University of Utah research showed up in the news 4,859 times between April 1 and June 30, 2026. Three threads drove most of it: the Great Salt Lake — its crisis, a newly discovered species, and a $1B plan to save it — advances in brain & neuroscience (from Alzheimer’s to near-infrared light therapy), and health innovation like a cuff-free blood-pressure smartwatch. Nearly all of the coverage was positive, landing in big names like ScienceDaily, Smithsonian, National Geographic and Nature.
Mentions
4,859
Estimated views
5.7M
Favorable
99.0%
Est. ad value
$77.7M
Coverage over time
Weekly mentions · three spikes drove the quarter
1
Week of May 18 · peak
Moran Eye glaucoma and intraocular-pressure research, alongside the first wave of near-infrared brain-therapy coverage — the quarter’s high point at 546 mentions.
2
Early June
Neurotechnology research on near-infrared light therapy — photobiomodulation for neuroinflammation — traveled widely across the science press.
3
Late June
Wildfire-detection camera research, Huntsman Mental Health Institute programs, and Alzheimer’s early-detection work closed out the quarter.
Sentiment
Favorable4,810
Negative49
Why the 49 negatives? Nearly all raised environmental concern over the shrinking Great Salt Lake — not criticism of the university.
Footprint & reach
1,658unique outlets
21languages worldwide
Top outlets by volume
National
Yahoo! News
25
MSN.com
19
Nature
18
Associated Press
9
Phys.org
5
Utah & regional
KSTU (FOX 13)
126
KSL Newsradio
72
KSL (NBC)
56
KTVX (ABC)
54
KUTV (CBS)
51
Also picked up by ScienceDaily, Smithsonian, National Geographic, SciTechDaily, Nature & the Associated Press.
“
Scientists discover a mysterious creature living in the Great Salt Lake — and it exists nowhere else on Earth.
SciTechDaily — on University of Utah biology research
Research on the lake’s crisis, a newly discovered species, and a $1B restoration plan drew sustained national coverage — amplified by Smithsonian, National Geographic and ScienceDaily.
02
Sentiment stayed positive
99% of coverage was favorable — the few negative items reflect environmental concern for the Great Salt Lake, not the university.
03
The story scaled far beyond Utah
1,658 distinct outlets carried the research in 21 languages, with national placements in Smithsonian, National Geographic and ScienceDaily extending reach well beyond the state.
Media Intelligence · Q2 2026