As the U.S. Southwest grew warmer from 18,700 to 10,000 years ago, juniper trees vanished from what is now the Mojave Desert, robbing packrats of their favorite food. Now, University of Utah biologists have narrowed the hunt for detoxification genes that let the rodents eat toxic creosote bushes that replaced juniper.
Read MoreOne in eight women in the United States will receive a diagnosis of breast cancer in their lifetime, and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Now a new test will help physicians determine the best possible treatment for each patient.
Read MoreThe hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist, according to Elizabeth Cashdan, an anthropologist at the University of Utah. So in societies and situations where women are under pressure to procure resources, they may be less likely to have the classic hourglass figure.
Read MoreOfficials at the University of Utah announced today the establishment of the Nano Institute of Utah, representing a significant and decisive step in the state’s quest to bring together the university’s and the state’s nano science experts in diverse areas of chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, medicine and pharmacy.
Read MoreColombian children living in war zones exhibited an understanding that stealing or hurting others is wrong. But when asked to consider revenge as a motive, many said it is acceptable to steal or hurt others for revenge. These vulnerabilities were more pronounced among teenagers.
Read MoreThe University of Utah’s annual purchase of green power places the school among the top 10 in the nation under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s College & University Green Power Challenge. The university’s annual voluntary purchase of 36,666,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind power has the equivalent environmental impact of avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 5,000 vehicles. The school has been in the top 10 for the past three years.
Read MoreUniversity of Utah scientists developed a new crime-fighting tool by showing that human hair reveals the general location where a person drank water, helping police track past movements of criminal suspects or unidentified murder victims.
Read MoreSociety’s attitudes toward different drugs and its ways of regulating them are often “inconsistent,” “incoherent” and ultimately unjust, says a new book by a team of University of Utah scholars.
Oct. 4, 2007 – University of Utah scientists discovered a strange method of reproduction in primitive plants named cycads: The plants heat up and emit a toxic odor to drive pollen-covered insects out of male cycad cones, and then use a milder odor to draw the bugs into female cones so the plants are pollinated.
Read MoreThe Nonprofit Academy of Excellence at the University of Utah is a new, certificate-based program created to inspire excellence in nonprofit management and governance. This unique program is customized for managers, staff, and trustees of Utah’s nonprofit community. It will teach enhanced organizational capacity and effectiveness to professionals and volunteers seeking training and development in nonprofit management. Developed in collaboration with the Utah Nonprofits Association and the Utah Society of Fund Raisers, the Academy is guided by an Advisory Committee of distinguished professionals from the nonprofit sector, representing corporate giving to board members to nonprofit management roles (see end for list of Committee members). The new program will begin in fall 2007, with new classes and cohorts beginning each spring and fall thereafter. An Open House on June 28 will provide additional information to anyone interested in learning more about the program.
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