Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
@marcairhart-ut.bsky.social
Science communicator and podcaster at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences. Views are my own, not those of the university.
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
#CysticFibrosis is hard to treat with gene therapy because it can be caused by many different combinations of mutations. A new gene editing tech from The University of Texas at Austin, using genetic elements borrowed from bacteria, might change that. Full story: cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
New Gene-Editing Tech Holds Promise for Treating Complex Genetic Diseases
Advanced biotechnology repurposes two bacterial immune systems to correct large stretches of DNA.
cns.utexas.edu
October 23, 2025 at 5:52 PM
#CysticFibrosis is hard to treat with gene therapy because it can be caused by many different combinations of mutations. A new gene editing tech from The University of Texas at Austin, using genetic elements borrowed from bacteria, might change that. Full story: cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
Check out this weirdo
The Mexican honey wasp is a bit of an oddball: it makes and eats honey like a bee, but when it’s hankering for protein, instead of pollen, it eats other insects. A new study finds its gut microbiome is more like bees than wasps. Funded by USDA and NSF. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
October 3, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Check out this weirdo
The universe is amazing!
🚨 Stephen Hawking was right: when two black holes collide, the resulting black hole has a bigger surface area than the originals. Amazing finding on the 10th anniversary of gravitational wave astronomy!
Stephen Hawking Was Right: Black Holes Always Grow in Area
Researchers celebrate 10th anniversary of gravitational wave discovery, announce verification of a Hawking theorem.
cns.utexas.edu
September 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM
The universe is amazing!
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
To kill bacteria, antibodies usually need helpers, but a new method yields antibodies that can kill bacteria directly by busting up their outer membranes. Read more: lcid.utexas.edu/news/researc...
September 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
To kill bacteria, antibodies usually need helpers, but a new method yields antibodies that can kill bacteria directly by busting up their outer membranes. Read more: lcid.utexas.edu/news/researc...
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
🧬 A new AI tool from @utaustin.bsky.social & Sanofi could speed the development of mRNA-based therapies for viruses, cancers and genetic disorders. RiboNN predicts which mRNA sequences will be most efficiently translated into proteins. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc... @taccutexas.bsky.social
New AI Tool Accelerates mRNA-Based Treatments for Viruses, Cancers, Genetic Disorders
UT Austin and Sanofi partner to build tool that predicts translation efficiency of mRNA sequences.
cns.utexas.edu
July 25, 2025 at 4:03 PM
🧬 A new AI tool from @utaustin.bsky.social & Sanofi could speed the development of mRNA-based therapies for viruses, cancers and genetic disorders. RiboNN predicts which mRNA sequences will be most efficiently translated into proteins. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc... @taccutexas.bsky.social
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
After a new space telescope scan, signs of life on the exoplanet K2-18b remain elusive. It's even left scientists questioning what it will take to recognize life beyond our solar system. My story [gift link] nyti.ms/4o32ZH1
Hints of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b Recede Even Further
New observations fail to confirm signs of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet K2-18b. They also raise questions about what it will take to detect biology light-years away.
nyti.ms
July 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
After a new space telescope scan, signs of life on the exoplanet K2-18b remain elusive. It's even left scientists questioning what it will take to recognize life beyond our solar system. My story [gift link] nyti.ms/4o32ZH1
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
A measles outbreak simulator developed at The University of Texas at Austin is helping protect communities across the U.S. by modeling how infections might spread, especially through schools. www.statesman.com/story/news/h... #epiEngage @taccutexas.bsky.social @utaustin.bsky.social
How Austin officials are helping to stop measles outbreak with data
The University of Texas and Austin Public Health created a measles simulator for school districts and private schools around the county to better …
www.statesman.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
A measles outbreak simulator developed at The University of Texas at Austin is helping protect communities across the U.S. by modeling how infections might spread, especially through schools. www.statesman.com/story/news/h... #epiEngage @taccutexas.bsky.social @utaustin.bsky.social
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
A set of weapons bacteria use to fight each other, called microcins, are much more widespread and diverse than previously thought. They might inspire new ways to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. Learn more in Nature Communications: rdcu.be/eumkH
July 1, 2025 at 8:18 PM
A set of weapons bacteria use to fight each other, called microcins, are much more widespread and diverse than previously thought. They might inspire new ways to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. Learn more in Nature Communications: rdcu.be/eumkH
In my latest podcast, I went to the Texas coast to find out how the sound of tiny bubbles could help fight climate change.
There’s got to be an easier way to figure out how much carbon is stored by seagrass!
Scientists have found "one weird trick" that involves listening to tiny bubbles. Hear our latest Point of Discovery podcast: cns.utexas.edu/news/podcast...
@utaustin.bsky.social l @cockrellschool.bsky.social
Scientists have found "one weird trick" that involves listening to tiny bubbles. Hear our latest Point of Discovery podcast: cns.utexas.edu/news/podcast...
@utaustin.bsky.social l @cockrellschool.bsky.social
May 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM
In my latest podcast, I went to the Texas coast to find out how the sound of tiny bubbles could help fight climate change.
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
Can AI help us do a better job balancing the economy, environment and human wellbeing? Researchers at @utaustin.bsky.social are developing decision making tools to do just that. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
With Evolutionary AI, Scientists Find Hidden Keys for Better Land Use
Researchers say the AI system can lead to better decision-making around a wide range of complex policy choices.
cns.utexas.edu
May 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Can AI help us do a better job balancing the economy, environment and human wellbeing? Researchers at @utaustin.bsky.social are developing decision making tools to do just that. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
⚛️ Fusion energy breakthrough: Physicists solved a 70-year-old problem, speeding up the design of “magnetic bottles” that are a key part of fusion reactors called stellarators. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
@utaustin.bsky.social @type-one.energy
@utaustin.bsky.social @type-one.energy
University of Texas-led Team Solves a Big Problem for Fusion Energy
Their method to speed up the design of “magnetic bottles” offers an answer to a complex 70-year-old challenge.
cns.utexas.edu
May 13, 2025 at 4:33 PM
⚛️ Fusion energy breakthrough: Physicists solved a 70-year-old problem, speeding up the design of “magnetic bottles” that are a key part of fusion reactors called stellarators. cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
@utaustin.bsky.social @type-one.energy
@utaustin.bsky.social @type-one.energy
Reposted by Marc Airhart @ UT Austin
A big range might not save animals from climate change. The Bohemian waxwing (left) lives across a vast swath of the Arctic, yet it might be at higher risk than the chestnut-crowned laughingthrush, which has a much smaller range. Find out why: cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
April 23, 2025 at 10:19 PM
A big range might not save animals from climate change. The Bohemian waxwing (left) lives across a vast swath of the Arctic, yet it might be at higher risk than the chestnut-crowned laughingthrush, which has a much smaller range. Find out why: cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...