Top 10 Research Stories Of 2018
1. Edible cottonseed research received a key USDA approval
Texas A&M AgriLife became just the fourth public institution to receive USDA deregulation approval for an engineered crop. The transgenic cotton plant has ultra-low gossypol levels in the seed that allow it to be consumed by humans. The approval moved the seed one step closer to becoming a nutritious food source for millions of people.
2. Ancient spear points were discovered outside of Austin
Texas A&M archaeologists discovered what are believed to be the oldest weapons ever found in North America. The findings, ancient spear points that are 15,500 years old, raised new questions about the settlement of early peoples on the continent.
3. A new reading technology for the blind was introduced
A visualization professor developed a technology for talking books that allows people who are blind to access more literature with increased command over their reading experiences.
4. Dust from the Sahara Desert was a storm killer
Research from a Texas A&M-led team found that dust from the vast African desert killed severe storms across the United States.
5. A psychological and brain sciences researcher identified a new brain region that suppresses fear
A Texas A&M study identified a new area in the brain involved in inhibiting fear, a discovery that holds potential for clinical interventions in patients with psychiatric diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
6. Texas A&M joined a NSF-funded $60 million supercomputer project
Supercomputing scientists at Texas A&M will collaborate with nine other U.S. research universities to launch and operate one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
7. Texas A&M helped reveal the true costs of urban flooding
A report from Texas A&M and the University of Maryland found that flooding caused by the severity and frequency of intense storms is a significant source of economic loss, social disruption and housing inequality across the United States.
8. A Texas A&M researcher pioneered the Texas Freedom Colonies Project
The project will help African-American Texans reclaim their unrecognized and unrecorded heritage and empower city planners to plan and preserve communities with unprecedented knowledge about the freedom colonies.
9. Texas A&M researchers developed technology that will help prevent wildfires
A team of Texas A&M researchers developed technology that helps power providers find the cause of outages, and anticipate and predict some failures before outages occur. A four-year study proved that many wildfires caused by power outages can be prevented with the new technology.
10. Texas A&M and Harvard teamed up for atmospheric research
Researchers will be collecting important atmospheric data from a high-altitude NASA aircraft thanks to $30 million in funding received from NASA’s Earth Venture program.
