Latest Research News

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.

UI student cites uncle's work at Fermilab for his love of physics

Monday, April 19, 2021
Steve Tammes, a senior at the University of Iowa, says his love of physics and decision to pursue physics research stems from his uncle's stories about working at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois. “(My uncle) inspired science in me,” Tammes says, “so I’m inspired to do science for him.”

Tippie Analytics wins major international analytics award

Thursday, April 15, 2021
The Tippie College of Business has been honored as one of the top colleges in the world for preparing students for careers in business analytics. The college received the UPS George D. Smith Prize, which recognizes the leading university in the world for excellence in preparing students to practice in the areas of analytics or operations research.

Researchers win NASA funding to study Earth's bow shock effects

Thursday, April 1, 2021
University of Iowa researchers have won $1.2 million from NASA to study the effects of the hazardous radiation environment around the Earth generated by the supersonic, heated wind from the sun.

Researchers locate hidden ancient burial mounds

Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Researchers led by the University of Iowa used magnetic imaging to locate ancient indigenous burial mounds in southeast Iowa.

Garrett Morris and Kyle Rector of Computer Science earn prestigious NSF CAREER awards

Thursday, March 25, 2021
The National Science Foundation announced that two University of Iowa professors of computer science have been named recipients of CAREER grants, the NSF’s most prestigious research award for early-career faculty in the sciences.

Research by mathematics professor emeritus surges during pandemic

Monday, March 15, 2021
The research of retired Iowa mathematics professor Herb Hethcote that shows how to design models for infectious disease transmission has taken on a new level of relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic, generating thousands of citations since March 2020.

‘Cancer in Iowa’ report analyzes racial disparities in incidence, mortality of disease

Wednesday, March 10, 2021
The annual report finds Black people in Iowa are getting cancer and dying from it at higher rates than any other group in the state.

Research may offer another avenue to tackling sexually aggressive behavior

Thursday, March 4, 2021
A new study from the University of Iowa surveyed college-aged men to determine how often they use strategies that may reduce the risk that they engage in sexually aggressive acts or risky sexual behavior.

UI engineers receive nearly $1 million to develop new methods to recycle paper into fiber reinforced plastic composites

Thursday, March 4, 2021
Instead of turning old paper and cardboard into new paper, engineers at the University of Iowa are working to enhance the process of turning wastepaper into high-value fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composites. Xuan Song, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering; Chao Wang, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering; and H.S. Udaykumar, professor of mechanical...

UI spin-off NanoMedTrix awarded $2 million from National Cancer Institute

Thursday, March 4, 2021
Using nanoparticles to deliver drugs directly to tumors is a novel technology developed by NanoMedTrix, LLC, a UI spin-off founded by Jose Assouline, an adjunct associate professor in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. The targeted delivery of these nanoparticles to treat diseases such as bladder cancer led to a two-year...

Researchers report "Midwest water hose" weather events occurring more frequently

Thursday, March 4, 2021
A new University of Iowa study says rising greenhouse gas concentrations caused by human activity are producing an increased frequency of a weather phenomenon that researchers call the "Midwest water hose." The weather event has been occurring more frequently over the last 40 years, researchers Wei Zhang and Gabriele Villarini wrote in a recently published study.

Cold gas streams fed early, massive galaxies

Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Astronomers led by the University of Iowa report the first direct, observational evidence that massive galaxies formed in the early universe were provisioned by steady streams of cold gas. These cold gas pipelines survived despite being surrounded by hotter surroundings. The study's lead author is Hai Fu, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.