Research & Creative Activity

Sargasso Sea plankton and other marine microbes take turns sharing nutrients. A new study co-authored by Steven Wilhelm, Kenneth and Blaire Mossman Professor in microbiology; Joshua Weitz, mathematical modeling professor at the University of Maryland; and team found that microbes in the Sargasso Sea divide nutrients throughout their communities over time, supporting coexistence and efficient…

Does it get overwhelming? UT faculty team investigates how animals react to overwhelming options. Humans can have a lot to consider when working out the best choices for their needs: buying a car, choosing a home, or just shopping for groceries. An overwhelming number of options can give a person pause. Animals experience this same…

Assistant Professor Andrew Monteith’s lab in the Department of Microbiology is documenting how key immune cells detect infection and how that fails to happen in people with lupus.  Research Associate Ashley Wise led a study focused on neutrophils, the most abundant type of immune cell, and how their mitochondria function as sensory organelles to detect…

A Vol researcher who studies the geochemistry of rocks and meteorites to understand the deep interior of Earth and the early history of our solar system has been named a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA). Shichun Huang, the Gerald D. Sisk Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences,…

The smallest Earth-bound organisms can inspire technology that will someday reach far across the solar system in the search for extraterrestrial life. UT Microbiology Professor Jill Mikucki studies how microbial life forms interact with their environments—and helps fellow scientists and engineers test the tools to detect the microbial impact throughout entire ecosystems. Mikucki’s field work…