University of Iowa biologists discovered an invasive species of snails in previously unknown locations using a new technique that detects traces of DNA left by the aquatic animals. The finding shows the technique, called eDNA, can detect and control incursions by other invasive species.

Lan Samantha Chang was named a 2021-22 Berlin Prize fellow, awarded to scholars, writers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their field.

Since taking flight in 1977, the Voyager spacecraft continue to make important discoveries. Decades after launch, the twin spacecraft are revealing secrets of the interstellar medium: the tenuous material that fills the vast space between the stars.  The news feature in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, features Donald Gurnett, professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa, who has been involved with the Voyager mission since its beginning.

A University of Iowa physicist is part of an international group of scientists that has succeeded in steering light waves deep into “forbidden” regions of photonic crystals by manipulating the shape of the waves. The technique could find use in a host of applications, including lasers, efficient solar cells, and so-called invisibility cloaks. Ravitej Uppu, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa, is the study’s lead author.