University of Utah hydrologists show most streamflow out of the West’s mountains is old snowmelt on a multi-year underground journey. New study finds that spring runoff is on average 5 years old.

Researchers at the UTSA Sleep and Memory Computational Lab are studying how Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep could influence individuals who are regularly exposed to stressful experiences and are at higher risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The study, led by UTSA psychology professor Itamar Lerner, involves collaboration with first responders, such as firefighters and law enforcement personnel. The researchers examined their baseline levels of REM sleep, also known as “dream sleep,” and how that could have lasting effects on them over time. 

“Our ongoing hypothesis is that REM sleep affects your ability to process threatening situations in two different ways, based on the predictiveness of the cues associated to the threat,” Lerner said. “Proving that would not only have clinical implications but also tell us something fundamental about the memory processes that occur in the brain and how sleep affects them.”

This research began as a pilot study two years ago. Since then, Lerner has secured a five-year, $725,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for his research. This funding will allow his team to recruit more than 100 participants overall, with nearly 70 participants already enrolled.

A new analysis of a group of all-women extreme divers off the coast of Korea has uncovered genetic differences that could help them survive the intense physiological stresses of free-diving—and could ultimately lead to better treatments for blood pressure disorders.

A groundbreaking study published today in Science reveals that North American bird populations are declining most severely in areas where they should be thriving. Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology analyzed 36 million bird observations shared by birdwatchers to the Cornell Lab’s eBird program alongside multiple environmental variables derived from high-resolution satellite imagery for 495 bird species across North America from 2007 to 2021.