September 22, 2025
Above: The pop art-inspired illustration highlights a new light-up RNA aptamer called Golden Broccoli that was developed through structure-based design.
Golden Broccoli: U biochemists create the world’s first single-dyed ratiometric biosensor for glycine imaging.
Madeline Bodin
“Glycine has many important roles. It’s an important neurotransmitter that regulates things like memory reflex and brain development, and it also may be a biomarker for bacterial virulence,” notes Madeline Bodin, a University of Utah doctoral candidate in the Hammond lab. She is the lead author of a new paper titled “Visualizing intracellular glycine with two-dye and single-dye ratiometric RNA-based sensors.”
Of all the amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, glycine is the simplest. Out of the 20 standard amino acids, it is the only one lacking a side chain extending from its backbone. “But, despite all of these important roles of glycine, there haven’t been any tools that can image glycine both inside and outside of living cells,” adds faculty member and corresponding author of the paper Ming Hammond.
Golden Broccoli
And so, Bodin and Hammond went out and created one using engineered strands of RNA called aptamers. This wasn’t easy. Through persistent work, they created a new aptamer called “Golden Broccoli” that is used alongside the previously existing “Red Broccoli” aptamer to bind with a single dye and emit yellow and red light, respectively.
“The yellow signal indicates how much of the RNA sensor is in the cell,” explains Bodin. “The red signal indicates how much glycine is present. You can use the ratio between these signals for absolute quantitation.”
This is where the term ratiometric comes in. When the aptamers lights up, yellow and red lights are emitted mixed together. It’s more of a mix between the two. “The two signals have some overlap. Luckily, it turns out you can unmix these signals using mathematical formulas,” says Hammond. The best part now is that glycine levels can be read very accurately in real time with living cells, without breaking open the cells and killing them in the process.
“Any questions we have about how the amount of glycine in the cell changes during different cellular processes or where glycine is located in the cell at different times now can be answered,” explains Bodin.
This new tool can help us make measurements to test and improve fundamental models of cell signaling and behavior.
A glial cell called an astrocyte
Ming Hammond
In the future, at least one application of a more accurate reading of glycine levels is in the human brain, specifically with a glial cell called an astrocyte. Astrocytes are abundant within the central nervous system. They regulate neuronal activity and have a sheath-like role in protecting the brain from injury. Recent studies have hypothesized that astrocytes might provide neurotransmitters to the neurons themselves.
“We want to use the biosensor to determine if astrocytes release glycine in a way that could potentially affect neuronal signaling,” adds Bodin.
Right now, imaging of glycine in the brain is not possible, requiring additional technological advancements. But Bodin and Hammond are optimistic that there will be improvements down the road.
“I'm always thinking of how there's more to be done,” continues Bondin. “Although this was a breakthrough, I hope that in the future other people can develop even brighter single-dye ratiometric aptamers. And in that sense, there's still more work to be done.”
Future imaging tools will be more advanced but the important part about this study is that it is a first. When Bodin and Hammond submitted this paper to the journal Nucleic Acids Research (NAR), all three reviewers nominated it as a Breakthrough Article. NAR publishes thousands of papers per year with only 20 to 35 being selected formally as breakthroughs.
A long time coming
For Bodin, this paper has been a long time coming. For her undergraduate work, she attended Ohio Wesleyan University where she double majored in chemistry and neuroscience. Her first experience at the U was as a participant in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Chemistry program, currently co-led by Hammond. As a Ph.D. candidate, Bodin took part in the PITCH program which provides interdisciplinary training for chemical biology. While REU helped Bodin find the U, PITCH provided integral training. The combination of the two led to an impressive breakthrough.
Golden Broccoli will inevitably lead to future advancements. It can tell us the big things that the simple little glycine molecule is up to.
The paper was published September 11, 2025 in the journal NAR.
By Nathan Murthy
About the Hammond Lab: The Hammond Laboratoryat the University of Utah has a dual focus on engineering nucleic acids as programmable tools for molecular imaging and gene control, and on understanding the chemistry and biology of cyclic dinucleotides as signaling molecules in bacteria and mammalian cells. The investigators and work in this study were supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Cancer Institute
not easy eating green: latest on woodrats & toxin research
September 22, 2025
Above: The woodrat (genus: Neotoma)
It’s not easy eating green, as most plants have chemical defenses to deter would-be grazers. Getting enough to eat, while minimizing exposure to toxins, is a persistent challenge that shapes an herbivore’s foraging choices. Do they boost their survival by eating a bit of everything, bypass biological booby traps by specializing on one plant or adapt their strategy as environmental conditions change?
A woodrat ponders its next snack. Credit: Sara Weinstein/USU
The diversity of an animal’s diet—known as dietary niche breadth—is critical to a species’ resilience, yet it remains poorly understood in mammalian herbivores. In a new study, researchers report findings from an eight-year, large-scale survey exploring the dietary choices of a model herbivore, the woodrat (genus: Neotoma). By analyzing plant DNA in the rodents’ droppings, the scientists compared dietary breadth between individuals, within populations and across species of woodrats throughout North America.
Woodrats exhibited a wide spectrum of diet diversity that included both generalists and specialists. Species-level specialists stuck to narrow food niches, with little difference between individual diets. In contrast, generalist populations contained individuals with more varied diets. Even these individuals appeared to forage on a consistent subset of plants, which likely helps them to manage the risks of consuming potentially poisonous food.
“Most woodrat populations are generalists, but at the individual level, these generalists’ diets may not be as broad as we previously assumed,” said Sara Weinstein, biologist at Utah State University and lead author of the study. “We tend to think of generalists as being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. However, it looks like most generalists are more aptly described as jacks-of-all trades, master of some.”
Labs from Utah State University, University of Utah and Weber State catching woodrats during “Ratapalooza 2024.” Lead author Sara Weinstein holds the sign, co-author Dylan Klure is in the third row, second from right, co-author Denise Dearing is in the second row at the right end. Credit: Sara Weinstein/USU
The results show that woodrats’ dietary breadth is driven by the costs of both specialization and generalization. For example, generalist woodrats continued to eat harmful creosote year-round, even when less toxic plants were available. This suggests that the costs to introducing a new food source may be higher than maintaining a consistent, if more toxic, diet.
“Even the generalists are selective in what they choose to eat from the smorgasbord of available items. These results are consistent with there being costs associated with both narrow and diverse diets,” said Denise Dearing, distinguished professor of biology at the University of Utah and co-author of the study. “This pattern reflects the constraints of the mammalian detoxification system—individuals forage for a diet that balances detoxification efficiency while limiting negative outcomes.”
The findings may change how we think about resilience, food webs and invasive species, the authors assert. Scientists assume that generalist species are more tolerant of change or more effective invaders. The research reveals this may be untrue when generalists are comprised of locally adapted specialists.
The study published online on Sept. 15, 2025, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the University of Utah.
Read the full article by Mary-Ann Muffoletto, Utah State University, and the U's Lisa Potter in @ TheU.
In June 2021, I moved to the United States from Quito, Ecuador, for my final year of high school and to pursue a degree at the University of Utah. While I have a wide range of interests, my early involvement in research—starting with the Science Research Initiative (SRI) freshman year—marked the true beginning of my career path.
I work in Professor Chan Yul Yoo’s lab in the School of Biological Sciences. The lab explores how plants sense environmental conditions, such as light, temperature, and other changes, and then respond by reprogramming their growth at the cellular and molecular level. My current project focuses on Micro-Tom, a miniature tomato variety that is widely used as a model crop in plant species. Micro-Tom is small, fast-growing, and easy to grow in limited space, making it ideal not only for lab experiments, but also for space research. In fact, Micro-Tom plants have been grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Developing Micro-Tom lines that thrive under low-light conditions and withstand heat stress could someday facilitate farming on the Moon and Mars.
My project, ‘Improving Thermotolerance in the Crop Micro-Tomato,’ addresses a critical challenge: how to help agricultural crops adapt to a warming climate. We’re testing whether adding extra copies of a protective gene called NCP can enhance heat tolerance in micro-tomatoes. NCP helps prevent protein clumping inside cells, protecting vital structures like chloroplasts, which power plant growth. If successful, this type of genetic modification could be applied to other crops.
Over the summer, I worked full-time on the project with support from the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. I also co-authored a paper published in Plant Physiology titled ‘Light-regulated dual-targeting of NUCLEAR CONTROL OF PEP ACTIVITY establishes photomorphogenesis via interorganellar communication.’ Next year, I’ll present this research at the ASPB annual conference in Ottawa alongside Professor Yoo.
Outside of science, I’m a very artistic person. One of my favorite creative outlets is doing nails for friends and family. I’m actually a certified nail technician in Ecuador. Becoming a technician taught me a lot about how I learn best: through hands-on practice, repetition, and persistence. I’ve carried this approach into my academic life as well—reviewing concepts from multiple angles helps them truly stick.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to pursue a career in research and plan to apply to graduate programs after completing my degree at the University of Utah. My advice to incoming freshmen: don’t compare yourself to others. You’re here to learn, and growth happens at your own pace.
by Abigail Bruzual, undergraduate student in the School of Biological Sciences
Looming Emergency Over Dust Storms, Health Risks & a dying Great Salt Lake
January 21, 2025
Above: Dust on the Great Salt Lake. Credit: PBSUtah
The shrinking shorelines of the Great Salt Lake are exposing a huge community problem: Dust storms that create concerns ranging from bad air quality and poor health to negative impacts on snowmelt and agriculture. Who and where is most at risk?
A University of Utah research team may have the answer, andthey’ve invented a tool to predict what could be coming down the line. Utah Insight host Lauren Steinbrecher explores the emerging research and search for solutions; plus, how we can protect ourselves as the state finds ways to move forward.
On the edge of Syracuse, Utah, Dr. Kevin Perry unfurled a chain that clanked as it released its grip from a metal pole, opening a locked gate that guarded a non-descript dirt road.
The University of Utah Atmospheric Sciences professor embarked on his weekly research-gathering ritual that involves driving until the dirt road ends, then loading up a bicycle trailer and taking off toward his open-air lab—only accessible by bike, two and a half miles away.
Perry’s piece of Great Salt Lake research done by the University of Utah looks much different than that of his colleagues.
“Yes, I'm the one who gets to enjoy Mother Nature,” he said, with a smile.
Riding deep into the Great Salt Lake playa, Perry stopped after a quarter mile at a spot once only reachable by boat in Farmington Bay, and perfect for the day’s project.
Over the course of the last 30-plus years, the withering lake shoreline has turned the bay into a barren expanse.
“Farmington Bay is basically dried up, with the exception of the Jordan River that flows through,” Perry said.
“It's not being caused by drought. It's not being caused by climate change. It's being [caused] by overuse of water,” he explained.“We use 30% more water than what is sustainable for the lake.”
That overuse, he said, has exposed 800 square miles of lakebed.
Perry described the problem it creates: “When the wind gets strong and the playa is dry, it can create dust storms that go into the surrounding communities.”
Standing in an area visibly lighter than the ground around it, Perry categorized it as a “dust hotspot.”
“That indicates that it’s drier than the surroundings, and it has a thin crust on it,” he explained, kicking the ground and demonstrating how easily dust rose into the air.
Perry has painstakingly mapped out nearly 700 dust hot spots around the whole lake, and he’s conducted soil tests that revealed cancer-causing carcinogens in the lakebed.
“The one that we're most concerned about is arsenic,” the professor noted. “Every single measurement that I took over the 800 square miles of lakebed had higher arsenic concentrations in it than the EPA would deem healthy.”
How much higher?
“More than a factor of ten,” he answered.
Watch the entire story from PBSUtah Above or click here.
September 16, 2025
Above: Hands-on fire extinguisher training courtesy of the State Fire Marshal's office in collaboration with the University of Utah Fire Marshal at STEM Safety Day. Credit: Todd Anderson
"STEM Safety Day brings together the people who keep the U moving forward," said VP of Research Erin Rothwell during opening remarks of the annual event, this year on September 5.
Erin Rothwell, VP Research addressing those at STEM Safety Day. Credit: Todd Anderson
"Researchers, staff and students; across labs, clinics, field sites, and classrooms. This gathering represents more than compliance or policy. It’s a reflection of our culture. And culture. Not checklists, is what determines whether safety is taken seriously."
The campus-wide event for staff, faculty, and students to learn about mitigating health and safety hazards in STEM fields issponsored by the College of Science and took place in the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House.
"At the U," continued Rothwell, "with world-class research happening in complex, often high-risk environments, the stakes are high. We work with chemicals, equipment, data, live subjects, and often under pressure. And that’s exactly why safety isn’t an add-on. It’s fundamental. If we want to lead, in science, in medicine, in engineering — we have to start by leading in how we protect the people doing the work."
David Thomas, safety director of the new Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences has, with other representatives, including Fred Monette, executive director of the University of Utah's department of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) organized the event which drew more than 350 participants from across both the main and health campuses and featured keynotes, vaccines, a tabling area and break out sessions with some hands-on activities. Some of those activities included basic first-aid, including CPR training and deployment of fire extinguishers — outside and upwind, of course — courtesy of the university fire marshal and training on the use of the Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) which are conveniently situated throughout campus.
AEDs are a critical component in treating sudden cardiac arrest.
The free, collaborative event was co-hosted by the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering, College of Pharmacy, College of Health and EHS. "Continual safety improvement at the University of Utah, whether in a lab, a classroom, the field, an office or a patient-facing setting requires consistent, intentional integration of best practices into our work," says Thomas. "It doesn't happen in a single day. However, STEM Safety Day serves as a critical touchpoint for our University community members to learn, share and refocus our efforts."
An Institutional Value
In addition to more technical presentations related to safety protocols like hazard recognition and the tools, training and equipment related to field safety, sessions included Mental Health Crisis De-Escalation Training with Amanda McNab from the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and Values-Driven Stress Reduction with Occupational Health Psychologist Ryan Olson, among many others.
Credit: Todd Anderson
"Safety is not the responsibility of one department or committee," said Rothwell, again in her opening remarks. "It is an institutional value. And it’s an operational imperative. The idea that 'there’s no job so important it can’t be done safely' isn’t just a slogan — it’s a standard we have to hold ourselves to, especially as our research enterprise grows in ambition and complexity."
STEM Safety Day helps create shared language and shared expectations at the U among staff, faculty and students engaged in science (including the health sciences), technology, engineering and math. It also recognizes those who have led out in notable ways, during the previous year. Plaques and prize money were given to five EHS Partners in Safety and nine honorable mentions where also acknowledged. Work of this kind, as demonstrated by awardees and many others at the U, will help the university navigate ongoing uncertainty in federal funding, according to Rothwell, who reminded the participants that the U continues to expand its research portfolio "in areas where we have demonstrated strength and where there is clear national need."
A renewed focus of late on research with real-world implications and applications to benefit the public means not just growth in different research sectors at the U, but greater responsibility in and around that work. Safety and health are key to that greater responsibility, and this is why the annual gathering of STEM Safety Day matters.
Wilkes Center Announces Top Three Finalists for Climate Launch Prize
September 15, 2025
Above: The three finalists for the Wilkes Climate Launch Prize
A company that makes safer, greener building materials; an animal-free protein growing technology; and a technology for resource recovery from wastewater are among the top three climate solutions that could win the $250,000 prize.
On Wednesday, September 24, the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah will host a public reception to announce the winner and runners up of its $250,000 Climate Launch Prize.
Representatives for the top three finalists – Björn Söderberg, co-founder of Build up Nepal; Jean Louwrens, CEO and co-founder of De Novo Foodlabs; and Margaret Lumley, founder & CEO of Roca Water – will be recognized.
The announcement and reception is open to all. Please RSVP here.
The annual Wilkes Climate Launch Prize highlights top global ideas for combating climate change by elevating and honoring innovative climate solutions. The U prize aims to accelerate worldwide progress and encourage technological advances to develop effective climate change solutions quickly for the benefit of people and ecosystems worldwide.
The 2025 Wilkes Climate Launch Prize received over 1,100 submissions, compared with just 215 submissions in 2024. (See an interactive map of applicant locations)
Read more about the three top finalists:
Björn Söderberg, Co-founder of Build up Nepal
Build up Nepal
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Build up Nepal is transforming the construction industry in South Asia by replacing polluting coal-fired bricks with our climate-friendly eco-brick technology. Compared to traditional fired bricks, our solution reduces CO2 emissions by 75%, air pollution by 90%, cuts construction costs by up to 40%, and importantly, is disaster-resilient. Our model supports entrepreneurs to start micro-enterprises that construct affordable, safe homes and create local jobs, helping build resilient communities. By empowering 200 local entrepreneurs, the solution has already built 11,000 homes, avoided 111,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, and created 1,600 green jobs, demonstrating its scalability and transformative potential.
De Novo Foodlabs
The De Novo Foodlabs team.
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
De Novo Foodlabs is revolutionizing food protein production by using precision fermentation (PF) to create essential proteins with engineered microorganisms—no animals required. Our first focus is milk proteins, with high-yield yeast strains already developed for our launch product. Now, we’re taking the next leap: expanding our PF platform to not just lower emissions, but to actively capture and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This breakthrough would make our process net carbon negative, enabling protein production that helps reverse climate change. Our technology also paves the way for the broader PF industry to become a powerful tool for carbon capture.
Roca
Team Roca
Location: Alameda, California
Roca is transforming wastewater treatment and nitrogen management through a novel electrochemical process that selectively recovers ammonia from wastewater as nitrogen fertilizer. Our technology addresses two major climate challenges: (1) reducing nitrogen pollution that leads to eutrophication and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, and (2) decarbonizing fertilizer production by replacing energy-intensive Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis with ammonia produced from wastewater. Our mission is to create a new standard for wastewater management to move beyond “dilute and dispose,” to embrace “recover and reuse,” unlocking both environmental and economic value without compromise.
About the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy
The Wilkes Center leverages the University of Utah’s unique position and environment to drive world-class research on climate change forecasting, impacts, and solutions and places this science in the hands of decision-makers. Drawing on multidisciplinary centers of excellence at the U, the Wilkes Center strives for practical, integrative, and solutions-oriented research that can translate into policy around climate extremes, including wildfire and drought, air quality, natural ecosystems, carbon and water cycling, human environment, and health. The center is fostering educational and research training programs that support climate innovation and developing a new generation of solution-oriented leaders.
Prize Announcement Information:
DATE: Wednesday, September 24 TIME: 5:00 PM reception, 5:30 PM announcement LOCATION:L.S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, Suite W1204, 275 S University Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 FOOD: Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments provided. PARKING: Free parking will be available on President Circle and Lot 2, southeast of the L.S. Skaggs Applied Science Building. (see map below) RSVP: The event is open to all, but please RSVP.
September 12, 2025
Above: Phyllis "Lissy" Coley at the newly named Phyllis D. Coley Trail on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Credit: Jorge Aleman
"I first went to Barro Colorado Island in 1975, where I did my thesis, postdoc and many more years of research, most with Tom," says Phyllis "Lissy" Coley, referring to her late partner and colleague in the School of Biological Sciences Tom Kursar. The Island is central to the famed Barro Colorado Nature Monument, the most intensively studied tropical forest in the world.
"The trails," she continues, "were all named after famous biologists, and there was a strong sense that we were building on the legacy of 50 years of pioneering research. It was humbling. And the trail names were how we navigated the island and shared the location of wonders with other researchers. So to have a trail renamed for me is the greatest honor I could possibly receive."
Coley recently returned from the Barro Colorado Island (BCI) where the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), a unit of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Panama City, Panama, furthers the understanding of tropical nature. The occasion? To witness the renaming of seven trails to honor Coley and six others recognized for their dedication, courage and discovery. The Phyllis D. Coley Trail, formerly named for the American Museum of Natural History, is trail #19 (see map).
Of the seven individuals honored, Coley is one of two still living.
100 years of research
On the trail: Lissy Coley with sister Kitty Coley. Credit: Jorge Aleman
"The idea to thoughtfully rename a subset of trails gained momentum as we prepared to celebrate 100 years of research on Barro Colorado Island," said STRI Director Joshua Tewksbury who emcee'd the hybrid (in-person/online) event August 31. "But it took a truly dedicated team to make this vision a reality. ...These trails will now carry their names and with them, their stories. As we walk them, we’ll remember not just what they did, but who they were and are — their courage, their curiosity, their care. This is more than a tribute. It’s a promise. A promise to keep their legacies alive, to continue the work they started, and to ensure that future generations know the names of those who make this place extraordinary."
Of Coley, Tewksbury said that her "research on plant defenses reshaped our understanding of biodiversity, [and] continues to inspire new generations of scientists. Her work links rainforest health to human health — a reminder of how deeply connected we all are."
A Distinguished Professor Emerita of Biology at the University of Utah, Coley is a current STRI Research Associate. She began her career on BCI as a doctoral student, drawn to the rich biodiversity and intense biotic interactions of tropical rainforests.
In the early 1980s, she conducted pioneering research on key ecological questions: how plants that are using the same resources can coexist in hyper-diverse communities, and why such diversity evolved. Her influential "Resource Availability Hypothesis" reshaped scientists' understanding of the trade-offs plants face when investing in defense.
Linking rainforest health with human health
"This foundational research," wrote STRI staff scientist Erin Spear when seeking approval for the naming honor on Coley's behalf, "led to the launch of the Panama-based International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG), a drug-discovery initiative that assessed whether the array of chemical compounds plants produce to prevent being eaten could be harnessed to treat tropical diseases, such as malaria and leishmaniasis — linking the health of Earth’s dwindling rainforests to human health. The ICBG also strengthened Panama’s scientific community by training students, building research infrastructure, and eventually integrating into the national institute INDICASAT," a research institute in Panama City. "Coley’s prolific and inspiring career continues through the many researchers she mentored."
Coley's partner Tom Kursar who died in 2018 accompanied Coley for years to BCI to plumb the depths of cutting-edge research into tropical forestry and its importance to human welfare while training students to conduct research in the tropics. The duo established their own foundation to bridge their own resources in the U.S. with those of Panama's to promote, along with STRI, its mission to understand the "present and past biological diversity by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems."
The Coley-Kursar Endowment in the U's School of Biological Sciences celebrates the legacy of ecological research and graduate student training by Coley and Kursar whose outreach with communities in Central and South America is legendary. The endowed funds support graduate students conducting field studies.
'tromping the trails'
Coley is deeply moved by the trail naming. She references the iconic, seemingly eternal giant Anacardium (wild cashew) root snaking across the stream and trail, now named for her. "I am in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the National Academy of Sciences," she says, "but those honors pale in comparison to having ‘my trail’ in the beautiful forest that filled me with wonder and shaped my career."
That wonder with which she reconnected during her recent trip to her beloved Panama for the event was especially meaningful this time. She was able to scatter the ashes of her beloved partner at the site, bringing Tom full circle to the place they worked in and cherished together.
"Fifty years ago I walked on trails named for pioneering scientists who worked 50 years before me," says Coley. "And I hope in 50 years there will still be scientists tromping the trails, and that some might admire that marvelous Anacardium root crossing Coley Trail at 150m."
By David Pace
Complete list of those honored with the renaming of a trail:
Oris Acevedo Trail, formerly Balboa Trail
Cabo Marcelino Castillo Trail, formerly Cima Trail
M. Agnes Chase Trail, formerly Conrad Trail
Phyllis D. Coley Trail, formerly AMNH Trail
Marcos José García León Trail, formerly Game Warden Trail
Adela Gómez Trail, formerly Lake Trail
Elisabeth K. V. Kalko Trail, formerly Harvard Trail
Mysterious gamma-ray explosion unlike any discovered before
September 11, 2025
Above: The orange dot at the center is the powerful explosion that repeated several times over the course of a day. Credit: ESO/A. Levan, A. Martin-Carrillo et al.
No known scenario can explain the source of a recent gamma-ray burst, which originated outside our galaxy and lasted 100 to 1,000 times longer than most bursts.
Tanmoy Laskar
Astronomers have detected an explosion of gamma rays that repeated several times over the course of a day, an event unlike anything ever witnessed before. The source of the powerful radiation was discovered to be outside our galaxy, its location pinpointed by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions in the universe, normally caused by the catastrophic destruction of stars. But no known scenario can completely explain this new GRB, whose true nature remains a mystery.
GRBs are produced in catastrophic events like dying stars exploding in powerful blasts or stars being ripped apart by black holes. These celestial flashes of gamma rays usually last just milliseconds to minutes, but this signal—GRB 250702B—lasted about a day.
“This immediately alerted us to the unusual nature of this explosion,” said Tanmoy Laskar, assistant professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah and co-author of a study on this event recently published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The initial alert about this GRB came on July 2, 2025, from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Fermi detected not one but three bursts from this source over the course of several hours. Retrospectively, it was also discovered that the source had been active almost a day earlier, as seen by the Einstein Probe, an X-ray space telescope mission by the Chinese Academy of Sciences with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. Such a long and repeating GRB has never been seen before.
The gamma-ray discovery only gave an approximate location in a very crowded part of the sky filled with stars from our Milky Way, making it difficult to locate the source of the flash. To pinpoint the precise position of its origin, the team turned to ESO’s VLT.
“Before these observations, the general feeling in the community was that this GRB must have originated from within our galaxy. The VLT fundamentally changed that paradigm,” said Andrew Levan, astronomer at Radboud University, The Netherlands, and co-lead author of the study.
Using the VLT’s HAWK-I camera, they found evidence that the source may actually reside in another galaxy and later confirmed this using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
“What we found was considerably more exciting: The fact that this object is extragalactic means that it is considerably more powerful,” said Antonio Martin-Carrillo, astronomer at University College Dublin, Ireland, and co-lead author of the study. The size and brightness of the host galaxy suggest it may be located a few billion light-years away, but more data are needed to refine this distance.
The nature of the event that caused this GRB is still unknown. One possible scenario is a massive star collapsing onto itself, releasing vast amounts of energy in the process.
“Just like other GRBs, this event also left behind lower-energy light cascading across the spectrum, all the way from X-rays to radio waves,” said Laskar. “Traditional collapsing-star models seem to be able to explain this residual, fading light, but the still-unknown distance to the event makes it difficult to be sure.”
Alternatively, a star being ripped apart by a black hole could produce a day-long GRB, but to explain other properties of the explosion would require an unusual star being destroyed by an even more unusual black hole.
To learn more about this GRB, the team has been monitoring the aftermath of the explosion with different telescopes and instruments, including the VLT’s X-shooter spectrograph and the James Webb Space Telescope, a joint project of NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency. Measuring the distance to the galaxy that hosted the event will be key to deciphering the cause behind the explosion.
Adapted from the European Southern Observatory
This research was presented in the paper “The day-long, repeating GRB 250702B: A unique extragalactic transient” (doi: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adf8e1), published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
A program based in the College of Science, CSME works to enhance K-12 math and science instruction, undergraduate support and increase access that promotes success in science and mathematics for K-12 and undergraduate students.
Stroupe, interim associate dean for research and professor of educational psychology in the College of Education, will lead the center under this inter-college partnership, with a focus on improving graduation and job placement. The center also aims to support broader positive outcomes at the U and in classrooms across the state. Stroupe's appointment is enthusiastically and jointly supported by College of Science Interim Dean Pearl Sandick and Education Dean Frankie Santos Laanan.
"In partnership with the College of Education, I’m very happy to bring David Stroupe on board as Director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education," said Sandick. "David’s leadership arrives at a pivotal moment, as STEM education undergoes rapid transformation to meet shifting societal demands and address the evolving technological landscape. I look forward to fruitful collaboration as we work together, with partners on campus and beyond, to promote student success in science and mathematics from K-12 through college."
“The CSME has long stood at the intersection of research, teaching, and public engagement—where ideas meet action,” said Dean Laanan. “Dr. Stroupe brings a mix of scholarly rigor and visionary leadership. His recent election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science is a testament to his national impact in science education. The College of Education and the College of Science are poised to impact AI literacy across the state, and Dr. Stroupe’s appointment signals a bold step forward in how we prepare educators, empower instructors, and inspire the next generation of STEM learners across Utah.”
Stroupe will kick off his first CSME Exchange on September 22 with Rebekah Cummings, Digital Matters Director for the U, with a faculty presentation on AI in the classroom.
"This foundational research," wrote STRI staff scientist Erin Spear when seeking approval for the naming honor on Coley's behalf, "led to the launch of the Panama-based International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG), a drug-discovery initiative that assessed whether the array of chemical compounds plants produce to prevent being eaten could be harnessed to treat tropical diseases, such as malaria and leishmaniasis — linking the health of Earth’s dwindling rainforests to human health. The ICBG also strengthened Panama’s scientific community by training students, building research infrastructure, and eventually integrating into the national institute INDICASAT," a research institute in Panama City. "Coley’s prolific and inspiring career continues through the many researchers she mentored."