Latest Research News

Biologist receives funding to investigate hearing loss

Wednesday, August 11, 2021
A University of Iowa biologist received funding to investigate hearing loss in humans. Steven Green will continue his research into how responses to progesterone will lead to therapeutics for repairing damage to the inner ear caused by noise. The funding is from the National Institutes of Health.

Physicist wins award for space-based technology

Wednesday, July 14, 2021
A University of Iowa physicist has won an award from NASA to improve the readiness of a particular technology for future space-based missions. Casey DeRoo will focus on building and measuring the performance of an optical element known as diffraction grating.

Physicists led by University of Iowa more fully describe sun’s electric field

Wednesday, July 14, 2021
A team of physicists led by the University of Iowa have described in fuller detail the sun’s electric field. The researchers measured the flow of electrons streaming from the sun as the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft made its closest approach to date to our home star.

Physicists win NASA funding to upgrade astronomical space telescopes

Tuesday, June 29, 2021
University of Iowa physicists have won NASA funding to fabricate and test gratings for use in the ultraviolet range in space-based astronomy. Keri Hoadley and Casey DeRoo will use the $900,000 to create reflection gratings superior to those typically used for large, astronomical space telescopes.

Traffic deaths increased during the pandemic. The toll fell more heavily on Black residents, report shows.

Thursday, June 24, 2021
Corinne Peek-Asa, a professor in the University of Iowa’s Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, discusses how as COVID-19 spread more readily through communities of color, an increase in traffic deaths was probably a result of the compounding of existing inequities.

PhD student Cecilia Fasano wins three-year NASA research grant

Thursday, June 17, 2021
Cecilia Fasano, a PhD student in the UI Department of Physics and Astronomy, has earned a three-year Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) fellowship from NASA's Astrophysics Division to advance her research into making and assessing UV/X-ray diffraction gratings, which will be used in future NASA missions.

7 collaborative projects approved for P3 funding

Thursday, June 17, 2021
After a rigorous proposal and selection process, the University of Iowa has awarded seven interdisciplinary projects with more than $12 million in funding generated by the public-private partnership (P3) with its utility system.

Researchers find human infant brains, bodies unexpectedly active during second, major sleep stage

Wednesday, June 16, 2021
A University of Iowa team has found that babies twitch during a sleep stage called quiet sleep, not just during REM sleep. The results may show there’s more communication between snoozing infants’ brains and motor systems than previously known.

Physicists solve how auroras are created

Monday, June 14, 2021
Physicists led by the University of Iowa demonstrated through experiments how auroras – the famed northern and southern lights -- are created.

Physicists determine how auroras are created

Monday, June 7, 2021
Physicists led by the University of Iowa report definitive evidence of how auroras are created. In experiments, the physicists demonstrated the physical mechanisms for the acceleration of electrons by Alfven waves under conditions corresponding to Earth’s auroral magnetosphere.

Iowa researchers use satellite data to measure air pollution

Friday, June 4, 2021
Despite years of regulating human-source emissions, air pollution remains problematic, and some University of Iowa scientists say it’s time to look closer at the ground below.

UI names new University Distinguished Chairs

Thursday, May 27, 2021
Stanley Perlman, professor of microbiology and immunology and Mark Stinski Chair in Virology, and Michelle Scherer, professor of civil and environmental engineering and Donald E. Bently Professor of Engineering, have been named recipients of the 2021 University of Iowa Distinguished Chair.

Biologists find invasive snails using new DNA-detection technique

Monday, May 24, 2021
University of Iowa biologists discovered an invasive species of snails in previously unknown locations using a new technique that detects traces of DNA left by the aquatic animals. The finding shows the technique, called eDNA, can detect and control incursions by other invasive species.

Chang named Berlin Prize fellow

Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Lan Samantha Chang was named a 2021-22 Berlin Prize fellow, awarded to scholars, writers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their field.

Physicists describe new type of aurora

Thursday, May 6, 2021
The famed northern and southern lights still hold secrets. In a new study, physicists led by the University of Iowa describe a new phenomenon they call “diffuse auroral erasers,” in which patches of the background glow are blotted out, then suddenly intensify and reappear.

Scientists earn funding to build miniature magnetometer

Thursday, May 6, 2021
Scientists at the University of Iowa have been awarded funding to create a magnetic field instrument small enough to be outfitted on mini satellites that would be launched into space. The $600,000 award is from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Voyager spacecraft continue to make discoveries

Thursday, May 6, 2021
Since taking flight in 1977, the Voyager spacecraft continue to make important discoveries. Decades after launch, the twin spacecraft are revealing secrets of the interstellar medium: the tenuous material that fills the vast space between the stars. The news feature in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, features Donald Gurnett, professor emeritus in the...

Lagging Vaccination Rates Among Rural Seniors Hint At Brewing Rural-Urban Divide

Monday, May 3, 2021
An NPR analysis of county-level vaccination data from the CDC shows signs of an emerging rural-urban divide, especially among people who are 65 years old or older. Keith Mueller, director of the UI Rural Policy Research Institute, has been encouraging decision-makers to look beyond hospitals and chain pharmacies to get vaccines delivered to more rural communities.

Physicist steers light into 'forbidden' region

Monday, May 3, 2021
A University of Iowa physicist is part of an international group of scientists that has succeeded in steering light waves deep into “forbidden” regions of photonic crystals by manipulating the shape of the waves. The technique could find use in a host of applications, including lasers, efficient solar cells, and so-called invisibility cloaks. Ravitej Uppu, assistant professor in the Department of...

Asexuality may produce rapid, large-scale structural changes in organisms' genomes

Thursday, April 22, 2021
Biologists led by the University of Iowa have found that asexuality in organisms may lead to rapid and large-scale structural changes in the offspring's genomes. The finding comes from an analysis of snail species that can reproduce both sexually and asexually.