Scientists at the University of Utah, ARUP Laboratories, and IDbyDNA, Inc., have developed ultra-fast, meta-genomics analysis software called Taxonomer that dramatically improves the accuracy and speed of pathogen detection. In a paper published today in Genome Biology, the collaborators demonstrated the ability of Taxonomer to analyze the sequences of all nucleic acids in a clinical […]

  A Utah mountainside collapsed 4,800 years ago in a gargantuan landslide known as a “rock avalanche,” creating the flat floor of what is now Zion National Park by damming the Virgin River to create a lake that existed for 700 years. Those are key conclusions of a new University of Utah study that provides […]

Spring snowpack, relied on by ski resorts and water managers throughout the Western United States, may be more vulnerable to a warming climate in coming decades, according to a new University of Utah study. The study, accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, models the year-to-year variability in precipitation and temperature in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains […]

  Older Americans with some hearing loss shouldn’t feel alone if they have trouble understanding British TV sagas like “Downton Abbey.” A small study from the University of Utah suggests hearing-impaired senior citizens have more trouble than young people comprehending British accents when there is background noise. “The older hearing-impaired had just a little more […]

Several notable public servants with University of Utah connections will be recognized on Tuesday, May 24 at the 2016 Public Service Awards, sponsored by the Utah chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.  Award recipients have made outstanding contributions to the public sector and have helped to make Utah a better state. “These awards […]

The Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah has tapped veteran journalist Jennifer Napier-Pearce to become its new associate director of communications. Napier-Pearce’s broad experience in print, radio and online media will strengthen the Hinckley’s mission of promoting political involvement, civil discourse and valued political analysis, said Hinckley Institute director Jason Perry. “Jennifer’s […]

Women talk more than men, texting makes you dumb, sign language is pantomime. These are just a few of the myths Abby Kaplan, professor of linguistics at the University of Utah, debunks in her recently published book, “Women Talk More Than Men…And Other Myths about Language Explained.” Published by Cambridge University Press, Kaplan uses research, […]

Four years after Congress created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as a tool to help the American public recover from scars left by the economic collapse of the Great Recession, new research from University of Utah law professor Christopher L. Peterson evaluates the agency’s performance and effectiveness as consumer financial civil law enforcement agency […]

Nubia Peña grew up as the daughter of a single parent in Philadelphia, watching as her mother worked several jobs to provide for their family of five. As a young immigrant from Mexico adjusting to life in the U.S., Peña knew a path to success wasn’t going to be easy in her early years, but […]

Despite studies that claim people with cancer are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease–raising the possibility that what triggers cancer also prevents the neurodegenerative disorder–a new investigation finds a more somber explanation. Many cancer patients don’t live long enough to get Alzheimer’s. The research, led by investigators at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, […]