December 19, 2025 Research led by U biologist Franz Goller reveals how cowbirds create ‘liquid’ notes by tightly controlling two sound sources in their vocal organ, mimicking the physics of falling water droplets. Cowbirds are special among songbirds for the “watery” timbre of their singing, which resembles the sound of falling droplets striking water, a […]
Read MoreThe salty waters of the Great Salt Lake are not as inhospitable as once thought. It all began when Utah’s own Dune worm hunters—biologist Julie Jung, then a postdoctoral fellow working in the lab of Assistant Professor Michael Werner at the University of Utah—decided to take a closer look. This story was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered (December 16, 2025). The […]
Read More“I grew up in Provo in the 60s and 70s and always felt out of place. I’m out here in the American West living in totalizing culture that was shaping my identity into something I would wake up to, look in the mirror and didn’t recognize. It felt like I was in a fishbowl, looking […]
Read MoreReposted from U of U Health. Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health conditions in the United States, affecting about one in five people. But much remains unknown about the roots of anxiety in the brain. Now, research at the University of Utah has identified two surprising groups of brain cells in mice […]
Read MoreGraduating seniors Isabella Scalise (L) and Nathan Patchen (R) Behind every scholarship is a student whose life and opportunities have been transformed.Two University of Utah students share how the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), mentorship, research and financial support have shaped their journeys and set them up for what comes next. Biology Scholarships. College of Science […]
Read MorePictured left to right: Kai Cruz, Isabel DuBay, Hanson Gu, Gaby Karakcheyeva, Jasmine Malhi, and Shaelyn Preede. (Photo from Office of Alumni Relations) Each year at homecoming, the University of Utah honors six exceptional undergraduate students who exemplify academic excellence, campus involvement, and community service. This year’s homecoming court included two remarkable seniors from the […]
Read MoreOctober 29, 2025 Above: Jamie Gagnon “I hope our research is valuable because some of the specific insights we make might ultimately help us think about treatments for humans,” says newly announced University of Utah Presidential Scholar Jamie Gagnon. “But I think our greatest impact will be sharing the joy of scientific discovery with the […]
Read MoreOctober 29, 2025 Above: Richard Clark To those outside the loop, the importance of scientific studies into topics like rocks, insects and other abundant everyday objects may seem small. But such studies are among the most critical to pursue. Something common enough to have daily effects is, well, having daily effects! In the case of […]
Read MoreOctober 23, 2025 Above: David Goldenberg in front of Ludwig Boltzmann’s grave, Vienna, with his bust and the famous equation. When David Goldenberg arrived at the University of Utah’s School of Biological Sciences in 1985, he brought with him a passion for understanding one of biology’s most fundamental mysteries: how proteins fold. Over his remarkable 40-year […]
Read MoreOctober 16, 2025 Above: The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin For the first time, scientists can freeze-frame the exact moment an animal makes up their mind and commits to a choice—simply by looking at their brain activity. In the new study led by Princeton University, researchers used AI to trace the trajectory of decision making in […]
Read MoreOctober 9 2025 Above: Geoscientist Thure Cerling In a year of exceptional accomplishments Thure Cerling has been been awarded the Penrose Medal by the Geological Society of America. He will accept the award on October 19th at GSA Connects 2025 in Texas. The GSA bestows medals and awards to recognize individuals who have, through their […]
Read MoreOctober 3, 2025 Above: Red-cheeked Cordonbleu. Credit: Çağan Şekercioğlu Çağan Şekercioğlu was an ambitious, but perhaps naive graduate student when, 26 years ago, he embarked on a simple data-compilation project that would soon evolve into a massive career-defining achievement. With the help of countless students and volunteers, the University of Utah conservation biologist has finally released […]
Read MoreOctober 3, 2025 Above: Steven Naleway, left, and Atul Agrawal examine a fungal culture growing in a liquid medium in Naleway’s lab at the University of Utah’s College of Engineering. Photo credit: Dan Hixson. Fungi are vital to natural ecosystems by breaking down dead organic material and cycling it back into the environment as nutrients. But […]
Read MoreSeptember 22, 2025 Above: The woodrat (genus: Neotoma) It’s not easy eating green, as most plants have chemical defenses to deter would-be grazers. Getting enough to eat, while minimizing exposure to toxins, is a persistent challenge that shapes an herbivore’s foraging choices. Do they boost their survival by eating a bit of everything, bypass biological booby […]
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2025 Above: Abigail Bruzual In June 2021, I moved to the United States from Quito, Ecuador, for my final year of high school and to pursue a degree at the University of Utah. While I have a wide range of interests, my early involvement in research—starting with the Science Research Initiative (SRI) freshman year—marked […]
Read More‘Greatest honor I could possibly receive’ September 12, 2025 Above: Phyllis “Lissy” Coley at the newly named Phyllis D. Coley Trail on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Credit: Jorge Aleman “I first went to Barro Colorado Island in 1975, where I did my thesis, postdoc and many more years of research, most with Tom,” says Phyllis […]
Read MoreSeptember 8, 2025 Above: A 36 kg male wolf (Canis lupus) named “Shaggy” by taggers with the environmental organization Kuzey Doga. Not more than five minutes after being tagged, the animal was gone. Nathan Murthy, a senior at the University of Utah majoring in Earth and Environmental Science recently returned from doing field work in Turkey. This is the second […]
Read MoreAugust 19, 2025 Above: “Rufous-tailed Scrub Robbins in-hand: These Scrub Robbins were caught in the same round. Alva found one and Maria found one. Since they are good friends, they were excited to show each other their cool finds. They were surprised to find out that they had found the same birds.” All photos: courtesy […]
Read MoreAugust 14, 2025 Above: Great Salt Lake Utah’s Great Salt Lake is a place of extremes, and its ecosystem is evidence that life can thrive under some of Earth’s most hostile conditions. Scientist say it may hold clues for life on other planets, too, especially Mars, which was once replete with salty lakes. Specifically, researchers […]
Read MoreJuly 30, 2025 Carbon ‘off-sets’ are not working. U-led research results in roadmap for harnessing Earth’s natural processes to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide A lot of the climate-altering carbon pollution we humans release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels gets drawn into Earth’s oceans and landscapes through natural processes, mostly through photosynthesis as plants […]
Read MoreJuly 1, 2025 Above: In his lab, David Carrier: “If you’re going to study fighting, sometimes you have to get punched in the face.” An evolutionary biologist, boundary pusher and occasional lab hazard, Dave Carrier didn’t just study evolution. He tested it — on himself, on treadmills, and sometimes in the ring. Over a career spanning more […]
Read MoreJune 19, 2025 Above: William “Bill” Anderegg at the opening session of the 2025 Wilkes Center Summit in May. Credit: Todd Anderson Inaugural Director William Anderegg has established a legacy of communicating science and convening innovators at The Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy After three years as the founding director of the Wilkes Center […]
Read MoreResearch carries the power to go beyond the horizons of what healthcare can be, allowing for the innovation of more tailored solutions that account for a wider range of patients. My research journey began in the Lamb Lab, where I studied cerebral malaria, a severe complication of the malaria infection that can be fatal due […]
Read MoreMarch 18, 2025 Above: Shrinivasan “Cheenu” Raghuraman “If you close your eyes and put your fingers together above your head, you know exactly where the tips of your fingers are, right? That property is called ‘proprioception’, your body knows where your limbs are in three dimensional space.” The same property is there for fish too. […]
Read MoreJune 4, 2025 Above: Ryker Ray (left) and Hunter Hastings One of the newest majors available for undergraduate students at the University of Utah is Earth & Environmental Science (EES). The program fuses principles from atmospheric science, geology, and ecology to address key questions about the environment — including freshwater availability, the effects of extreme weather, and […]
Read MoreBirds regularly shed and regrow their body and wing feathers in a process, called molting, that is critical for flight, migration, insulation, breeding and survival. A new study by University of Utah biologists examined molt phenology, or the timing of feather replacement, in response to climate change and made some startling discoveries. Using 13 years […]
Read MoreMay 20, 2025 Above: Thure Cerling Whether it’s roadkill livestock or his own beard hairs, Thure Cerling’s keen eye for objects to analyze has led to scientific discoveries, both unexpected and groundbreaking. Over the course of an academic career spanning five decades, the University of Utah geoscientist has developed numerous forensic tools, such as isotope […]
Read MoreMay 13, 2025 Originally from Tennessee, moving across the country was daunting, but it also was the start to a transformative journey filled with leadership, discovery, and lasting connections. From the beginning, biology felt like a natural fit. “Both of my parents studied microbiology, so I grew up viewing the world through a microscopic lens,” […]
Read MoreMay 7, 2025 Salt Lake City—The office of the Governor of Utah announced that University of Utah biologist M. Denise Dearing is this year’s recipient of the prestigious 2025 Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology in the Academia/Research category. The selection for this significant honor follows a rigorous process involving peer nominations, evaluation by […]
Read MoreMay 2, 2025 Cholera kills thousands of people and infects hundreds of thousands every year—and cases have spiked in recent years, leaving governments with an urgent need to find better ways to control outbreaks. Current public health guidelines discourage treating cholera, a severe diarrheal disease caused by waterborne bacteria, with antibiotics in all but the most […]
Read More“Growing up in an immigrant household where my parents instilled the importance of education.” “Language and culture have always been important in my family and integral to my upbringing and life at home. I was born in the U.S. My parents immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2002, looking for employment and educational […]
Read MoreApril 23, 2025 “After I got out of the military, I was planning on going into nursing and was taking classes in Washington. I took a microbiology class and I loved the course. When I completed it, I asked the professor for a letter of recommendation and when he gave it to me, he told […]
Read More“I have learned that research is hard and that it does not always work,” Kayla says, “But perseverance and dedication pays off and I hope to bring this attitude into graduate school and the future!” Over the past two years Kayla Marks has worked in the Judson-Torres lab at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, contributing to […]
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