Button to scroll to the top of the page.

News

From the College of Natural Sciences
This tag contain 1 private blog which isn't listed here.
Is Corporal Punishment Abuse?

Is Corporal Punishment Abuse?

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was recently indicted on charges of child abuse for hitting his son with a tree branch. Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor of human development and family sciences in the School of Human Ecology who has studied corporal punishment for 15 years, was interviewed -- and her research referenced -- extensively in the media to provide context for the Peterson story from September 16 to 25.

Exposure to Toxins Makes Great Granddaughters More Susceptible to Stress

Exposure to Toxins Makes Great Granddaughters More Susceptible to Stress

b2ap3_thumbnail_sleepypups-ADJUST.jpgScientists have known that toxic effects of substances known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), found in both natural and human-made materials, can pass from one generation to the next, but new research shows that females with ancestral exposure to EDC may show especially adverse reactions to stress.

Brain Scans Show We Take Risks Because We Can't Stop Ourselves

Brain Scans Show We Take Risks Because We Can't Stop Ourselves

brains-control-systems-700x306.jpg

A new study correlating brain activity with how people make decisions suggests that when individuals engage in risky behavior, such as drunk driving or unsafe sex, it's probably not because their brains' desire systems are too active, but because their self-control systems are not active enough.

Bats Use Water Ripples to Hunt Frogs

Bats Use Water Ripples to Hunt Frogs

tungara-ripple-700px_20140123-172330_1.jpg

As the male túngara frog serenades female frogs from a pond, he creates watery ripples that make him easier to target by rivals and predators such as bats, according to researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), Leiden University and Salisbury University.

Every Fish Wants to Be a Macho Fish

Every Fish Wants to Be a Macho Fish

For the male African cichlid fish, everyday can be a battle to gain rights to prime real estate and girls. Though the aquariums in Hans Hofmann’s lab in Patterson Hall are not like the fight-to-the-death arena of “The Hunger Games,” they are still the scenes of epic competition and showmanship.

Seahorse Heads Have a 'No Wake Zone' That’s Made for Catching Prey

Seahorse Heads Have a 'No Wake Zone' That’s Made for Catching Prey

Seahorses are slow, docile creatures, but their heads are perfectly shaped to sneak up and quickly snatch prey, according to marine scientists from The University of Texas at Austin.

Hungry Bats Spy on Neighbors to Find a Good Meal

Hungry Bats Spy on Neighbors to Find a Good Meal

Illustration by Jenna Luecke.

Before checking out a new restaurant or food cart, people turn to Yelp! or rely on old-fashioned reviews from friends and family. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that bats do something similar, but only when their original dining source takes a turn for the worse.

Grasshopper Mice Are Numb to the Pain of the Bark Scorpion Sting

Grasshopper Mice Are Numb to the Pain of the Bark Scorpion Sting

The painful, potentially deadly stings of bark scorpions are nothing more than a slight nuisance to grasshopper mice, which voraciously kill and consume their prey with ease. When stung, the mice briefly lick their paws and move in again for the kill.

Weddell Seals Hunting and Living Beneath Antarctic Ice

Weddell Seals Hunting and Living Beneath Antarctic Ice

A brief glimpse into the life of an Antarctic Weddell Seal with Ed Farrell.

Singing Mice Protect Their Turf with High-Pitched Tunes

Singing Mice Protect Their Turf with High-Pitched Tunes

Two species of tawny brown singing mice that live deep in the mountain cloud forests of Costa Rica and Panama set their boundaries by emitting high-pitched trills, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered.