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University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university. UT serves the state, the nation, and the world by educating students, enhancing culture, and making a difference in people’s lives through research and service. The university’s world-class faculty and broad-ranging partnerships, including its relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, play a critical role in attracting top students.

We embody excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement. Our research portfolio is broad and varied, ranging from projects that advance the development of hypersonic vehicles to those that further STEM education in East Tennessee and study Antarctica as a means of better understanding Mars.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 96 articles

The same thing that makes their eyes glow helps cats see better in dim light. Cletus Waldman/EyeEm via Getty Images

Why do cats’ eyes glow in the dark?

A veterinary ophthalmologist explains what’s going on.
Magnetic fusion reactors contain super hot plasma in a donut-shaped container called a tokamak. dani3315/iStock via Getty Images

Nuclear fusion hit a milestone thanks to better reactor walls – this engineering advance is building toward reactors of the future

In January 2022, the JET fusion experiment produced more power over a longer period of time than any past attempt. Two physicists explain the engineering advancements that made the result possible.
Specialized anatomy means flightless penguins are master swimmers. Christopher Michel

How many bones do penguins have?

How did penguins end up with so few bones – and become lightning-fast swimmers?
Like much else, scientific labs have been shut down by the pandemic. Cavan Images/Cavan via Getty Images

Sold-out supplies, serving a public need and other adventures of doing science during a pandemic – 4 researchers share their experiences

Supply chain issues, emergency science, social distancing requirements and a lot more free time offered both challenges and opportunities for research scientists.
Destrozos en Mayfield, Kentucky, tras el paso de un tornado por la zona el 11 de diciembre de 2021. Brett Carlsen / Getty Images

Por qué el sur de Estados Unidos es propenso a los tornados en diciembre

Los tornados en diciembre no son inusuales en los estados de la costa del golfo y la parte baja del valle del Misisipi, pero la oleada del 10 y 11 de diciembre fue extrema y de gran alcance.
Damage in Mayfield, Kentucky, after a tornado swept through the area on Dec. 11, 2021. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Why the southern US is prone to December tornadoes

Tornadoes in December aren’t unusual in the Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi Valley states, but the Dec. 10-11 outbreak was extreme and far-reaching.
Three upright walkers, including Lucy (center) and two specimens of Australopithecus sediba, a human ancestor from South Africa dating back nearly 2 million years. Image compiled by Peter Schmid and courtesy of Lee R. Berger/Wikimedia Commons

When and how was walking invented?

Walking has taken a very long time to develop, with evidence of bipedalism among early humans in Africa roughly 4.4 million years ago.

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