When early terrestrial animals began moving about on mud and sand 360 million years ago, the powerful tails they used as fish may have been more important than scientists previously realized. That’s one conclusion from a new study by a multidisciplinary team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Clemson University, Carnegie Mellon University and the
Analysis by NIMBioS researchers suggests that the majority of bacteria in mice subjects are actively replicating, challenging a widely held notion about a fatal animal disease.
The Adventures in STEM camp welcomes middle-school girls from around East Tennessee for a hands-on look at the opportunities that await them in those fields.
Nearly a third of all patients undergoing heart surgery experience kidney failure, yet little is known about why kidney injury occurs or how to prevent it. Now, for the first time, a team including NIMBioS researchers have investigated the causes of kidney injury, using a mathematical model that simulates typical open-heart surgery and the effects
A new study from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) finds that developing shale gas wells that have less impact on the environment, at least at the surface, is not as costly as presumed.
February 12 marks the 207th birthday of Charles Darwin, the biologist who shaped the way scientists study life on Earth. Students will honor his birthday with Darwin Day, a paleontology-themed celebration beginning Tuesday, February 9.
Viruses infect more than humans or plants. For microorganisms in the oceans—including those that capture half of the carbon taken out of the atmosphere every day—viruses are a major threat. But a paper published Monday in the journal Nature Microbiology shows that there’s much less certainty about the size of these viral populations than scientists
Tropical rainforests play a vital role in the well-being of our planet, soaking up carbon dioxide and helping stabilize the global climate. A study from a team of researchers at NIMBioS reveals new findings about the structure of tropical rainforests and how the trees in them interact with one another.
While tremendous progress has been made in eliminating malaria worldwide, about 3.2 billion people—nearly half the world’s population—are still at risk of the disease, according to the World Health Organization. A study from NIMBioS develops new methods to detect critical transitions in infectious disease epidemics, such as malaria.
Research on the evolution and function of play at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis at UT has culminated in a special issue of the journal Adaptive Behavior. The collection heavily features the research of Gordon Burghardt, who works on many aspects of animal behavior, play behavior, ethical treatment of animals, and zoo
A new NIMBioS study sheds light on the strategies used by creationists to influence the way biology is taught in the classroom. The study reconstructed the evolutionary history of antievolution efforts in state legislatures to reveal the relationships among lawmaking efforts over the past decade.
Scientists at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) at UT, along with scientists at Clemson University, have been watching tiger salamanders strut their stuff.