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From the College of Natural Sciences
Invisible Waves Shape Continental Slope
AUSTIN, Texas—A class of powerful, invisible waves hidden beneath the surface of the ocean can shape the underwater edges of continents and contribute to ocean mixing and climate, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have found. The scientists simulated ocean conditions in a laboratory aquarium and found that “internal waves” generat...Splitting Light Could Improve Telecommunication Networks
AUSTIN, Texas--A new method for speeding and slowing a pulse of light simultaneously could lead to much faster optical telecommunication networks and more efficient optic-based computers. In a paper published in Physical Review A, University of Texas at Austin physicists Pablo Bianucci, Ken Shih and Gennady Shvets report the first ever demonstrati...Paull Becomes HHMI Investigator
AUSTIN, Texas—Biologist Tanya Paull has become the first faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin to be named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator, joining 55 of the nation's most creative biomedical scientists in this year’s group. The institute commits more than $600 million to the 56 scientists over their first term...
Hillis, Aldrich Earn Top Honor
Dr. Rick Aldrich Dr. David Hillis AUSTIN, Texas—Two natural sciences faculty were elected members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States. Richard Aldrich and David Hillis were among 72 others for their excellence in original scientific research. “They are ...
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...
Saliva Can Help Diagnose Heart Attack
AUSTIN, Texas—Early diagnosis of a heart attack may now be possible using only a few drops of saliva and a new nano-bio-chip, a multi-institutional team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin reported at a recent meeting of the American Association for Dental Research. The nano-bio-chip assay could some day be used to analyze a pa...
Controlling Most Atoms Now Possible
AUSTIN, Texas—Stopping and cooling most of the atoms of the periodic table is now possible using a pair of techniques developed by physicist Mark Raizen at The University of Texas at Austin. Raizen stopped atoms by passing a supersonic beam through an “atomic coilgun” and cooled them using “single-photon cooling.” The techniques are a major step ...
Coral Health And Bacterial Communities
PORT ARANSAS, Texas—Bacterial communities endemic to healthy corals could change depending on the amount and type of natural and man-made dissolved organic matter in seawater, report researchers from The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute and Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. Healthy corals naturally exude a surround...Five Faculty Win Sloan Fellowships
AUSTIN, Texas—Five faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin were awarded Sloan Research Fellowships for 2008. Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded every year by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. The 118 winners for this year were chosen fr...Read It Now
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