News: Research

Research

Natural Labs: UT Field Stations Help Predict Drought Impact

UT scientists study how droughts affect local ecosystems at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory and the Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station.

A wooden frame with clear pastic cover sits in a field of grass and shrubs surrounded by trees

Research

Five Lessons from UT Austin Science about Planning for Living with Heat

In our endless summer, research on heat impacts offers insights on how best to adapt.

CNS Scientists have been applying their research in ways that will help communities respond to heat.

Research

Female Butterflies See UV Light Thanks to a Gene Hiding in an Unusual Place

In some species, female and male butterflies apparently perceive colors differently.

A butterfly with black and white striped wings

UT News

Invasive Grass in Texas Uses Chemical Warfare to Crowd Out Native Species

An invasive grass causing havoc in Texas and contributing to wildfires packs a one-two wallop against native plants. Guinea grass uses a combination of crowding that blocks out light from growing seedlings and what amounts to a chemical warfare in soil that is toxic to native plants, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

Researchers in the field examine Guinea grass

Research

Urban Gardens Are Good for Ecosystems and Humans

Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem.

urban garden featuring plants and raised beds

UT News

Invading Hordes of Crazy Ants May Have Finally Met Their Kryptonite

UT Austin scientists have demonstrated how to use a naturally occurring fungus to crush local populations of invasive tawny crazy ants.

Ants swarm on a larger, dead insect

Research

Some Trees May Play an Outsized Role in the Fight on Global Warming

A new study shows that nitrogen-fixing trees could help forests remove more heat-trapping COS from the atmosphere than previously thought.

Sunlight peeks through the trees

Research

Meet Stengl-Wyer Scholar: Shana Caro

Shana Caro is one of three scholars starting at UT this year.

A woman stands outside holding a superb starling

UT News

Hunting for a Better Biofuel Is Scope of New UT Austin-Led Research

How to make humble switchgrass into a biofuel powerhouse.

Aerial photo shows a large field of clumps of switchgrass

UT News

The Nurdle Patrol Wages War on Plastic Pellets, With Boost from Lawsuit Settlement

Plastic pollution has contaminated every continent on Earth, and some of the smallest plastic particles, called nurdles, are among the most insidious.

Closeup image of thumb and forefinger holding a tiny plastic ball between them with a blurry beach in the background