News

2024

Three Chicago universities team up to map the brain

October 9, 2024

Asst. Prof. Sarah King (right) and a student working with a photoemission electron microscope.

The University of Chicago, Chicago State University, and the University of Illinois Chicago received a $4.8 million grant from the NIH BRAIN Initiative to build a faster microscope for mapping all the connections in the brain.


Why can’t scientists agree on the age of the universe? Big Brains with Wendy Freedman (Ep. 144)

October 9, 2024

Galaxy icon

In a new episode of the Big Brains podcast, Prof. Wendy Freedman explains the conflicting research surrounding the Hubble constant and the Standard Model of physics.


UChicago scientists decode key mutation in many cancers

October 9, 2024

Photo of a microscope in use

UChicago researchers have discovered how a key gene involved in cancer works—which both suggests new treatment options and furthers our understanding of gene expression itself.


UChicago alum John Jumper shares Nobel Prize for model to predict protein structures

October 9, 2024

John Jumper

Congrats to John Jumper, SM'12, PhD'17, who was awarded a share of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work creating an AI model called AlphaFold that predicts the structures of proteins. 

Jumper studied with Karl Freed, Henry G. Gale Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and member of the James Franck Institute; and Tobin Sosnick, William B. Graham Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and member of the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics.

Jumper becomes the 100th scholar associated with UChicago to receive a Nobel Prize!


New neutrino detector finally in operation, and it could break physics as we know it

October 6, 2024

The SBND detector system

In a major breakthrough, scientists have spotted elusive neutrinos for the first time using the Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). UChicago Prof. David Schmitz commented on the significant impact of this research.


DSI launches three new research initiatives

October 6, 2024

Photo of DSI conference

In an effort to further pursue interdisciplinary research, the DSI announced three new exciting initiatives: AI for Climate (AICE), Data Ecology, and Complementary AI. Read more about the vision and objectives of each of these initiatives.
 


UChicago researchers demonstrate the quantifiable uniqueness of former president Donald Trump’s language use

October 6, 2024

Photo of Donald Trump with words across his portrait

In a new paper, researchers from the Departments of Computer Science and Political Science and the Harris School of Public Policy collaborated to show how Trump’s use of language is truly distinctive.


Dark energy, explained

October 6, 2024

Image of galaxies

In this new edition of the Explainer Series, learn about dark energy and how UChicago scholars have pioneered research in this field, starting with UChicago astrophysicist Michael Turner, who coined the term in 1998, all the way to current groundbreaking research.


Silicon Valley renegades pollute the sky to save the planet

October 3, 2024

Icon of cloud

Entrepreneurs are exploring the potential of using pollutants to combat climate change. In response, scientists are expanding research into stratospheric solar geoengineering, with UChicago recently launching an ambitious new program.


Building the quantum economy — Chicago style

October 2, 2024

Icon of Chicago Sears Tower

Among the projects seeking to expand the reach of quantum technology research, the Chicago Quantum Exchange stands out. In this interview, UChicago's David Awschalom, founding director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, talks about the origins of this project and its ambitions to position Chicago at the forefront of quantum technology.


‘Weird’ ancient galaxy discovered by James Webb Space Telescope

October 2, 2024

Astronomy animated icon

A new study co-authored by UChicago Assistant Prof. Harley Katz uncovered a galaxy from the early universe where gas may shine brighter than its stars. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists found that this galaxy may help explain how the first stars and galaxies formed.


‘Spooky action at a distance’ observed in quarks for the first time

October 2, 2024

The ATLAS detector

Physicists at CERN report the first observations of quantum entanglement in quarks. A key contributor to this discovery was UChicago physicist Yoav Afik, who helped develop a method to measure entanglement in top quarks.


Data Ecology: A socio-technical approach to controlling dataflows

September 26, 2024

Portrait of Prof. Castro and Prof. Fahey

Computer Science Asst. Prof. Raul Castro Fernandez and Law School Asst. Prof. Bridget Fahey are developing a new field of cross-disciplinary study on what they call “data ecology.”


AI-generated content could be easier to identify under new state law aimed at spotting fakes

September 26, 2024

Image of AI technology

A state law in California will require companies to develop technology by 2026 to distinguish between real images and AI-generated fakes. UChicago Assistant Professor Aloni Cohen, an expert in AI watermarking, comments on the feasibility of these technologies.


Prof. Feamster puts network performance under the microscope

September 26, 2024

Animated icon of a computer

In this podcast episode, UChicago Professor Nick Feamster discusses how his teams at the Internet Equity Initiative and NetMicroscope are using data analytics to provide insight into regional network performance, application quality, and how to improve network automation.