Wired for Gaming: Brain Differences Found in Compulsive Video Game Players

December 22, 2015

Brain scans from nearly 200 adolescent boys provide evidence that the brains of compulsive video game players are wired differently. Chronic video game play is associated with hyperconnectivity between several pairs of brain networks. Some of the changes are predicted to help game players respond to new information. Other changes are associated with distractibility and […]



Advancing the White House BRAIN Initiative

December 22, 2015

The White House BRAIN initiative promises to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain by supporting development of dynamic approaches for investigating brain function. Forging a synergistic partnership with the University of Utah, the National Science Foundation awarded $2.77 million in BRAIN Initiative grants to neuroscience faculty in 2015. Founded in 2014, the U of […]



Darwin’s finches may face extinction

December 17, 2015

Mathematical simulations at the University of Utah show parasitic flies may spell extinction for Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands, but that pest-control efforts might save the birds that helped inspire the theory of evolution. The new study “shows that the fly has the potential to drive populations of the most common species of Darwin’s […]



A gene for new species is discovered

December 17, 2015

  Dec. 17, 2015 – A University of Utah-led study identified a long-sought “hybrid inviability gene” responsible for dead or infertile offspring when two species of fruit flies mate with each other. The discovery sheds light on the genetic and molecular process leading to formation of new species, and may provide clues to how cancer […]



U engineering dean named to academy

December 16, 2015

Richard B. Brown, dean of the University of Utah’s College of Engineering, was elected as the newest fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Brown, who is the sole fellow elected from the state of Utah this year, is one of 168 named in 2015. The fellows were elected from more than 190 universities and […]



U urban design students research and map homelessness in the Wasatch Region

December 16, 2015

A team of graduate students from the University of Utah’s Department of City & Metropolitan Planning are helping the state to view homelessness as a regional issue. Through an urban design class, students have developed maps to illustrate homelessness regionally and proposed design solutions to address those challenges holistically. An exhibit of their research is […]



Community Electric Cars Come to U Campus

December 14, 2015

[bs_well size=”md”]The U Drive Electric deadline has been extended into Jan. 31, 2016, due to popular demand. To receive the most current information, visit udriveelectric.org. [/bs_well] The University of Utah is the first university in the country to sponsor a community-level electric vehicle purchase program that includes discounts on multiple makes and models. U Community Drive Electric offers […]



This video game can help treat and diagnose lazy eye in children

December 10, 2015

For the second year in a row, student video game developers from the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE) have won Best Student Game in the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge in Orlando, Florida. The award was announced Thursday, Dec. 3, for their game to help combat lazy eye in children. Working with […]



U researchers: Federal lands takeover won’t help state obtain mineral resources

December 9, 2015

If states overcome long odds to prevail in their efforts to take over public lands from the federal government, states would not obtain significant mineral resources — a factor that could hobble the state’s economy, a new analysis released from the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment at the University of Utah’s […]