Researchers are using ancient DNA samples to study the relationship between humans and furbearers like beavers, mink, and muskrats. By analyzing genetic diversity lost due to the fur trade, scientists can inform current conservation efforts and guide future management schemes.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma are collaborating with Japanese institutions to develop new organic soft electronic materials for solar power. The goal is to create more efficient photovoltaics while exploring applications beyond traditional semiconductor uses, such as wearable medical devices.
A new study from the University of Oklahoma is investigating the use of carbon dioxide to produce acrylic acid, a key component in various household products. By replacing propene with CO2, researchers aim to reduce production costs and create a more valuable resource.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma and Iowa State University are exploring a four-year project to create carbon-neutral or carbon-negative hydrogen energy by converting methane into solid carbon. The team aims to create new value from the byproduct, solid carbon, which could benefit society in various ways.
A University of Oklahoma study found a connection between symptomatic COVID-19 infections and impaired pain modulation. Researchers measured participants' pain thresholds and signals sent from the central nervous system, revealing that those with symptomatic infections had normal but not increased pain modulation.
Chagas disease affects 8 million people in the US and Latin America, causing significant healthcare costs and economic impact. Researchers are investigating a potential treatment using the carnitine molecule, which may help compensate for negative effects of infections and reduce drug resistance.
The ‘YES Oklahoma’ project seeks to address the underrepresentation of American Indian students in biomedical and cancer research. The program aims to provide research training opportunities for high school students, teachers, and graduate students from underrepresented communities, with a focus on improving community health outcomes.
A recent study found that ocean cooling over the past 100 million years led to increased body size in tetraodontiform fishes, adhering to Cope's and Bergmann's rules. The researchers combined genomic and fossil data to support this finding, which was previously less well understood for ectothermic species.
A research team at the University of Oklahoma has developed a new approach to triggering an adaptive immune response. The study presents a method to create molecules that can integrate into cells, cause stress on their membrane, and release signals that recruit immune cells to their location.
Two OU research groups received nearly $2 million in funding to develop new surveillance methods and predict the next avian influenza pandemic. The projects focus on integrating data from multiple sources to detect early signals of disease spread.
The research team aims to develop a new approach to managing spent nuclear fuel by engaging community members in the design and construction process. This 'community-first approach' involves simulating the engagement of local stakeholders before designing a facility, taking into account their wishes and needs for future storage sites.
Researchers at OU's CQRT are developing quantum synchronization and organization using multiple experimental approaches. They aim to create a quantum network and better understand collective interactions, with potential implications for network synchronization and electrical power systems.
Researcher Helen Zgurskaya is working on discovering new therapeutic treatments for tuberculosis, a leading cause of infectious disease worldwide. Her team has found that certain inhibitors can abolish the transport activity of MmpL3 and its analogs by inhibition of proton translocation.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma found that climate warming reduces microbial diversity in grassland soil, essential for ecosystem functioning. The long-term experiment revealed significant negative effects of climate change on soil biodiversity, with warming playing a predominant role.
Researchers have developed a new protocol for testing perovskite solar cells, which are radiation-hard and durable enough for use in space. The study found that perovskites are more resistant to damage from radiation than previously thought, making them suitable for applications such as lunar installations and satellite missions.
Researchers predict widespread increases in flash flooding events across the US, with a predicted 10% increase in the Southwest and 8.6% in the central US. Climate change may lead to more frequent and intense flash floods, requiring improved infrastructure and early warning systems.
A University of Oklahoma research team is exploring ethical AI methods specifically in environmental sciences. They aim to develop trustworthy AI tools to help mitigate weather and climate disasters. The team's work seeks to address biased AI algorithms that favor areas with higher populations.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are testing a novel therapy that combines local laser ablation and immunostimulants to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer. The treatment aims to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer cells, with promising preliminary results in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials.
University of Oklahoma astronomer Nathan Kaib found that distant long-period comets quickly fade away as they pass through the outer solar system near Saturn's orbit. This phenomenon occurs because the Sun's heating is too weak to evaporate water-based ice on these comets, making them invisible to astronomers' searches.
The new center aims to develop quantitative imaging markers to reduce subjectivity in medical image diagnosis and improve consistency. Researchers will explore cutting-edge imaging modalities and extract effective image features from existing clinical imaging modalities to aid in cancer detection and treatment.
A recent study confirms that tuberculosis strains associated with marine mammals were also present in inland populations in pre-colonial South America. The researchers found three new ancient TB genomes from human remains in the highlands of Colombia, which resemble a TB variant found in seals and sea lions.
A $763,930 NSF CAREER Award is supporting OU meteorologist Scott Salesky's project to improve cloud representation in weather and climate models. The research aims to better understand interactions between turbulence and clouds, with potential applications for predicting precipitation and understanding Earth's climate.
Thirumalai Venkatesan's research aims to create a human-brain like computing system using quantum technology. His team has discovered a wonder molecule that enables molecular devices to mimic the brain's logic and reconfigure physical wiring, leading to enhanced computational power and reduced energy consumption.
Researcher Sepideh Razavi's work focuses on droplet wetting behavior, crucial for understanding disease transmission, industrial processes, and environmental sustainability. Her project aims to advance fundamental science for novel solutions in these fields.
A researcher is studying the pufferfish genome to understand its evolutionary history and how it developed distinctive physical traits. The study aims to uncover the underlying genetic mechanisms behind the fish's varying body shapes and extreme sizes.
A University of Oklahoma chemist is engineering a sustainable method for producing valuable compounds found in nature, such as cannabinoids and squalenes, using enzymes and E. coli. This approach avoids the environmental and economic challenges associated with traditional plant-based methods.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have developed a molecular framework that solves the challenge of predicting peptide structures. The framework bridges experimental and computer sciences, enabling the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to model peptide structures for materials engineering.
A new framework, iDIRECT, can effectively infer direct relationships in association networks, improving our understanding of complex systems. This approach has been successfully applied to gene regulatory networks in E. coli and microbial communities in response to climate warming.
Researchers used artificial intelligence to predict which bat species are likely to carry betacoronaviruses, including SARS-like viruses. The study found that machine learning models can optimize wildlife sampling for undiscovered viruses and identified over 400 potential hosts globally.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have discovered a new protein fragment that could improve cartilage regeneration and reduce the need for osteoarthritis treatments. The protein fragment, developed by Handan Acar and Amgad Haleem, aims to help the body heal itself by elicititing a response from stem cells.
Researchers identified 'hotspots' for flash droughts globally, including regions with high agricultural production, and found that half of the contributing factor is a lack of rainfall and hot weather conditions. This study provides a foundation to build off and explore key questions regarding future trends of flash drought occurrence.
Satellite images reveal a substantial increase in saltmarsh area and stable trends of tidal flat areas after 2012, driven by decreased anthropogenic activities and increased conservation and restoration efforts. Conservation efforts have positively impacted China's coastal wetlands, mitigating the loss of these important ecosystems.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma are leading a global study to understand the impact of increased nutrients on soil microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functions in grasslands worldwide. The project aims to develop new mathematical models to predict how nutrient changes affect soil microbe diversity and functions.
A team of researchers, led by Scott T. Salesky, will conduct field work in Antarctica to study the impact of katabatic winds on snow transport and ice sheet growth. The study aims to advance understanding of katabatic flows and their effects on regional and global atmospheric and oceanic circulations.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have contributed to a study on a new antibiotic that may cure Lyme disease and eradicate its occurrence from the environment. The antibiotic, hygromycin A, targets the ribosomes of the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and shows promise in treating the disease.
The University of Oklahoma's six humanities programs will benefit from a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The funding will support various projects, including the OU Press, Native Nations Center, and World Literature Today.
Researchers have discovered a way to significantly increase the efficiency of solar cells by harnessing excess energy and storing it before it's lost as heat. This breakthrough could raise the industry standard limit from 30% to over 60%, addressing one of the major challenges in commercial solar cells.
Dawn Martin-Hill, a Canadian cultural anthropologist, has been recognized for her research on the link between water quality, security, and Indigenous community culture and livelihood. Her work focuses on improving water access for the Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest Native reserve in Canada.
The five-year project will focus on four themes: climate-informed planning, governance and collaborative capacity, extreme events, and climate justice. The program aims to help communities build resilience to climate-related challenges through research, tools, and knowledge.
A new five-year research project led by Thomas Neeson aims to model the impacts of conservation incentives on farmers in the Red River basin. The study will help understand how voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs can be effectively designed to promote sustainable water use.
Naoko Sakaeda, a University of Oklahoma weather researcher, has received a $652,000 NSF CAREER award to study tropical meteorology and improve global weather forecasting. Her research aims to better understand the dynamics of tropical clouds and precipitation at various scales.
Dr. Jitender Mehla has received a National Institutes of Health Grant to study small molecule-based inhibition of multidrug efflux pump in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a serious threat to hospital-acquired infections. The proposed research aims to develop antibacterials effective against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.
Researchers determined that a woman's 'vascular age' is a better indicator for cardiovascular disease risk than her chronological age or years since menopause. Hormone therapy brings increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but 'vascular age' provides a clearer answer for physicians making decisions about hormone therapy.
A University of Oklahoma researcher is using fluid dynamics principles to improve climate modeling, with a focus on turbulent transport in the lower atmosphere. The project aims to enhance predictability and accuracy in weather and climate patterns.
Michele Galizia, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, has received a $543,641 NSF CAREER grant to develop new polymer membranes. His research focuses on improving the efficiency of industrial separations, crucial for reducing environmental pollution and energy costs.
Samer Shehata, a University of Oklahoma professor, has received the International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations. The fellowship will allow him to analyze U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East and observe how autocratic regimes cooperate and maintain power.
Researchers aim to improve search results by accounting for users' systematic biases, which can lead to misleading information and poor decision-making. The project seeks to build bias-aware prediction models and promote informed, unbiased decision-making through proactively capturing bias-related search problems.
Researchers led by Dr. Laura-Isobel McCall use liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and data science tools to understand how pathogens affect different body parts differently
A new imaging technique using fluorothymidine (FLT) is being tested to predict the success of bone marrow transplants. The trial aims to reduce waiting time for patients and improve survival rates, currently 30% over three years after failure.
Campylobacter infections can be transmitted through fecal-oral contact, particularly among men who have sex with men. The study found the rate of infection was 14 times higher in this group than control subjects.