Latest University of Texas Stories

The development of new organic batteries"”lightweight energy storage devices that work without the need for toxic heavy metals"”has a brighter future now that chemists have discovered a new way to pass electrons back and forth between two molecules.The research is also a necessary step toward creating artificial photosynthesis, where fuel could be generated directly from the sun, much as plants do.University of Texas at Austin chemists Christopher Bielawski and Jonathan Sessler led the...

If you want to live a longer life, try drinking more. That's the interestingly unusual conclusion of a new study suggesting that non-drinkers do not live as long as heavy drinkers. The study, which appears in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, followed 1,824 participants over a 20 year period, of which two-thirds were men. Charles Holahan, of the University of Texas at Austin, headed a group of scientists that filtered out "socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number...

Computational scientists and geophysicists at the University of Texas at Austin and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed new computer algorithms that for the first time allow for the simultaneous modeling of the Earth's mantle flow, large-scale tectonic plate motions, and the behavior of individual fault zones, to produce an unprecedented view of plate tectonics and the forces that drive it.A paper describing the whole-earth model and its underlying algorithms was...

Inhibiting a cell division-regulating protein can improve response to taxane chemotherapyFor the first time, Salt Inducible Kinase 2 (SIK2) has been found to play a critical role in cell division and to regulate the response of some ovarian cancers to chemotherapy.Findings were reported by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the August issue of Cancer Cell. The study adds to growing evidence that combination therapies targeting different phases of the cell...

EDINBURG, Texas, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Texas - Pan American (UTPA) has launched a start-up company that may revolutionize manufacturing. FibeRio Technology Corporation is perfecting a new technology called ForceSpinning (TM) to create the microscopic nanofibers used to produce everything from traditional textiles and personal care products to medical supplies and aerospace materials, with potential applications ranging from tissue engineering to drug delivery. How are...

Molecular connection is crucial to fix DNA double-strand breaksA team of investigators led by a physician-scientist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has shown for the first time that the small protein SUMO can team up with the replication protein A (RPA) complex to facilitate DNA repair. The study is published in the Aug. 13 edition of the journal Molecular Cell.RPA 70 is a component of multiprotein machinery called the RPA complex, which plays a crucial role in DNA...

HOUSTON, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The radiation oncologist's mantra is to deliver the maximum dose of radiation to the malignant tumor, while limiting damage to healthy surrounding tissue. In proton therapy, this balance is achieved by using proton particles, accelerated to nearly the speed of light, to mimic the shape of a tumor and effectively deposit their energy within the confines of it with sub-millimeter precision. New tools are enabling physicians at the Proton Therapy Center at The...

Circulating aberrant cells increase as non-small cell lung cancer progressesA novel approach detects genetically abnormal cells in the blood of non-small cell lung cancer patients that match abnormalities found in tumor cells and increase in number with the severity of the disease, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.Lung cancer patients in the study also had many times the number of these...

International research team studied differences between 2004 and 2005 quakesSumatra experiences frequent seismic activity because it is located near the boundary of two of Earth's tectonic plates. Earthquakes occur at 'subduction zones,' such as the one west of Indonesia, when one tectonic plate is forced under another--or subducts. Instead of sliding across one another smoothly, the plates stick, and energy builds up until they finally slip or 'rupture', releasing that stored energy as an...

A team of scientists from the Instituto Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of Texas has succeeded in identifying one of the most complex organic molecules yet found in the material between the stars, the so-called interstellar medium. The discovery of anthracene could help resolve a decades-old astrophysical mystery concerning the production of organic molecules in space. The researchers report their findings in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical...