News

Podcast

Cocktail Party Effect

Your brain has to do all sorts of tricks to focus on just one voice floating in a sea of noise, including localization

Illustration of a see-through brain with bright orange spots scattered in the interior

Research

Dr. Laura Colgin receives NSF CAREER award

Features

2015 Summer Blockbusters: Meet Our Science Truth Detector

With summer movie season in full swing, cinema-goers are leaving theaters with one big question in mind: “Wait, could that really happen?”

Cartoon characters representing different feelings stand around a control console

Features

6 Tips for Staying Sharp

Experts at UT Austin share what science says about how students can stay sharp during busy times.

A hand writes on paper amidst a desk strewn with items including a coffee cup, snacks, a book of puzzles and a tennis racquet

Features

Hooray for Pi Day

Pi plays a central role in the research of scientists and mathematicians at UT Austin.

A pi symbol

UT News

Alcohol Abuse Linked to Newly Identified Gene Network

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have identified a network of genes that appear to work together in determining alcohol dependence. The findings, which could lead to future treatments and therapies for alcoholics and possibly help doctors screen for alcoholism, are being published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Sean Farris in the UT Austin VizLab standing in front of a screen showing gene networks, his arms crossed

UT News

Mutation Stops Worms From Getting Drunk

Neuroscientists at The University of Texas at Austin have generated mutant worms that do not get intoxicated by alcohol, a result that could lead to new drugs to treat the symptoms of people going through alcohol withdrawal.

A visual comparison of a sober and an intoxicated worm. Image courtesy of Jon Pierce-Shimomura.

Research

Neurons in the Brain Tune into Different Frequencies for Different Spatial Memory Tasks

The findings may provide insight into the cognitive and memory disruptions seen in diseases such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's.

A slice of rat brain stained purple to indicate the hippocampus