In the News

Scientifically speaking, there's not a part of your brain that's "truer" than others, or where the true self resides. But your ideas about your true self matter, according to research by Rebecca Schlegel, a social scientist at Texas A&M University. She has found that people have greater well-being and find their lives to be more meaningful if they think that they've made choices that align with who they "really" are.

Even though the traps haven’t caught any wild flies, they are providing useful information about how to better deploy sterile male flies, said Phillip Kaufman, head of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. The main type of trap used is sticky and made out of a hollow plastic tube roughly the size of a jumbo paper towel roll. The traps are covered in swormlure, a particularly noxious combination of 10 chemicals that mimic the smell of decomposing flesh. “They are incredibly offensive smelling materials,” Dr. Kaufman said.

Scientists at Texas A&M University are exploring whether detailed measurements of gait, the pattern of a person's walking, can reveal the earliest biological signs of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in adults who have not yet developed cognitive symptoms.

As crude inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve drain toward their operational limits, America is left, armed with just 300 million barrels. This dwindling buffer forces the nation into a high-stakes standoff against the uncompromising laws of fluid dynamics, immense geological forces, strict federal statutes, and relentless geopolitical pressure.

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Audrey Kemp brings together R. Ethan Braden, VP and CMCO at Texas A&M University, and Tyler Merrick, founder and CEO of Joyride, to explore how very different brands can turn authentic storytelling and bold marketing decisions into measurable growth.

Economists don’t expect reopening the US to Mexican cattle imports to reduce high beef prices

The Associated Press • Aug 24, 2026

Drought in cattle-producing regions of the U.S. is a major reason the national herd is so small, said David Anderson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. If grass doesn’t grow, cattle have nothing to graze upon, forcing ranchers to sell them off. Low cattle prices over the past two decades also are a factor. “Where we are today is sort of the culmination of some 18, 19, 20 years of very low cattle prices,” he said. “That forces us to reduce our herds. Drought forces us to reduce them even further.”

Recast Systems, a San Francisco-based firm that launched publicly this month, says the organic compound it is using to seed clouds in Texas and New Mexico gives off a signature visual wavelength that makes it traceable. It is working with researchers at Texas A&M University to show how the substance, a form of sodium chloride that’s chemically similar to table salt, performs compared with silver iodide, which is about 100 times more expensive, said Olivia Li, Recast’s founder.

Research on CBD for dogs is still in the early stages. Many of the studies have been short-term and have included only a small number of dogs, and several have been funded by CBD companies, said Madeline Droog, a pharmacist at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station, Texas. Most research on CBD for dogs has focused on arthritis-related pain, seizures and atopic dermatitis. Overall, the studies have shown that CBD may have some benefit, “but it’s not a huge game changer that significantly changes the way we manage these diseases,” said Dr. Droog, who has given lectures on CBD in small animals to veterinary students. “We still have a lot to learn.”

The human liver can regenerate up to 70 percent of its mass, skin is constantly turning over, bones mend fractures, and human children can even regenerate the tips of their fingers. We might be able to take it a step further too: A recent study by Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, along with research from scientists at Stanford University suggests that humans might be able to regrow amputated fingertips with bone, tissue, and nerves. Until now, that’s not been thought possible.

Trump announces plan to lower beef prices, but ranchers and some Republicans are already balking

The Associated Press • Aug 21, 2026

David Anderson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University, said he was skeptical other countries could redirect so much beef to the U.S. in such a short time period. “Is that even achievable?” he questioned in a phone interview.