University of Utah scientists improved a method of testing fossil teeth, and showed that early human relatives varied their diets with the seasons 1.8 million years ago, eating leaves and fruit when available in addition to seeds, roots, tubers and perhaps grazing animals.
Read MoreUniversity of Utah biologists invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device – the LouseBuster – and conducted a study showing it eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs or “nits” and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
Read MoreToday, Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., named Katharine Coles as Utah’s new State Poet Laureate. Coles, an associate professor of English at the University of Utah, has published two novels and three collections of poetry. Her poems and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies. Coles has a long history of professional and community service, and has received several awards for her work. Her most recent collection of poems, “Fault,” will be published (Red Hen Press) in 2008.
Read MoreA summer thunderstorm often provides much-needed rainfall and heat wave relief, but others bring large hail, destructive winds, and tornadoes. Now with the help of NASA satellite data, scientists from the University of Utah and elsewhere are gaining insight into the distribution of such storms around much of the world.
Read MoreThe Utah Science Center’s Science in Society free public dialogue series will present “Fluorine: Fluoridation, Teflon and You,” Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the auditorium of the main downtown Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 East 400 South.
Read MoreResearchers at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah have identified a gene called HTRA1 that contributes to a major risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in the developed world. The discovery of this gene allows anyone to take a simple blood test to find out if they are up to 700% more likely to develop AMD than the average person. This is particularly important for individuals who have a family history of blinding eye conditions.
Read MoreThe University of Utah and Utah businessman Molonai Hola announced today the creation of twenty scholarships and fifteen internships for Pacific Islander students. In addition, Hola will join with the University to fund a research project examining the demographics of Utah’s Pacific Islander community. The scholarships, internships, and research project are made possible by a gift from Molonai Hola, and are named in honor of his father, Dan Hola. In announcing the scholarships Hola said, “Education is the key to success for Pacific Islander students. Often we talk about the negatives, the challenges our children face. These scholarships are a positive, proactive solution toward empowering our children through education.”
Read MoreHow do “super-Earths — planets five to 15 times Earth’s size — form around dim stars known as red dwarfs?
Read MoreAccording to Utah’s 2006 Economic Report to the Governor, prepared by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Utah’s population reached 2.2 million in 2000. This number is projected to more than double to 4.7 million by 2040, a growth rate more than twice the national rate. While providing many opportunities to the Beehive State, this growth will also result in many challenges to the water supply, education and transportation infrastructure, among others.
Read MoreHelicopter deployment of 50 scintillation detectors for the $17 million Telescope Array cosmic ray observatory west of Delta, Utah, has been delayed, likely until Saturday, Oct. 21.
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