News: Research

2019

New exoplanet is smallest to be precisely measured

August 2, 2019

Illustration of NASA's Kepler Spacecraft in space

Assoc Prof. Frabrycky's research group noticed a star's irregular dimming pattern, leading to the discovery and precise measurement of a new exoplanet's mass. 


Prof. Freedman contributes to the universe expansion debate 

August 2, 2019

Illustration of the 'distance ladder' used to measure the universe

Prof. Wendy Freedman discusses the possibility of systematic errors in Hubble constant calculations with Science News.


PhD student Adina Feinstein co-authors paper on the discovery of three new exoplanets

August 2, 2019

Illustration of Tess Object of Interest 270d

Feinstein and her colleagues have discovered one exoplanet slightly larger than Earth and two exoplanets of a type not typically found in our solar system. 


UChicago and Sony CSL researchers create muscle stimulators designed to speed up human reflexes

August 2, 2019

Subject's Hand touching ipad with experiment displayed on screen

Through the precise timing of  electrical muscle stimulators, UChicago scientists Pedro Lopes, Jun Nishida, and Shunichi Kasahara of Sony CSL have found a method to accelerating human reaction time. 


UChicago and Argonne scientists collaborate with researchers in Israel to understand aquifer system

August 2, 2019

Assoc. Prof. Yokochi on-site at Nubian Sandstone Aquifer system in Israel

Through a recent publication by Research Assoc. Prof. Yokochi, scientists are now able to tell when water was deposited, its origins, and the climate conditions that produced it nearly 400,000 years ago.


Coleman Lab researchers continue water sampling of the Great Lakes

July 30, 2019

Coleman on research vessel with a helmet and life jacket on

Asst. Prof. Maureen Coleman leads initiative to study the microbiome of the Great Lakes in order to keep this fresh water source in good shape.  


Computer scientists work to improve electric muscle stimulation (EMS) technology

July 30, 2019

Profile of lab volunteer wearing a virtual reality headset with two illustrations. One illustration depicts the virtual box that the volunteer is directed to touch. The second illustration depicts the haptic prediction error through EEG waves.

With the help of fMRI imaging, Lopes designed a system that allowed researchers to isolate differences between the motor and sensory systems of the brain. This data could be used to guide engineers in designing the next wave of EMS devices. 


Geophysical scientists publish study on how viruses could potentially affect climate

July 30, 2019

Image of a large bloom of carbon-capturing cyanobacteria

By feeding cyanobacteria virus-infected nitrogen, Asst. Profs. Coleman and Waldbauer obtain findings that illustrate virus-driven nutrient flow in marine ecosystems.  


PhD student helps collect over 7,500 images to challenge image recognition technology

July 25, 2019

Picture of Steven Basart holding a cat

Computer Science graduate student Steven Basart recently published a data set that can improve the accuracy of AI model image recognition technology.  


Chemistry professor featured as a 40 under 40 Chicago Scientist

July 24, 2019

Headshot of Bryan Dickinson

Prof. Bryan Dickinson is listed as one of Halo Cures Inc. 40 under 40 Chicago scientists, awarded to scientists for their tireless pursuit of cures and treatments that help people live better lives. Dickinson's work specializes in the creation of functional molecules to solve difficult problems in biology and medicine.  


Researchers engineer RNA systems to better understand various biomolecular interactions in diseases

July 24, 2019

three scientists observe as one scientists inserts a liquid into a test tube with a pipette.

A team lead by Prof. Bryan Dickinson has developed a biosensor, split RNA polymerase, which serves as the perfect tool to study a broad range of targeted biomolecular interactions.  


50 years later, UChicago scientists continue to decode moon’s mysteries

July 19, 2019

astronaut on moon

50 years after the moon landing, researchers at the University of Chicago are still tackling questions about the moon's formation, age, and makeup.


New measure of Hubble constant adds to mystery about universe’s expansion rate

July 16, 2019

Illustration of Red Giant Stars in universe

Prof. Freedman and her team announced a new measurement of the Hubble constant using a kind of star known as a red giant. Their observations, made with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, indicate that the expansion rate for our corner of the universe is just under 70 kilometers per second per megaparsec—slightly smaller than their previous measurement.


Scientists use 3-D imaging and AI to examine questions around climate and biodiversity

July 16, 2019

images of shell fossils

Geophysical Sciences Prof. David Jablonski and statistician Tingran Gao lead an interdisciplinary initiative to create a 3-D image database of more than 3,000 shells of the bivalve class from around the world. Funded by a seed grant from UChicago’s Center for Data and Computing, this growing database will allow scientists to ask deeper questions about biodiversity both between and within species, and how climate change might affect the survival, distribution, and shape of organisms with ecological, economic and dietary importance.  


Chicago Quantum Exchange announces 5 new corporate partnerships

July 11, 2019

Postdoctoral Student in laboratory

David Awschalom, Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering and Professor in the Department of Physics, states that the new Chicago Quantum Exchange partnerships with Boeing, Applied Materials Inc., ColdQuanta Inc., HRL Laboratories LLC, and Quantum Opus LLC "will help both academia and industry leverage each other's knowledge at the leading edge of quantum computing. "