Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · 4h

UT Austin has a new “genius grant” recipient!

Texas Science professor Jason McLellan has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship — aka the “genius grant” — by The MacArthur Foundation.

#TexasScience @mclellanlab.bsky.social #MacArthurGenius @utaustin.bsky.social
cns.utexas.edu/news/accolad...

Virus Slayer Awarded ‘Genius Grant’ by MacArthur Foundation

The award recognizes Jason McLellan’s work to investigate how viruses infect our cells and to develop new treatments for infectious disease.

cns.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · 5d

@texas-ib.bsky.social l @nancy-moran.bsky.social

Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · 5d

The Mexican honey wasp is a bit of an oddball: it makes and eats honey like a bee, but when it’s hankering for protein, instead of pollen, it eats other insects. A new study finds its gut microbiome is more like bees than wasps. Funded by USDA and NSF. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Two Mexican honey wasps, which are bee-like insects with black bodies, yellow stripes on the lower abdomen and honey-colored wings. Photo credit: Alex Wild.

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Reposted by Texas Science

NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI) @nsfsimonscosmicai.bsky.social · 13d

Exciting news! Introducing AstroVisBench: A Code Benchmark for Scientific Computing and Visualization in Astronomy!

A new benchmark developed by researchers at the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins is testing how well LLMs implement scientific workflows in astronomy and visualize results.

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · 16d

Biologists at UT Austin found a bird that’s the natural result of a green jay & a blue jay’s mating — it may be among the first examples of a hybrid that exists because of recent changing patterns in the climate.
#TexasScience #GrueJay #BlueJay #GreenJay #ClimateChange
cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...

So What Should We Call This – a Grue Jay?

The rare hybrid offspring of a blue jay and a green jay is likely a result of weather-related shifts in the range of two species.

cns.utexas.edu

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Reposted by Texas Science

Integrative Biology - UT Austin @texas-ib.bsky.social · 23d

The Texas Science & History Museum is having free admission from 1 to 5 pm on Sunday, Sept. 21 during Austin Museum Day! Don't miss this great chance to see all the amazing things this museum has been up to! sciencemuseum.utexas.edu?gad_source=1...

Texas Science & Natural History Museum

Explore Texas’ unique natural history at Texas Science & Natural History Museum at The University of Texas at Austin.

sciencemuseum.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · 28d

🚨 Stephen Hawking was right: when two black holes collide, the resulting black hole has a bigger surface area than the originals. Amazing finding on the 10th anniversary of gravitational wave astronomy!

Stephen Hawking Was Right: Black Holes Always Grow in Area

Researchers celebrate 10th anniversary of gravitational wave discovery, announce verification of a Hawking theorem.

cns.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Sep 4

To kill bacteria, antibodies usually need helpers, but a new method yields antibodies that can kill bacteria directly by busting up their outer membranes. Read more: lcid.utexas.edu/news/researc...

Two microscope images: one shows intact tube-shaped bacteria, the other shows a bacterium whose skin has burst, spilling its contents.

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Sep 2

Peter Stone of @utcompsci.bsky.social & @texasrobotics.bsky.social was part of a panel asking an intriguing question:

Computing Research Association (CRA) @cra-hq.bsky.social · Aug 29

🤔 Should artificial intelligence (AI) be taught as a specialization within computer science, or offered as a standalone degree?

Get the full recap of the CS vs. AI smackdown from the 2025 CRA Summit: cra.org/crn/2025/08/...

#CRASummit #AIEducation #CS #AI

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Reposted by Texas Science

Integrative Biology - UT Austin @texas-ib.bsky.social · Aug 27

Introducing the 2025 Stengl-Wyer Scholars, Fellows, and Grant Awardees! Another talented group we are excited to have! Learn about their fascinating research in our first blog posting of the fall semester. biodiversity.utexas.edu/news/feature...

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Aug 22

Congrats to Stella Offner on earning a Cottrell Scholar Singular Exceptional Endeavors of Discovery (SEED) Award for 2025!

#CottrellScholars #TexasScience @utaustin.bsky.social @texasastronomy.bsky.social @mcdonaldobs.bsky.social

Research Corporation for Science Advancement @rescorp.org · Aug 22

RCSA has made awards to 10 #CottrellScholars to advance high-impact research activities through its 2025 Cottrell SEED Awards.

2025 Cottrell SEED Awards

Research Corporation for Science Advancement has made awards to ten Cottrell Scholars to advance high-impact research activities through its Cottrell SEED (Singular Exceptional Endeavors of Discovery)...

rescorp.org

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Aug 21

Kudos to Edoardo Baldini, William Gilpin & Daehyeok Kim on earning Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Awards from the National Science Foundation!

#NSF #CAREERAwards #EarlyCareerDevelopment #TexasScience @wgilpin.bsky.social @utphysics.bsky.social
cns.utexas.edu/news/accolad...

Three College of Natural Sciences Faculty Win NSF CAREER Awards

3 UT faculty in computer science and physics won an NSF award recognizing their potential to serve as academic role models.

cns.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Aug 15

“Everyday acts of support — whether organized or personal — can have lasting cognitive impact.”
— Sae Hwang Han, study lead & UT Austin asst. prof. of human development & family sciences

#HelpingOthers #CognitiveDecline #CognitiveAging #TexasScience @umassboston.bsky.social @utaustin.bsky.social

Helping Others Shown To Slow Cognitive Decline

Regular volunteering or helping others outside the home can reduce the rate of cognitive aging by 15-20%.

cns.utexas.edu

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Reposted by Texas Science

NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI) @nsfsimonscosmicai.bsky.social · Aug 6

Vote to bring our panel “Revolutionizing Astronomy + AI with Next Generation Big Data” to SXSW! Register for a SXSW account & vote by clicking the heart ❤️ - open now til Aug 24!
participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx... @stephajuneau.bsky.social @niall2.bsky.social

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

participate.sxsw.com

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Aug 7

The most distant black hole ever observed has just been confirmed by astronomers at UT Austin’s Cosmic Frontier Center!

#BlackHole @utaustin.bsky.social @astrosteven.bsky.social
news.utexas.edu/2025/08/06/m...

Meet the Universe’s Earliest Confirmed Black Hole: A Monster at the Dawn of Time

AUSTIN, Texas — An international team of astronomers, led by The University of Texas at Austin’s Cosmic Frontier Center, has identified the most distant

news.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Aug 1

UT scientist Misha Matz talked with KXAN News about a radical strategy to help save our coral reefs — which help protect against damage from tsunamis & hurricanes.

#CoralReef #CoralReefRestoration @heatshok.bsky.social @utaustin.bsky.social @texas-ib.bsky.social @kxan.com

KXAN News @kxan.com · Jul 31

Scientists are warning that one of the best defenses against damage from tsunamis and hurricanes is facing its potential doom.

Tsunami and hurricane defenses around the world are failing; UT scientist suggests drastic action

Coral reefs around the world are facing devastation due to warming oceans and disease, threatening the protection they provide against tsunamis and hurricanes. According to scientists, healthy cora…

www.kxan.com

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 29

A foundation of knowledge about AI has never mattered more. With the U.S. NSF, we are doubling down on research and initiatives to help meet demand for a highly skilled AI workforce.

UT Expands Research on AI Accuracy and Reliability to Support Breakthroughs in Science, Technology and the Workforce

AUSTIN, Texas — A National Science Foundation artificial intelligence institute based at The University of Texas at Austin will receive continued funding

news.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 25

🧬 A new AI tool from @utaustin.bsky.social & Sanofi could speed the development of mRNA-based therapies for viruses, cancers and genetic disorders. RiboNN predicts which mRNA sequences will be most efficiently translated into proteins. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc... @taccutexas.bsky.social

New AI Tool Accelerates mRNA-Based Treatments for Viruses, Cancers, Genetic Disorders

UT Austin and Sanofi partner to build tool that predicts translation efficiency of mRNA sequences.

cns.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 24

Congrats to our #TexasScience grads Allie Murphy, Thomas Wynn & Miriam Yampuler on earning Fulbright U.S. Student Awards!

Learn how they’re using those awards in the link below.

#Fulbright @utaustin.bsky.social
cns.utexas.edu/news/accolad...

Three Recent Texas Science Graduates Receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards

Three UT Austin alumni received Fulbright U.S Student Awards for 2025-26.

cns.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 18

Meet Neha Donthineni, Niels Levy-Thiebaut & Franchesca Untalan, three Texas Science students who won 2025 President’s Leadership Awards!

Learn why at txsci.net/StarStudents.

Bonus: Niels Levy-Thiebaut was also featured in our Texas Scientist magazine! Read his Q&A at txsci.net/Niels.

Neha Donthineni. A student with long, dark, curly hair wears a black top with white pants. She is wearing a Longhorn pendant on a gold chain and standing in front of a backdrop that is half white (left) and half burnt orange (right). Photo Credit: Matt Wright-Steel

Niels Levy-Thiebaut. A student with short dark hair is wearing a white t-shirt and light khaki pants. He is wearing a silver analog watch and standing in front of a white background. Photo Credit: Matt Wright-Steel

Franchesca Untalan. A student with long, straight black hair is wearing white shorts with a brown belt, a taupe top with matching high-heeled shoes and a white formal jacket with the sleeves rolled up slightly. She is wearing a small pendant on a gold chain and standing in front of a backdrop that is half white (left) and half burnt orange (right) and on top of a black drop cloth with her left hand on her hip. Photo Credit: Matt Wright-Steel

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 15

This functional knee joint, with flexible ligaments & rigid bones, was 3D-printed via a precise new method seamlessly merging soft & hard properties into a single object by using different colors of light.

Learn more at txsci.net/3DBreakthrough

#TexasScience #UTAustin #3DPrinting

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 11

Check out our latest issue of the Texas Scientist magazine!

Learn about futuristic fuels, AI in STEM education & healthcare and much more.

Read it now at txsci.net/TexasScientist — or grab a print copy at UT’s Texas Science & Natural History Museum on campus.

#TexasScience #TheTexasScientist

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 11

An international team of geneticists & archaeologists — including UT’s Vagheesh Narasimhan — used #AncientDNA to reconstruct the prehistoric origins of two major Eurasian language families: Uralic and Yeniseian.

#TexasScience #Archaeogenetics @utaustin.bsky.social
cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...

New DNA Evidence Reveals Origins of Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian Languages

The study identifies an ancestral population in Central Siberia linked to the origin of Uralic languages.

cns.utexas.edu

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 10

A measles outbreak simulator developed at The University of Texas at Austin is helping protect communities across the U.S. by modeling how infections might spread, especially through schools. www.statesman.com/story/news/h... #epiEngage @taccutexas.bsky.social ‪@utaustin.bsky.social

How Austin officials are helping to stop measles outbreak with data

The University of Texas and Austin Public Health created a measles simulator for school districts and private schools around the county to better …

www.statesman.com

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Texas Science @texasscience.bsky.social · Jul 1

A set of weapons bacteria use to fight each other, called microcins, are much more widespread and diverse than previously thought. They might inspire new ways to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. Learn more in Nature Communications: rdcu.be/eumkH

A grid of 20 petri dishes showcasing diverse bacterial colonies in varying colors and growth patterns, on a neutral gray background.

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