News: Research

2023

What “living drill bits” can teach us about evolution

February 18, 2023

A bivalve that bored into a coral reef in the Florida Keys

Clams that can bore into solid rock show surprising patterns of evolution, UChicago study finds.


Suri Vaikuntanathan awarded 2023 Early Career Award in Theoretical Chemistry

February 16, 2023

Portrait of Associate Professor, Chemistry, Suri Vaikuntanathan

Vaikuntanathan is being recognized “for the development of powerful non-equilibrium statistical mechanical theories to understand the behavior of complex matter ranging from driven systems to biological self-assembly.”


RNA’s “joints” play key role in our gene expression, UChicago scientists find

February 15, 2023

An illustration of mRNA molecules in purples and light blues.

Longstanding puzzle of RNA methylation revealed by team of UChicago chemists. The finding could have implications for gene therapies for disease, as well as our picture of gene expression, development, and evolution.


The winners of the 2023 Wolf Prize are announced

February 10, 2023

Professor Chuan He and a student in the lab

The winners of the 2023 Wolf Prize were announced this week. Chuan He, John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, was awarded the Wolf Prize in Chemistry for “pioneering discoveries that illuminate the functions and pathological dysfunctions of RNA.”


Chemist Sarah King named 2023 Cottrell Scholar

February 9, 2023

Portrait of Professor Sarah King against a grey background.

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor Sarah King of the Department of Chemistry is among the 25 early career scholars in chemistry, physics, and astronomy to be named recipients of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RSCA) 2023 Cottrell Scholar Awards. 


Prof. Michael Gladders is the 2022-2023 recipient of the Marian and Stuart Rice Research Award

February 8, 2023

Portrait of professor Michael Gladders

Prof. Michael Gladders is the 2022-2023 recipient of the Marian and Stuart Rice Research Award, a U. Chicago Physical Sciences Divisional honor that provides funding for intellectually exciting and innovative research ventures, enabling new directions of research.


Pioneering UChicago biochemist wins 2023 Wolf Prize

February 7, 2023

Chuan He

Chuan He, John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been named a 2023 Wolf Prize Laureate in Chemistry “for discovering reversible RNA methylation and its role in the regulation of gene expression.” The acclaimed Wolf Prize is awarded to outstanding scientists and artists for achievements in the interest of humanity and friendly relations among people.


The role of research in data science education

February 6, 2023

A maroon phrase against a white background says Minding the Future, Building pipelines for data science

Anne Mykland, a recent UChicago Lab graduate, recounts her experience as a high school intern in the UChicago DSI SummerLab, for the Harvard Data Science Review.


Chemical tricks offer real-life sensations

February 6, 2023

A woman wears a haptic device on her arm paired with images of the VR scene she sees in her VR goggles

By applying chemicals to the skin, researchers from the University of Chicago have created a new form of haptics that make VR-experiences more real.


George Crabtree, distinguished energy researcher remembered as ‘boundless explorer,’ 1944-2023

February 2, 2023

George Crabtree

George Crabtree, widely recognized and admired as a brilliant, passionate materials scientist who led groundbreaking work in superconductivity and energy storage over the course of nearly seven decades at Argonne National Laboratory, died Jan. 23. He was 78.


High-stakes Tamagotchi: living smartwatch literally dies if you don’t feed it

February 2, 2023

A hand and wrist displaying a conceptual smartwatch with a visible compartment for growing slime

Gizmodo explores the UChicago Human Computer Integeration Lab conceptual smartwatch that requires thriving slime mold or the smartwatch’s functionality becomes limited.


Scientists release newly accurate map of all the matter in the universe

January 31, 2023

The Dark Energy Survey Telescopes under a starry sky

A group of scientists, including several with the UChicago and Fermilab, have released one of the most precise measurements ever made of how matter is distributed across the universe today, using DES and SPT data.


Unmasking ‘trickster’ exoplanets with bogus signatures of alien life

January 27, 2023

Edwin Kite

Assoc. Prof. Edwin Kite, Dept. of Geophysical Sciences, is part of a team striving to identify nontraditional abiotic methane sources that could potentially be in play on exoplanets of interest.


Wisconsin NPR: Artificial intelligence on the rise with Profs. Willet and Zhao

January 27, 2023

illustration of a green hologram of a human shoulders and head layered on wall with binary code

Wisconsin Public Radio Morning Show host Kate Archer Kent interviews computer science professors Rebecca Willet and Ben Zhao about the potential uses and security challenges to AI.


PSD in the News - January 2023

January 26, 2023

PSD against a white and turquoise background

This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to determine why the Southern Hemisphere is stormier than the Nothern Hemisphere, explain how the HIV virus replicates itself, and gather and analyze data on the funding, location, and research status for more than 230 GMO crop varieties in Africa.