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University of Utah researchers know well how rock towers and arches shimmy, twist and sway in response to far-off earthquakes, wind and even ocean waves. Their latest research compiles a first-of-its-kind dataset to show that the dynamic properties, i.e. the frequencies at which the rocks vibrate and the ways they deform during that vibration, can be largely predicted using the same mathematics that describe how beams in built structures resonate.

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Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 25 Finalists for the 2022 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. Finalists for the prize demonstrated ambitious, feasible, and scalable solutions to housing affordability and were selected from 170 nominations.

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Identifying the factors that determine people’s diets is important to answer the bigger questions, such as how changing climates will influence unequal access to preferred foods. This study provides a blueprint to systematically untangle and evaluate the power of both climate and population size on the varied diets across a region in the past.

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The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute today released long-term planning projections for Utah, which show net migration becoming a steadily increasing force as the state’s population increases to 5.5 million by 2060.

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The Matterhorn appears as an immovable, massive mountain. A study shows that this impression is wrong. The Matterhorn is instead constantly in motion, swaying gently back and forth about once every two seconds.

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Shrubs in the desert Southwest have increased their water use efficiency at some of the highest rates ever observed to cope with a decades-long megadrought. That’s the finding of a new study from University of Utah researchers, who found that although the shrubs’ efficiency increases are unprecedented and heroic, they may not be enough to adapt to the long-term drying trend in the West.

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While elevated lead levels in children are a persistent public health problem, few prospective studies have examined the association of childhood lead levels with substance use in adolescence. A team of researchers, led by Meeyoung O. Min from the University of Utah’s College of Social Work, found there is a link between elevated blood lead level in preschool years and adolescent substance use and substance-related problems.

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Armillaria ostoyae is a gnarly parasitic fungus with long black tentacles that spread out and attack vegetation.Not much was known about what makes the Armillaria ostoyae so hard to kill — until now. A team of researchers led by University of Utah mechanical engineering assistant professor Steven Naleway has been studying the defense mechanism of the tree fungus to better understand what makes it so hearty.

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University of Utah electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Benjamin Sanchez-Terrones is developing a diagnostic tool for breast cancer that uses a safe, low-voltage electrical current instead of radiation. The device can therefore be used much more frequently than mammograms and on younger patients.

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A University of Utah researcher argues access to high-speed internet, or broadband, is a human rights and social justice issue as lack of access disproportionately impacts low-income, People of Color, seniors, Native Americans and rural residents. In order to reduce the digital divide, Sanders said there are community-based, grassroots initiatives that can serve as excellent models—including one in Utah.

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University of Utah chemical engineering assistant professor Huanan Zhang has developed a process that turns clothing fabric into biosensors which measure a muscle’s electrical activity as it is worn. This could become a much better solution in measuring muscle activity for physical rehabilitation or for other medical applications.

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University of Utah mechanical engineering professor Jake Abbott has discovered a method to manipulate orbiting space debris by using spinning magnets. This allows agencies to either help clear out such debris or repair damaged satellites by moving or grasping the objects without physically touching them.

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The State of the State’s Housing Market report, released today by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, shows that more than half of Utah’s households are now unable to afford the median-home priced home in 2021.

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University of Utah mechanical engineering researchers have developed a lightweight powered exoskeleton that allows lower-limb amputees to walk with much less effort. The device uses motors, microprocessors and advanced algorithms to aid the user in walking much like an e-bike helps riders pedal up a hill.

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Over time, concrete cracks and crumbles. Well, most concrete cracks and crumbles. Structures built in ancient Rome are still standing, exhibiting remarkable durability despite conditions that would devastate modern concrete. One of these structures is the large cylindrical tomb of first-century noblewoman Caecilia Metella. New research shows that the quality of the concrete of her tomb may exceed that of her male contemporaries’ monuments because of the volcanic aggregate the builders chose and the unusual chemical interactions with rain and groundwater with that aggregate over two millennia.

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A study recently published in PLOS ONE found that pregnancy intentions often change over as short as a 12-month time period, and that they specifically vary with partner status, household income, and employment status.

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University of Utah researchers compared every U.S. state’s CO2 emissions with their investment in the two solutions from 2009 to 2016. State governments’ policies aimed at helping consumers improve energy efficiency had no effect on CO2 emission. Investment in renewable energy sources led to more CO2 emissions in the residential sector.

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The creation of the Taylor Randall Presidential Chair, thanks to the generosity of 40 donors, was announced Tuesday morning at the 31st annual Spencer Fox Eccles Convocation at the David Eccles School of Business.

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University of Utah biologists discovered that a mutation in the ROR2 gene is linked to beak size reduction in numerous breeds of domestic pigeons. Surprisingly, different mutations in ROR2 also underlie a human disorder called Robinow syndrome. The ROR2 signaling pathway plays an important role in the craniofacial development of all vertebrates.

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New research suggests that while there is an association between income and diversity of medium to large mammals, another factor is stronger: “urban intensity”, or the degree to which wild lands have been converted to densely-populated, paved-over grey cities.