When I started in journalism, I was dedicated to my vision of being a no-nonsense, rock-and-roll reporter for Rolling Stone. But then I took a class on rocks and ironically, some “rolling stones”...
Imagine if the average human gave birth to over 30 babies at a time. Ouch, right?
According to a hypothesis in a study from the journal Evolution, mammals bear smaller litters because somewhere down...
Narcissism is typically associated with negative behavior such as exaggerating talents, hogging conversations and having a close relationship with any reflective surface. However, a collaborative research...
According to Capital Metro, the largest public automated-bus pilot in the country will take place this fall in Austin. Cap Metro has already begun testing a fleet of six electric, self-driving buses, which...
Last year, UT ranked in the top 10 of U.S. universities for scientific research by the Nature Index database. Along with this came a litany of reports, such as the Elsevier global research group’s...
Humans have never lived with levels of carbon dioxide as high as they are today, and these increasing greenhouse gases are contributing to sea-level rise, according to a 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on...
The Tyrannosaurus rex, whose name translates to king of the tyrant lizards, is the aggressive poster child of dinosaurs. The proclaimed king of the dinosaurs reigns over our books, museums and most recently,...
Vibranium, a fictional metal that can store and transform more energy than any known substance, is pretty super. It’s so super that it composes Black Panther’s suit and Captain America’s...
The population in Texas is expected to nearly double by 2070, according to Texas’ 2017 State Water Plan, and that means a not so excellent future for a state with already strained resources and vulnerability...
Fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, is no laughing matter.
According to a 2016 study called “On the Nature of Creepiness” by psychologist Francis McAndrew, participants said the most cringe-worthy...
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Sea sponges certainly don’t. Although SpongeBob SquarePants, the beloved childhood cartoon and meme sensation, isn’t an accurate depiction of sea sponges,...
Hurricane Harvey unleashed record-breaking amounts of rain on Texas, followed by a whirlwind of debates about climate change.
While most scientists agree that climate change induces severe weather...
Lake Austin is positive for Dreissena polymorpha, otherwise known as zebra mussels. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, zebra mussels are invasive freshwater mussels that reproduce quickly...
UT geology professor Camille Parmesan studies the endangered Edith’s Checkerspot butterfly, which serves as a living warning of climate change in North America.
Parmesan recently began working...
“Rick and Morty,” a critically acclaimed animated science fiction TV show on Adult Swim, stars Rick, an alcoholic mad scientist, and his grandson Morty, an anxious high schooler, who is easily...
Using glacial data and lots of geometry, UT researchers discovered what makes some glaciers more susceptible to melting.
Researchers at UT’s Institute for Geophysics, or UTIG, led the study, which...
So much goes on above the earth’s surface, that it’s easy for people to overlook what’s under their feet. The Texas GeoSign Project, launched last June, places signs to educate the public...
UT researchers recently found that some people pick up electronic cigarettes not for the nicotine, but to satisfy their sweet tooth.
Researchers at UT’s Health Science Center in Houston,...
This April, UT has gone green. Along with billions of people worldwide, the Longhorn community celebrates environmental awareness through a series of eco-friendly events leading up to Earth Day this Saturday....
UT Arlington and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, or BRIT, are blossoming in their new research collaboration.
During an opening ceremony at BRIT in January, research officials said the program...
Five mass extinctions across Earth’s history wiped out large amounts of life on land and in the ocean. According to John Payne, the planet is on track for a sixth.
Payne, a geological sciences...
The truth isn’t so sweet: UT researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center recently found that consuming sugar increases risk of cancerous growths in the lungs and breast cancer.
The average...
Veganism went viral in March when Macka B, a 56-year-old reggae musician from England and Jamaica, posted his latest healthful hit, “Cucumber.” Macka B, a vegan social media personality,...
Some Austinites are testing new tech to monitor their water use through Pecan Street, a clean energy research organization headquartered at UT.
Pecan Street uses a smart-grid system, an electricity...
In 2015, Austin’s carbon dioxide emissions from city operations decreased five percent from 2014 and 32 percent from 2010. Emissions from 2015 were equivalent in weight to a large cruise ship.
Ten...
UT anthropology professor John Kappelman’s talk, “Solving a 3.2-Million-Year-Old Mystery: How Lucy Died” packed every seat in Welch Hall and detailed his team’s conclusion that...
Neuroscience professor Laura Colgin and her lab have potentially found a way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease earlier.
More than five million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s, but little...
A famous tigress named Machli captured the hearts of animal-lovers all over the world — but ensuring her health into old age raises questions about elevating animals to “celebrity” status.
Geography...
Many STEM students would rather spend hours solving equations than speaking in front of a crowd, but members of the UT Sciences Toastmasters organization challenge themselves every week to improve their...
One SXSW interactive panel will discuss bringing music to an unexpected place: hospitals.
The “Music as Medicine: Therapeutic Benefits of Music” panel on March 13 will address the role of...
Luke Barnes is a cosmologist who believes our universe is the result of creation, not chance.
Barnes, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy and fellow professor Geraint Lewis...
A potential new energy source looks like ice, burns when lit and is found thousands of feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico. This substance is called methane hydrate, a solid composed of water and methane that...
Last month, the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences honored two UT researchers for their work to enhance the effectiveness of drugs in the body.
The researchers, Robert Williams III, head of the UT Division...
UT’s WeTeach_CS program is working not only to make computer science classes more available to students but to diversify the field as well.
Only one in 10 high schools offer computer science nationwide,...
Seton’s Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas and UT are trying to make mental health care more accessible to children.
One in five children, aged 13 to 18, live with mental...
Austin protesters are trading out their pink hats for volumetric flasks.
Shortly after the global women’s march in January, protesters started planning another large scale protest: the science...
On Friday night, around 1,200 people heard Katharine Hayhoe, a nationally-acclaimed climate scientist, speak about the taboo topics of our time: politics, money, God and climate change.
Hayhoe’s...
“Split,” a movie depicting a man with multiple personalities, sparked debate among both mental health advocacy groups and film societies after premiering this month.
The movie, starring...
According to climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, the key to discussing climate change involves talking about everything but the science.
Hayhoe, who directs the Climate Science Center at Texas...
In response to the growing demand for organic food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently created a program that makes it easier for farmers to sell organic goods.
The number of organic...
This month marks one year since the publication of a UT study cautioning the Texas Hill Country community about rapid population growth and decreasing water resources. The study forecasts not only issues...
