Latest Research News

'Arbitrary' cutoffs of THC levels make it difficult to measure impaired driving

Friday, January 14, 2022
Timothy Brown, director of drugged driving research and the University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator, said that there’s a need for “better research that provides guidance for individuals about when it’s safe to drive.”

Biologists identify neural circuits associated with aging

Monday, January 10, 2022
University of Iowa biologists have identified neural circuits associated with aging in fruit flies. Some circuits remain the same no matter the fly's age, while others weaken over the fly's life span.

Astronomers identify potential clue to reionization of universe

Friday, January 7, 2022
Astronomers led by the University of Iowa have identified a potential clue to how the universe became reionized after the Big Bang. The researchers identified a black hole, a million times as bright as our sun, that may have been similar to the sources that powered the universe’s reionization.

State lab rushing $9.2M expansion to help with COVID-19

Wednesday, January 5, 2022
The University of Iowa has until June 30, 2023, to complete a federally-funded, $9.2 million expansion of its State Hygienic Lab, which has served Iowa’s public health needs for more than a century and processed about 1.6 million COVID-19 specimens over the past nearly two years.

Flood expert talks about new Missouri River flood map site

Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Larry Weber, co-creator of the Iowa Flood Center, appears as a guest on the KMA Land radio program "The Morning Line" to talk about a new website that allows Iowans to get real-time information online about flood conditions along the Missouri River.

Experts talk about aging effects of prison time

Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Criminologists at the University of Iowa were guests on Iowa Public Radio's "River to River" program to talk about their study examining how prison time accelerates biological aging among African Americans.

Scientists create online game to teach children about influenza and vaccines

Friday, December 17, 2021
Researchers at the University of Iowa have teamed up with the organization Families Fighting Flu to create an online game for children to learn about influenza and why vaccines are important.

Criminologists find incarcerated African Americans age faster

Friday, December 17, 2021
University of Iowa criminologists in a new study find African Americans who spent time in prison experience accelerated aging. The study finds respondents who were incarcerated were, on average, nearly a year older biologically than their calendar age.

The U.S. Army Is Finally Close to Replacing Its 1980 Fitness Test

Thursday, December 9, 2021
With help from the University of Iowa, the U.S. Army is adopting a new fitness test for the first time in 40 years, part of a larger health overhaul aimed at making soldiers stronger, less prone to injury, and better prepared for 21st century combat.

Anthropology professor publishes book about health research participation in Mexico

Monday, December 6, 2021
An anthropology professor has published a book about the participation of men in research involving HPV occurrence in a city in Mexico.

Sustainability, conservation efforts on display at 3MT competition

Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Three-Minute Thesis competition winner Emily Schmitz laid out her research on a unique bacterium that could remediate agriculture-related pollution.

Local graduate lands big NASA job

Tuesday, November 30, 2021
The newspaper in Dyersville, Iowa, featured Andrew Carton, a University of Iowa graduate from Earlville, who upon graduation was hired to work on a major NASA mission to study the interconnection between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetic fields.

Neuroscientist Ted Abel talks about the importance of sleep

Friday, November 19, 2021
Ted Abel, neuroscientist and director of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute at the UI, talks about the importance of sleep and the impact that sleep can have on consolidating memories.

University of Iowa virtual soldier models new Army fitness test

Tuesday, November 16, 2021
For 40-plus years, the U.S. Army gauged the physical fitness of its soldiers on pushups, sit-ups and a 2-mile run test. But the Army wanted a better measure of "soldier physical readiness." And now it has it, thanks — in part — to the University of Iowa.

Biologists find genetic variation that can improve ethanol production

Thursday, November 11, 2021
University of Iowa biologists have found a new type of genetic variation in yeast can improve ethanol production. The biologists report from experiments that yeast strains with certain alleles — one of two or more versions of a gene — are more efficient at fermentation.

Understanding the brain: Why we sleep, dream, and remember

Thursday, October 28, 2021
Abel, professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and director of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute, will deliver a lecture titled “It’s not a dream, it’s a memory,” at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, in the IMU.

Interactive virtual exhibitions enhance traditional scientific posters

Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Students taking part in the Interdisciplinary Evolutionary Sciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, funded by the National Science Foundation, converted traditional scientific posters into interactive exploration sessions via the web, helping revolutionize the way science is communicated.

Physicists describe photons’ characteristics inherent to protecting future quantum computing

Friday, October 15, 2021
University of Iowa physicists have described in theoretical terms how to develop codes that cannot be broken by quantum computers—computing devices of the future. These codes rely on distributing single photons that share a quantum character solely among the parties that wish to communicate.

Stress on mothers can influence biology of future generations

Wednesday, October 13, 2021
University of Iowa biologists have found that mother roundworms can pass stress signals to future generations. The biologists report a mother roundworm exposed to a stressor can even under certain conditions pass the memory of that exposure to their grandchildren.

Tollefson receives AAUW fellowship

Friday, October 8, 2021
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has awarded a 2021-22 American Fellowship to University of Iowa student Mallory Tollefson.