what we imagine earth looks like from Artemis II... Happy Earth Day, Longhorns! 🤘

#HookEm

Congrats to Dr. Hans Hofmann, recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Mentoring Award for his exceptional mentorship of Stengl-Wyer Postdoctoral Scholars. This award honors outstanding faculty support in mentees’ academic and career development. More: shorturl.at/sBOjj

Calling all science enthusiasts! Come to the 2026 BioBlitz @ Brackenridge Field Lab, Sat 4/25. Family friendly & open to the public. Drop in anytime between 10 am to 10 pm. Details & registration here: www.eventbrite.com/e/bioblitz-2...

April's Science Under the Stars event "An Evening with Biodiversity Researchers" was a great success! Stengl-Wyer Scholars and Fellows presented their research and had tabling events as well. #biodiversity #outreach #scienceoutreach #ecology #biology

The Arctic sky is thick with flying mosquitoes. Photo credit: Jesse Krause.

A mosquito rests on the fabric of a scientist's shirt. Photo credit: Jeff Kerby.

Mosquitoes land on the face of a stoic-looking bird. Photo credit: Jeff Kerby.

The pant leg of a scientist is covered in mosquitoes. Photo credit: Jesse Krause.

Iceland was the only Arctic country w/o mosquitoes. Now, thanks to human activities, they’ve made the leap. In a new editorial in Science, UT Austin biologist Amanda Koltz warns of more changes to come and calls for more Arctic research. doi.org/10.1126/scie... @texas-ib.bsky.social

New Model Shows How Behavioral Flexibility Affects Animal Evolution Animals able to change behaviors but slow to evolve might fare better than previously thought amid climate change.

Animals can adapt to environmental change by shifting behavior. These changes affect how species evolve, but predicting this has been difficult. A new model by IB assoc prof Carlos Botero helps account for this, improving assessments of species’ vulnerability to climate change. shorturl.at/05jpD

Construction is underway on our new, state‑of‑the‑art research vessel for UT Marine Science Institute—built to power discovery across the Texas coast and the Gulf.
👉

Peregrine falcons are often seen on the UT campus. Before most of Austin is even awake, one woman travels to campus almost daily to try to spot peregrines near the Main Tower. Read an interview with her about her dedication to these fascinating birds: news.utexas.edu/2026/03/26/f...

New Study Clarifies What Plastics Become as They Weather in the Ocean - Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin. As many people in South Texas are aware, plastic, like the cushions on outdoor furniture, can dramatically break down when exposed to the sun. The same process is happening to […]

New research from UTMSI shows that sunlight causes ocean plastics to release dissolved chemical compounds—not just smaller plastic particles—reshaping how we understand plastic pollution. 🔬 #UTMSI #TexasScience #Plastic #Ocean #Microplastics #nurdle #MarineDebris

Bioblitz 2026 UT's Brackenridge Field Laboratory Celebrate Earth Day weekend by becoming a citizen scientist at UT's Brackenridge Field Lab. Registration Required.

We're excited to announce the 2026 BioBlitz at Brackenridge Field Lab! Drop in anytime Sat Apr 25 - 10 AM–10 PM. Try iNaturalist, enjoy hands-on activities, and join a nighttime insect survey. Special all-ages programming from 10 AM–12 PM. Learn more and register: www.eventbrite.com/e/bioblitz-2...

Beyond Bees: Our Wide World of Pollinators This article is about the various other pollinators around us other than honey bees.

Some insects we may not typically think as pollinators actually are! Take a look at some great examples all around us here in Central Texas. #entomology #pollinators #nativeinsects biodiversity.utexas.edu/news/feature...

Which Mating Call to Choose? People Are in Accord with Bugs, Bats and Frogs Music to the ears of amorous amphibians and other creatures sounds best to humans, too, a new study finds.

You probably like the same sounds as frogs, birds and even bugs! 🐸

@utaustin.bsky.social researchers recently discovered that humans prefer the same mating calls as other animals.

Read more here: cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...

Which Mating Call to Choose? People Are in Accord with Bugs, Bats and Frogs Music to the ears of amorous amphibians and other creatures sounds best to humans, too, a new study finds.

Bright butterfly wings, floral scents, and birdsong evolved to attract mates—but humans like them too. A new study shows people and animals share preferences for certain mating calls, suggesting our brains are wired similarly to find these signals appealing. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...

Lights Out, Texas! Protecting migratory and resident birds from collision fatalities by reducing light pollution and promoting bird-safe glass.

Spring migration is here which means its #LightsOut time! Help protect millions of migrating birds by turning off all non-essential lighting from 11:00pm to 6:00am daily during migration (March 1 - June 15). www.audubon.org/texas/projec... #birds #conservation

Plants can’t move, so they’ve evolved specialized adaptations to survive. This Science Under the Stars talk, "Rare Plants Around the World" explores unusual plant strategies & why understanding them is key to conservation. 3/12 @ 8 pm, Brackenridge Field Lab scienceunderthestars.org

Protecting & restoring nature is one of America's smartest investments. 🌱

A TNC-commissioned report reveals that conservation funding delivers a $4 return for every federal dollar spent, fueling economies, our health & public safety. That’s a win for people and nature. https://nature.ly/4aSUutV

Providing hands-on education and experience is what we do every day. #TexasScience #UTMSI

Reel Science: Underland Get “deep” questions answered, and explore mysteries on screen, as Reel Science pairs a film’s voyage to discovery with a local scientist’s own.

"Underland" is a documentary exploring the worlds beneath Earth’s surface. Enjoy interactive activities with the Texas Field Station Network and the lab of Dr. Melissa Kemp (Integrative Biology). After, Dr. Kemp shares insights from her subterranean research. Mar 4-5:30 pm - Long Center

Building Better Tech for Marine Science: A Q&A with Chip Breier Chip Breier (Ph,.D. '06) is a marine biogeochemist and engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

How do you study ocean environments that are nearly impossible for humans to reach? By building the technology to go there. 🌊⚙️ In this Q&A, UT alum Chip Breier shares how he's designing autonomous tools that collect critical data.
🔗 Read the full interview:

Science Activity Fair and Plant Biology Talk at the Wildflower Center Explore how Indigenous knowledge and ecological science come together at the annual Jean Andrews Seminar at the Wildflower Center and the hands-on science fair.

The Jean Andrews Seminar is Sunday, 3/1 at 2pm at the Wildflower Center. Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake presents “Indigenous Fire Stewardship, Pollinators, & Eco-Cultural Restoration,” exploring fire ecology, tribal agroforestry & climate resilience. Free + all ages! sciencefest.utexas.edu/events/demos...

Texas Science Festival Invites Community to Partake in the Joys of Discovery From a talk-show themed night featuring science comedy to a campus-wide day for hands-on STEM exploration to special events spotlighting the latest scientific discoveries, the 2026 Texas Science Festi...

Follow your curiosity to the Texas Science Festival for two full weeks of science-inspired offerings!

#TexasScience #TexasScienceFestival
news.utexas.edu/2026/02/11/t...

A Break in a Longstanding Mystery about Origin of Complex Life Breathe easy. It appears our microbial ancestors used oxygen, too.

Some of our earliest microbial ancestors, the Asgard archaea, were able to use oxygen, says new study in @nature.com. It may solve a mystery about how complex life first arose.

#AsgardArchaea #MicrobialEcology #Eukaryogenesis #TexasScience @utmsi.bsky.social @archaeal.bsky.social

Microplastics in the Sand: Beach Combing Goes High Tech A UT chemist says it is now time to develop tests for microplastics, similar to tests for other toxic threats.

You know what we DON’T love this Valentine’s Day? 💔 Microplastics on the beach. 🏖️ Fortunately, our colleagues on the main campus, Carlos Baiz and team are working on a solution 💘 Read the story: cns.utexas.edu/news/feature...
#UTMSI #Microplastics #TexasScience #Robotics

The Biology of Love Hot Science - Cool Talks event with Dr. Steven Phelps

Feb 20 is Hot Science Cool Talks: “The Biology of Love” 💕 What can prairie voles teach us about human love? 🐭❤️ Dr. Steven Phelps explores the biology & evolution behind bonding & commitment. Activities 5:30 pm talk 7 pm WEL 2.224. Register:
lovebiology.eventbrite.com

2026 UT Spring Bee Competition: We have a winner! This article announces the annual spring bee competition.

We have a winner for our 2026 Spring Bee Competition! The winner is UT student Arya Vyas. biodiversity.utexas.edu/news/feature... #entomology #nativebees

Publish Online A newsletter from The University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Texas, Issue 26.

Even though the temperature feels like summer, our UTMSI Winter 2025 Newsletter is here! ❄️ Check out our 36th issue.
👉 indd.adobe.com/view/c80f982...

Next week, join UT & the Austin community for the largest science and STEM outreach event of the year. Running Feb 18-Mar 5, the Texas Science Festival—presented by the College of Natural Sciences—features science-themed films, talks, tours, demonstrations & more. Details: sciencefest.utexas.edu

From swimming whales to microscopic bacteria, evolution shapes all life. But how does it work? Join grad student Matt Ming at Science Under the Stars as he explores how our understanding of evolution has changed. Feb 19th @ 8pm. Free & family friendly! scienceunderthestars.org

From Santa Barbara to the Gulf: Scientists synthesize decades of data to protect a changing Texas coast - NOAA RESTORE Science Program Trapped inside on a cool, sunny day in Santa Barbara, California, a group of scientists are deep in discussion. It’s November 2023, and the group is at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and…

Texas scientists are teaming up to protect our changing Texas coast by synthesizing decades of TPWD data on storms, drought, freezes, and fisheries. UTMSI’s Dr. Zhanfei Liu co‑leads this NOAA‑funded effort 👉

In Memorium of Bill Cade This article is an obituary about Bill Cade, an entomologist and UT alumnun

We'd like to honor the recent passing of entomologist & UT alumnus Bill Cade. He researched the Texas field cricket, but also made remarkable discoveries on the parasitic fly Ormia ochracea. biodiversity.utexas.edu/news/feature...