Science & Technology

“Seeing others suffer is too stressful”: Why people buy, trade, donate medications on the black market

Altruism and a lack of access and affordability are three reasons why people with chronic illnesses turn to the “black market” for medicines and supplies, new research shows. Scientists at University of Utah Health and University of Colorado ran surveys to understand why individuals look beyond pharmacies and medical equipment companies to meet essential needs. […]


U chemist and pediatrician named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors

University of Utah distinguished professor of chemistry Peter Stang and professor of pediatrics Anne Blaschke were two of 168 academic inventors named as Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors for 2019. Stang opened pathways in organic chemistry reactions and now explores ways to form molecules into self-assembled geometric shapes. Blaschke played key roles in […]


Forests face climate change tug of war

In a world of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, plants should be happy, right? Experiments have shown that, yes, increased carbon dioxide does allow plants to photosynthesize more and use less water. But the other side of the coin is that warmer temperatures drive plants to use more water and photosynthesize less. So, which […]


U scientist and National Geographic partner influences STEM-positive Barbie dolls

Fifteen years ago, University of Utah forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni wanted girls to have a Barbie doll that represented a career like hers, or at least one that wore rubber boots and carried a climbing rope and helmet. But with a lack of tree canopy field gear among the existing accoutrements for the doll, Nadkarni […]


One-third of reproductive-age women have health conditions that may complicate pregnancy

One in three women of reproductive age have at least one chronic condition that could compromise their health or lead to adverse outcomes during pregnancy, according to University of Utah Health scientists. Yet few of these women are using the most effective forms of contraception to prevent unplanned pregnancies. The researchers say this could be […]


Ant expert discovers newly emergent species in his backyard

Jack Longino is a global ant expert and has traveled the world documenting and discovering ant species. But for his latest discovery, he didn’t need to go any farther than his own backyard. In August 2018, just after dark, Longino caught a glimpse of four ants in his garden that really looked out of place. […]


Squeezing an electron crystal

Written by Katherine Wright, senior editor for Physics, and re-published here with permission. See original post: https://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.197701 The Wigner crystal is an elusive beast. Predicted in 1934, this crystal of electrons, which is one of the most strongly correlated states of matter, forms when the electron density is ultralow. But a lack of clean enough systems […]


Scientists probe the limits of ice

Adapted from material by Daniel Moberg How small is the smallest possible particle of ice? It’s not a snowflake, measuring at a whopping fraction of an inch. According to new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the smallest nanodroplet of water in which ice can form is only as big as […]


Bionic breakthrough

For a brief time, Kerry Finn felt like “The Terminator” or “The Six Million Dollar Man.” The 60-year-old retired truck driver from Salt Lake County, Utah, lost his left leg to vascular disease from type 2 diabetes. But last year, he was one of 10 human subjects at the University of Utah to test one […]


DESI opens its 5,000 eyes to capture the colors of the cosmos

A new instrument mounted atop a telescope in Arizona aimed its robotic array of 5,000 fiber-optic “eyes” at the night sky to capture the first images showing its unique view of galaxy light. It was the first test of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, known as DESI, with its nearly complete complement of components. The […]