Tag Archive: School of Biological Sciences 
Socially Isolated Rats are More Vulnerable to Addiction, Report Researchers
Rats that are socially isolated during a critical period of adolescence are more vulnerable to addiction to amphetamine and alcohol. Amphetamine addiction is also harder to extinguish in the socially isolated rats. These effects, which are described this week in the journal Neuron, persist even after the rats are reintroduced into the community of other rats.
Lack of Key Enzyme in the Metabolism of Folic Acid Leads to Birth Defects
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that the lack of a critical enzyme in the folic acid metabolic pathway leads to neural tube birth defects in developing embryos.
Designer Bacteria May Lead to Better Vaccines
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a menu of 61 new strains of genetically engineered E. coli that may improve the efficacy of vaccines for diseases such as flu, pertussis, cholera and HPV.
Virus Caught in the Act of Infecting a Cell
The detailed changes in the structure of a virus as it infects an E. coli bacterium have been observed for the first time, report researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) Medical School this week in Science Express.
Health Information Exchange Laboratory Launches at The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin formally launches its Health Information Exchange (HIE) laboratory this week. This laboratory simulates the national, state and local networks that are being developed to electronically exchange medical data. The laboratory is part of the university’s pioneering Health IT program offering a certificate program designed to “fast track” university graduates into the rapidly evolving field of health IT.
Systems Biologist Receives $2.5 Million Pioneer Award for Genome Research
Marcotte’s project focuses on what he sees as the next step in “next-generation” genome sequencing technology.
Ancient Enzymes Function like Nanopistons to Unwind RNA
The research found that DEAD-box proteins, which are ancient enzymes found in all forms of life, function as recycling “nanopistons.”
Common Antifungal Drug Decreases Tumor Growth and Shows Promise as Cancer Therapy
An inexpensive antifungal drug, thiabendazole, slows tumor growth and shows promise as a chemotherapy for cancer. Scientists in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin made this discovery by exploiting the evolutionary relatedness of yeast, frogs, mice and humans.
Biologist Receives $1.5 Million to Study Potential Biofuel Crops
A biologist at The University of Texas at Austin has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study native prairie grasses as potential sources of biofuel.
Vertebrates Share Ancient Neural Circuitry for Complex Social Behaviors, Biologists Find
Humans, fish and frogs share neural circuits responsible for a diversity of social behavior, from flashy mating displays to aggression and monogamy, that have existed for more than 450 million years, biologists at The University of Texas at Austin found.
