Topic: University of Texas at Austin

Gun rights: What can Obama do? What might he do?

President Obama has vowed to use 'whatever power this office holds' to prevent future mass shootings, following last Friday's tragedy in Newtown, Conn. That could mean action beyond gun rights.

Obama's other option on pot: Legalize it for everyone?

Under federal law, Uncle Sam could try to block marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado. But there's another option: President Obama could pull the US out of the marijuana wars.

Energy Voices
Are renewables stormproof? Hurricane Sandy tests solar, wind.

Most renewable energy installations in New Jersey and New York appear to have weathered hurricane Sandy relatively well. Can they stand up to storms with even stronger winds?

If your side lost the election, time to secede from the Union?

That will never happen, but people on the losing side of the presidential election are venting via a petition, on a White House website, to have their state secede from the Union. Petitioners in Texas lead the pack.

George P. Bush files to run for office in Texas

George P. Bush files the paperwork to campaign for a state office in Texas. George P. Bush is the nephew of former President George W. Bush, and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The campaign files don't disclose what office Bush might seek.

War on poverty? Why presidential campaigns don't talk about the poor.

Neither President Obama nor Mitt Romney has made poverty a big part of his campaign. It's no wonder. Poverty has become something of a toxic issue for many American voters.

Energy Voices
Can renewables prevent future blackouts from storms?

Solar, wind and other renewable energy sources could help homeowners avoid future blackouts from superstorms like Sandy. But the key to preventing blackouts is how the grid is connected.

Energy Voices
Water delivery system makes up 12.6 percent of US energy consumption: report

Pumping, treating and delivering water makes up no less than 12.6 percent of US energy consumption, according to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.

Why has the Wisconsin Senate race tightened?

A Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday shows former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) leading US Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) 46 to 45 percent among likely voters in Wisconsin.

Supreme Court: In affirmative action arguments, conservative bloc seems united

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on an affirmative-action plan at the University of Texas, and Justice Anthony Kennedy, the likely swing vote, appeared skeptical.

Supreme Court: If affirmative action is banned, what happens at colleges?

Nine states have tried to achieve campus diversity through other means, with mixed results. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court takes up an affirmative action case from the University of Texas at Austin.

Poll: 57 percent of Millennials oppose racial preferences for college, hiring

The poll comes a week before the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of the use of race in admissions to the University of Texas at Austin.

U. of Texas evacuated after 'al-Qaeda' bomb threat

University of Texas spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said the university received a call about 8:35 a.m. local time from a man with a Middle Eastern accent claiming to be with al-Qaeda.

Colorado shooting: 'No show of emotion' as suspect appears in court (+video)

James Eagan Holmes, the suspect in the Colorado movie theater shooting, appeared bleary-eyed and dazed at a court hearing Monday in which he was advised of possible charges he may face.

Native Americans arrived in at least three waves, finds DNA study

A genetic study of Native Americans from Greenland to Peru has found that the Western Hemisphere was populated by at least three distinct migrations from Asia. 

Opinion: Supreme Court: After health care ruling, court must rule against affirmative action

Another blockbuster case will follow the Supreme Court ruling on the health care law known as Obamacare. Next term the court will hear Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The court should tell universities they must stop judging applicants by the color of their skin and national origin.

Southern Great Plains could run out of groundwater in 30 years, study finds

A new study looking at key aquifers beneath the Great Plains and California's Central Valley suggests that areas of Texas and Kansas are drawing groundwater at an unsustainable rate.

Modern Parenthood
Jeremiah Wright, white births: Time to talk race with kids

Jeremiah Wright – and the racial controversy he and his foes tend to kick up –  is back in the news in the same week the Census bureau reports white births in the US are no longer a majority. Studies show we don't like to talk race with our kids, but it's about time we do.

Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico: three ways to nationalize oil

Argentina's renationalization of its biggest oil company, YPF, recently caused an outcry. But the cases of oil nationalization in Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela show that outcomes can vary widely.

End of days near? Mayan find pushes calendar way beyond 2012.

A set of symbols found in an uncovered workroom where Mayan scribes or priests performed calculations suggests the Mayan calendar extends nearly 1,600 years beyond 2012.

Was Tyrannosaurus rex actually fuzzy? (+video)

The unearthing of a fuzzy ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex in China casts doubt on the image of the king of dinosaurs as a scaly beast. 

Law school rankings: The results are out, but do they really matter?

US News & World Report released its annual law school rankings Tuesday, reviewing about 200 schools. The rankings can have a powerful impact on universities, experts say. 

Cover Story
What would happen if Iran had the bomb? (+video)

Even as Tehran signals an interest in nuclear talks, many experts have already envisioned what the world would look like if the country got nuclear weapons. It wouldn't be as dire as many fear, but it would unleash new uncertainties - and perhaps a regional arms race.

Invisibility cloak uses 'metamaterial' to hide three-dimensional objects

Mitch Daniels State of the Union rebuttal makes GOP wonder: 'What if?'

Mitch Daniels was seen as a potential challenger to President Obama until he opted out of running last year. After his rebuttal of Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday, some GOP elites are openly longing for a Mitch Daniels candidacy.