News: Research
Switchgrass Genes Offer Advantages as Climate Change Tool
This native grass can capture atmospheric carbon in its substantial root system.
Like Their Domestic Cousins, Native Bees are Hurt by Pesticides
Numerous studies have found negative impacts of agrochemicals, such as neonicotinoids, on both honey bees and native bees, and researchers like Felicity Muth and her lab at UT Austin are contributing to this field.
UT News
New Study on Climate Change Impacts on Plants Could Lead to Better Conservation Strategies
The loss of plant species that are especially vulnerable to climate change might lead to bigger problems than previous studies have suggested
UT News
Long-Living Tropical Trees Play Outsized Role in Carbon Storage
A group of trees that grow fast, live long lives and reproduce slowly account for the bulk of the biomass.
Department of Molecular Biosciences
Bacteria Engineered to Protect Bees from Pests and Pathogens
Genetically engineered strains of bacteria protect bees from mites and viruses that can lead to colony collapse.
Scientists Identify Genes that Help Protect Plant Genomes
The discovery holds important implications for our understanding of age-related disorders and cancers in humans.
Central Texas Salamanders, Including Newly Identified Species, At Risk of Extinction
More severe droughts caused by climate change and increasing water use in Central Texas have left groundwater salamanders “highly vulnerable to extinction.”
Evolution Used Same Genetic Formula to Turn Animals Monogamous
In five cases where vertebrates evolved monogamy, the same changes in gene expression occurred each time.
UT News
Females Prefer City Frogs’ Tunes
Urban sophistication has real sex appeal — at least if you’re a Central American amphibian. Male frogs in cities are more attractive to females than their forest-frog counterparts, according to a new study from Mike Ryan and others published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Common Weed Killer Linked to Bee Deaths
The world’s most widely used weed killer, Roundup, causes honey bees to lose some of their beneficial bacteria and are more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria.