University of Utah

A compelling new study has described a novel association between viral infections, neurodegenerative disease, the gut microbiome, and our immune system. The research suggests gut bacteria disruptions can allow harmful viruses to trigger neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Heat loss is wasted energy. If we're to successfully create smaller, more efficient technology, then the thermal energy that our gadgets waste needs to be put to better use. This new device, which works at the nanoscale where the theoretical "blackbody limit" falls apart, could be the answer.

​We already see the outside world through the windows of our home or the windshield of our car, so … why not use those things as camera lenses, instead of utilizing separate security or obstacle-avoidance cameras? Thanks to a new system created at the University of Utah, that could be a possibility.

A study from researchers at the University of Utah suggests that playing emotionally touching music to seniors afflicted with dementia may help manage their symptoms and improve many important cognitive functions.

​Led by Dr. Brent Michael Kious, scientists from the University of Utah have come to the conclusion that people living at higher altitudes may have an increased risk of suicide. The researchers do have a theory as to why this might be the case, along with some recommendations.

Ancient Roman concrete is still standing strong after thousands of years, and not only does it resist damage, but salt water actually makes it stronger. X-ray examinations have found the key to the mixture’s incredible longevity, which could help improve modern recipes.

​​Not long ago, University of Utah assistant professor Jeff Bates was contacted by a nonprofit advocacy group for women and girls in Guatemala. The group was seeking eco-friendly feminine hygiene products. Bates turned to a team of his students, and they created a completely biodegradable maxi pad.

​​Current approaches to cranial surgery are painstaking, but researchers at the University of Utah say they have come up with a much more efficient way of doing things, developing a robotic drill that could cut operation times by hours and reduce the risk of infection throughout. ​

Hydrogen sulfide is not a gas that is usually described as life sustaining. However while its toxic fumes might knock most of us out, there is a creature that thrives on this toxic gas – the giant shipworm, a mysterious mud-dwelling creature that has eluded scientists till now.

​​Badgers are known to bury food items underground, but new research has revealed just how deep they are willing to dig. Camera traps have caught a single badger burying an entire cow carcass, the first evidence of the scavenger stowing away an animal carcass larger than itself. ​

Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a new thermoelectric material that doesn’t use the toxic chemicals common in others, but is still efficient and affordable enough for use in everyday products, meaning the day a phone can be charged by a cooking pot may not be far away.

​With an epidemic of addiction to opioid painkillers on the rise, researchers say they've found an alternative for pain relief from an unlikely source – a small snail found in the Caribbean Sea. The little cone snail Conus regius​ produces a venom that blocks a different pain pathway.