News: Research
Natural Labs: UT Field Stations Help Predict Drought Impact
UT scientists study how droughts affect local ecosystems at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory and the Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station.
![A wooden frame with clear pastic cover sits in a field of grass and shrubs surrounded by trees](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/droughtnet-bfl2400x1350.jpg)
Tracking the Impacts of Climate Change on Food Webs in the Arctic
New research provides the latest evidence that climate change is having an impact on food webs in high-latitude ecosystems.
![One scientist in protective clothing against insects leans over a metal circle in a grassy area, while another dressed similarly taking notes seated in the grass nearby](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/scientists-experiment-protective-clothing-3-2.jpg)
AI Tech Accurately Diagnoses Knee Arthritis from Medical Images
Vagheesh Narasimhan and Prakash Jayakumar trained an AI on x-ray images from tens of thousands of people in the UK Biobank.
![Two x-rays of knees](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/fig1-edited-2400x1600.png)
Five Lessons from UT Austin Science about Planning for Living with Heat
In our endless summer, research on heat impacts offers insights on how best to adapt.
![CNS Scientists have been applying their research in ways that will help communities respond to heat.](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/heat-thumbnail.jpg)
Female Butterflies See UV Light Thanks to a Gene Hiding in an Unusual Place
In some species, female and male butterflies apparently perceive colors differently.
![A butterfly with black and white striped wings](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/heliconius-1200x800.jpg)
Tropical Trees Use Social Distancing to Maintain Biodiversity
Researchers discovered that adult trees in a Panamanian forest are three times as distant from trees of their species as would be predicted.
![An aerial shot of a forest shows species of trees clustered together near a river](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/3-2_-_dipteryx_oleifera_-_christian_ziegler70.jpeg)
Some Frogs Use Toxins to Deter Predators, but Evolution Doesn’t Supply Free Lunch
Poison frogs are able to withstand a toxin which they use to deter predators, but not without a cost.
![Anthony’s poison frog (Epipedobates anthonyi). CREDIT: David Cannatella](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/poison_frog_teaser_image.jpeg)
Genes That Shape Bones Identified, Offering Clues About Our Past and Future
An application of AI to medical imaging datasets has revealed genetics of the skeletal form for the first time.
![Image of human skeleton imposed over DNA double helix](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/skeletalai-thumbnail.jpg)
Relationships Between Temperature and Animals’ Sizes Has Been Clarified
The new research offers important insights about how animals, particularly birds, may adapt to the rapid rise in temperatures driven by global climate change
![Imaging showing bird species and where they fall on the temperature gradient](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/birds-thumbnail.jpg)
‘We’re All Asgardians’: New Clues about the Origin of Complex Life
All complex life, a.k.a. eukaryotes, trace their roots to a common Asgard archaean ancestor.
![An evolutionary tree shows how eukaryotes are related to Asgard archaea](https://cns.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/3-2-fan-eukarya.jpg)