Stereochemistry is a science of reflection. Two chemical molecules with the same composition and structure, but with one as the mirror image of the other, can produce wildly varying effects. Controlling which molecule emerges from a given reaction is a critical, but sometimes poorly understood, process. But University of Utah chemist Matt Sigman has been […]
Research
Simulations enable “choose-your-own-adventure” stereochemistry
Diverse forests are stronger against drought
Diversity is strength, even among forests. In a paper published in Nature, researchers led by University of Utah biologist William Anderegg report that forests with trees that employ a high diversity of traits related to water use suffer less of an impact from drought. The results, which expand on previous work that looked at individual […]
When to Evacuate Residents During a Wildfire
When a wildfire breaks out and approaches a community, how do emergency managers decide when residents should evacuate? “Wildfire evacuation decision-making is challenging because the incident commanders need to take into account fire progression, population distribution and evacuation traffic,” explained Dapeng Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at South Dakota State University. […]
Following Twitter Conversations Around Hacked Diabetes Tools to Manage Blood Sugar
The diabetes online community is leading grassroots efforts focused on accelerating the development, access and adoption of diabetes-related tools to manage the disease. Researchers at University of Utah Health examined the community’s online Twitter conversation to understand their thoughts concerning open source artificial pancreas (OpenAPS) technology. The results of this study are available online in […]
Finding That Links ALS/Ataxia to Cellular Stress Opens New Approaches for Treatment
Few treatments exist for neurodegenerative diseases that progressively rob a person’s ability to move and think, yet the results of a new study are opening additional approaches for exploration. Scientists at University of Utah Health report for the first time that a protein, called Staufen1, accumulates in cells of patients suffering from degenerative ataxia or […]
Drought, migration and violence in Kenya
As droughts worsen across the globe, more people who earn their living through farming and owning livestock are forced to leave their homes. Many academics and policymakers predict that the rise in migration may lead to an increase in violent conflict. However, most existing studies on the topic use country-level or regional data that fail […]
Birds retreating from climate change, deforestation in Honduras cloud forests
The cloud forests of Honduras can seem like an otherworldly place, where the trees are thick with life that takes in water straight from the air around it, and the soundscape is littered with the calls of animals singing back and forth. Otherworldly, yes, but scientists have found that the cloud forests are not immune […]
U Of U Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health Receives $8.4 M for Training and Research
The University of Utah’s Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH), the first statutorily established occupational health center in the U. S., has won a $8.43 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to train graduate students and residents and conduct research in occupational safety and health. […]
Genetic tools uncover cause of childhood seizure disorder missed by other methods
Early childhood seizures result from a rare disease that begin in the first months of life. Researchers at University of Utah Health have developed high-tech tools to uncover the genetic cause of the most difficult to diagnose cases. The results are available online on Aug. 13 in the journal Nature Genomic Medicine. “These tools let […]
Picture this: Camera with no lens
In the future, your car windshield could become a giant camera sensing objects on the road. Or each window in a home could be turned into a security camera. University of Utah electrical and computer engineers have discovered a way to create an optics-less camera in which a regular pane of glass or any see-through […]