About 66 million years ago, an asteroid smashed into Earth, triggering a mass extinction that ended the reign of the dinosaurs and snuffed out 75 percent of life. Although the asteroid killed off species, new research led by The University of Texas at Austin has found that the crater it left behind was home to… Continue Reading Life Recovered Rapidly at Impact Site of Dino-Killing Asteroid
Newly Discovered Salty Subglacial Lakes Could Help Search for Life in Solar System
Researchers from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) have helped discover the first subglacial lakes ever found in the Canadian High Arctic. The two new lakes are a potential habitat for microbial life and may assist scientists in the search for life beyond Earth, particularly on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The findings, published April 11 in Science Advances, were made possible… Continue Reading Newly Discovered Salty Subglacial Lakes Could Help Search for Life in Solar System
Cliff Frohlich Named First Senior Research Scientist Emeritus
Cliff Frohlich has had a remarkable career at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, spending 40 years studying earthquakes of all kinds, whether they start deep in the earth, at the bottom of the ocean or are caused by human activity. Frohlich’s stellar research has earned him the reputation of a pioneer, someone who… Continue Reading Cliff Frohlich Named First Senior Research Scientist Emeritus
New Research Could Predict La Niña Drought Years in Advance
Two new studies from The University of Texas at Austin have significantly improved scientists’ ability to predict the strength and duration of droughts caused by La Niña – a recurrent cooling pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Their findings, which predict that the current La Niña is likely to stretch into a second year, could… Continue Reading New Research Could Predict La Niña Drought Years in Advance
New Study Finds That Paleolakes May Have Persisted Longer Than Scientists Thought
A new study by UTIG Research Associate Joseph Levy used new dating techniques to determine that Antarctic paleolakes that grew during the last ice age stuck around much longer than previously thought. The study, “Luminescene dating of paleolake deltas and glacial deposits in Garwood Valley, Antarctica: Implications for climate, Ross ice sheet dynamics, and paleolake… Continue Reading New Study Finds That Paleolakes May Have Persisted Longer Than Scientists Thought