such as abuse, victim blaming and psychological trauma, has become the comic...

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Studies explain why people dislike sound of their own voice

Maluly Martinez Benavides November 20, 2015

Most people are familiar with the grimace-inducing moment they listen to a recording of their own voice, making it hard to hear the ugly truth — those YouTube videos and Snapchats are exactly what...

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Tips for inevitable all-nighters

Maluly Martinez Benavides November 12, 2015

At a particular hour of the night, the body will call for sleep, but sometimes deadlines and due dates take priority.  College students often put homework, projects and studying before a good night’s...

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Science Scene: Social conventions fuel fabric fabrications

Maluly Martinez Benavides November 12, 2015

Blue jeans are the staple wardrobe item for college students ­— they can be worn repeatedly during laundry dry spells, and students can throw them on with any top when running late to class. Most...

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Daylight saving comes with pros and cons

Maluly Martinez Benavides November 2, 2015

Now that it’s time to fall back into Standard Time, people are often too excited to cash in that extra hour of sleep to question the biannual time change. But in March, when it’s time to spring...

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Science Scene: Halloween Edition

In celebration of Halloween, Science Scene writers Ellen Airhart, Maluly Martinez Benavides and Eva Frederick explain the science side of three creepy phenomena that might otherwise have you looking over...

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Science Scene: The Crawling Dead

Maluly Martinez Benavides October 30, 2015

Editor's note: This is one part of a three-part Science Scene in celebration of Halloween. To see the other two parts, click here. People watching zombies take over the world on screen are...

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What a Colorful World: The truth about primary colors

Maluly Martinez Benavides October 23, 2015

People who still think red, yellow and blue are the only primary colors need to forget what their elementary art teachers taught them. Whether they’re using a brush or a cursor, different mediums...

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Science Scene: Names elude memory because of arbitrary nature

Maluly Martinez Benavides October 15, 2015

Most people will agree it’s not very hard to recognize an acquaintance on the street. Remembering their names, on the other hand, is a totally different matter.  In general, people remember...

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Heat exhaustion remains significant health concern for festivalgoers

Maluly Martinez Benavides October 2, 2015

In previous years, festivalgoers have been pulled out from Austin City Limits Music Festival crowds after passing out in the middle of a performance, but by staying hydrated, they can make sure they don’t...

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Science Scene: Digital media modifies memory processing

Maluly Martinez Benavides September 24, 2015

Working on screens may not be killing students’ brain cells, but it’s definitely affecting the way they process information. Philosopher of communication theory Marshall McLuhan famously...

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Science Scene: Bad Habits | Procrastination

Maluly Martinez Benavides September 11, 2015

When an assignment deadline on Canvas reads 11:59 p.m., many will log on with just minutes to spare. Most college students are familiar with the practice of procrastination. A 2012 study published in...

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Science Scene: Bad Habits

Maluly Martinez Benavides and Ellen Airhart September 11, 2015

  College students struggle to keep good habits, especially with obstacles such as Netflix, buffet-style cafeterias and 30-page essays constantly getting in the way. Students can draw upon the...

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