Brian Maffly

After 13 years of pouring money down this rathole, the state of Utah still pays people to indiscriminately kill coyotes, despite reams of evidence that this cruel policy does little to control this resilient predator, not to mention flagrant fraud on the part of some bounty collectors.

In its first year of work, Utah’s AI office laid out mental health best practices AI has a role to play in mental health care, but it also comes with potential risks.

AI chatbots can be an asset in mental health treatment. But things get risky when they try to do work that requires a license for humans.

Thanks to federal funding and curious scientists, the U.S. has long driven life-saving discoveries in genetics. That legacy is in serious jeopardy under proposed cuts to NSF and NIH. Retired @utah.edu biomedical researchers explain what's at stake in @sltrib.com op-ed

A Tree Grows on Campus - The University of Utah Magazine As Utah’s official state arboretum, the U campus and Red Butte Garden & Arboretum contain an impressive collection of awe-inspiring trees.

@utah.edu campus is Utah’s official arboretum with 11,600 trees spanning 300 species, from Walter Cottam’s legendary gambel oak hybrids to majestic Japanese zelkova in Cottam’s Gulch. Read the university magazine cover story by Lisa Anderson. @redbuttegarden magazine.utah.edu/issues/summe...

New monstersaur species a ‘goblin prince’ among dinosaurs - @theU Discovery of Bolg amondol, a name inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” universe, reveals the complex evolutionary history of giant Gila monster relatives that roamed Utah’s prehistoric tro...

‘Jar of bones’ recovered from Utah’s public lands and held for 20 years in the collections of @nhmu.bsky.social found to be those of a Cretaceous lizard previously unknown to science. Study by @utah.edu gives it a name: Bolg amondol, relative of modern Gila monster. attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff...

A new look at the Stateville prison malaria experiments - @theU Utah scholars pull back the curtain on the untold story of Black prisoners and the science of preventing adverse drug reactions.

@utah.edu medical ethicists are revealing untold story of Black inmate used in malaria experiments at #Stateville Penitentiary and how it led to discoveries that help prevent adverse drug reactions today.
attheu.utah.edu/health-medic...

How LED lights can help birds avoid fatal run-ins with windows Shining ultraviolet lights on windows can substantially decrease the number of birds that fly into them and die, new research at Utah State University shows.

LED lighting doesn't just save electricity, it can also prevent bird collisions with buildings, which kills millions a year. Researchers with @utahstate.bsky.social figure out how shining ultraviolet light on glass makes windows appear solid. www.npr.org/2025/05/26/n...

Our energy future?
Cue Fred Flintstone

@washingtonpost.com

As climate warms, migratory songbirds’ fall feather molt advances by a day every year - @theU Study by U biologists taps data from 22,000 songbirds captured at Bonderman Field Station to reveal changes in how they replace their feathers

Climate change is not just disrupting songbirds’ breeding and migration schedules. The timing of their fall molt is occurring earlier every year, according to bird banding research from @utah.edu @sekercioglu.bsky.social @uofubiology.bsky.social attheu.utah.edu/research/as-...

Secrets of the Haenyeo divers - @theU “It’s like they have a superpower”: Genetic analysis of all-women extreme divers finds changes linked to blood pressure, cold tolerance.

“It’s like they have a superpower.” Genetic analysis of all-women extreme divers finds changes linked to blood pressure, cold tolerance.

Secrets of the Haenyeo divers ⬇️🤿

Spring runoff is older than you think - @theU Research by U hydrologists finds water flowing out of Western ranges is, on average, more than 5 years old, demonstrating that runoff has a prolonged underground journey

Spring runoff is older than you think: Research by #UofU hydrologists finds water flowing out of Western ranges is, on average, more than 5 years old, demonstrating that runoff has a prolonged underground journey.

U and XPrize partner to revolutionize healthy aging - @theU The U’s Utah Data Coordinating Center will validate the science of teams vying for the $101 million XPRIZE Healthspan, a competition aimed at closing the gap between health and lifespan.

We're partnering with @xprize.org to revolutionize healthy aging. The $101-million, 7-year global competition will leverage our Utah Data Coordinating Center to validate the science of competing XPRIZE teams, who are working toward a goal of extending "health spans."

Photo of Douglas Brick from The Daily Utah Chronicle, 1973

University Police find answers in 1973 missing student cold case:

“We never stopped hoping for answers about Doug’s disappearance. We are relieved to finally have some answers. After 52 years, this result, while sad, is nothing short of a miracle.”

📰 attheu.utah.edu/safety/unive...

Utah needs more herpetologists like Geoff Smith. Here's the latest news from IguanaThon

This guy is onto what could be an awesome board game!

A psychedelic sacrament. A Provo police raid. What counts as a religion? A Provo group uses hallucinogenic mushrooms to commune with God. Provo authorities don’t think they’re a legitimate religion.

Singularism involves a “tea ceremony” with hallucinogenic mushrooms that allow participants to “have these overwhelming, powerful mastery experiences.”

Provo sees it as a covert way of selling drugs.

You won’t regret reading this delightful story by @sean-greene.bsky.social.

Parts of our DNA may evolve much faster than previously thought - @theU Knowing how human DNA changes over generations is essential to estimating genetic disease risks and understanding how we evolved.

Researchers from @uuhsresearch.bsky.social and other institutions have developed the most comprehensive atlas of genetic change through generations.

It shows parts of the human genome change much faster than we thought, providing insight into human disease & evolution.

Nearly a dozen Utah international student’ visas reinstated after reversal by Trump administration Nearly a dozen Utah international students have had their visas reinstated, hours after the Trump admin announced it was halting orders, for now, to revoke some 1,500 visas nationwide.

UPDATE: At least 10 international students attending Utah colleges and universities on recently revoked student visas saw their status reinstated Friday — but The Tribune has learned that one student already left the U.S. about a week ago.

Major dust-up for water in the Colorado River - @theU Using pioneering remote sensing techniques, new research could help predict the timing and magnitude of snow darkening and impacts on melt rates on snowpacks, in real time.

Faster melts, drier futures. Dust storms darken the snowpack, speed up melt and make runoff predictions harder, according to @utah.edu research. Hydrologists use 23 years of satellite data to reveal how much sooner Colorado Plateau snow melts. attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff...

Woodrats’ immunity to snake venom changes with the weather - @theU Researchers looking at effects of the desert rodent's toxic diet discover cool temperatures reduce the critter's ability to survive rattlesnake bites.

Woodrats are basically desert superheroes, able to eat toxic plants and survive rattlesnake bites. But @utah.edu researchers find their venom resistance drops when it’s cool. @uofubiology.bsky.social
attheu.utah.edu/research/woo...
#ScienceNews #VenomResistance #Ecology

Using vibrations to see into Yellowstone’s magma reservoir - @theU U geophysicists have located the top of the potentially explosive underground formation that drives Yellowstone's hydrothermal features.

Some people use Vibroseis trucks to find oil and gas.
@utah.edu researchers use them to characterize underground volcanic features, like the #Yellowstone magma reservoir. New research bring this potentially explosive feature into sharp focus. attheu.utah.edu/science-tech...

For a while, crocodile - @theU The ancestors of today’s crocodylians survived two mass extinction events. A new study uncovered a secret to their longevity, which could help conservationists better protect our planet’s most vulnera...

The 230-million-year-old crocodylian lineage survived two mass extinctions. Researchers from @utah.edu find clues to their resilience in fossilized teeth. @nhmu.bsky.social #paleontology attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff...

Utah scientists with Misha the elephant unlock past migrations Thure Cerling, a University of Utah professor of both geology and biology, and a pioneer in the use of isotope analysis, shares how geologists have developed a method for tracking the movements of lar...

Hear how the teeth of the late @hoglezoo.bsky.social elephant named Misha is helping @utah.edu scientists reconstruct ancient wildlife migrations. Geologist Thure Cerling talks to KCPW's Cool Science Radio about strontium #isotope research
www.kpcw.org/show/cool-sc...

How ancient stone kitchens preserve food secrets - @theU New research from NHMU uncovers microscopic plant residues in bedrock metates, revealing insights into the diets and traditions of the West’s ancient Indigenous communities.

What did people eat 15,000 years ago?
@utah.edu anthropologists recover starch residues in ancient grinding stones, revealing long-lost food traditions. Bedrock metates hold new clues about #AncientDiets
@nhmu.bsky.social attheu.utah.edu/research/sto...

What is National Security (Really)? Historian Peter Roady on FDR and the Struggle to Define the Most Powerful Phrase in U.S. Politics - The Burn Bag Podcast In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with historian and University of Utah professor Peter Roady to explore how the definition of national security has evolved over the 20th and 21st centuries. ...

U of Utah historian Peter Roady has an interesting perspective on how the definition of national security has narrowed since FDR's New Deal. Listen to him discuss his new book on the Burn Bag podcast @utah.edu burnbag.buzzsprout.com/1225250/epis...

Misha lived in zoos, but the elephant’s tooth enamel helps reconstruct wildlife migrations - @theU Utah geologists show how strontium isotopes found in teeth or tusks reveal where large plant-eating animals have roamed.

Misha lived her whole life in zoos, but this elephant’s teeth are now helping @utah.edu scientists reconstruct wildlife migrations attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff... @kpodkovyroff.bsky.social

Most folks do not understand how far in advance the planning and logistics of NIH grants take.

We prepare for months or years for these submissions for one of 3 cycles per year.

This study section cancellation delays grants by at least 6 months when study sections are cancelled.

Technology for oxidizing atmospheric methane won’t help the climate - @theU U atmospheric scientists show proposed ‘geoengineering’ effort to remove potent greenhouse gas could worse air quality while providing minimal benefits

Spray tons of hydrogen peroxide into the atmosphere from a network of 600-meter towers to remove methane, a major driver of climate change. What could go wrong? Plenty, according to new research from @utah.edu. @amayhew.bsky.social
attheu.utah.edu/research/tec...