DENTON, Texas (UNT) — Self-driving cars. Automated factory workers. Even home health care aides.

As robots become increasingly common in our everyday life, so will interactions between humans and robots.

To address that future, the xREZ Art + Science Lab at the University of North Texas will host “Bonding with Bots: The Future of Human-Robot Interaction” on Oct. 6.

The event is the inaugural North Texas Leonardo Art/Science Evening Rendezvous, or LASER, an international program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together with the public for informal...

DENTON, Texas (UNT) – A name change is taking place within the University of North Texas' College of Information. As of Oct. 1, the Department of Library and Information Sciences will be known as the Department of Information Science.

"The name change not only reflects the progressive nature of the programs served by the department to support the students, but also aligns well with the strategic direction of the College of Information," said Kinshuk (who goes by one name), the dean of the College of Information.

DENTON, Texas (UNT) -- A team of researchers working in two countries and several universities, including the University of North Texas, has made a major discovery that could help fight some deadly forms of cancer.

In 2013, the team announced that it had connected a single protein that contain an iron-sulfur center, to some of the most lethal types of breast cancers. Since then, that protein has been connected to at least four other types of cancer. Now the researchers say their lab results show they've found a way to suppress that protein and in turn stop tumor growth.

"People...

DENTON, Texas (UNT) -- Early detection of cancer greatly increases the chances of being successfully treated, according to the World Health Organization. Now research teams at the University of North Texas and the Polish Academy of Sciences are working in collaboration to create a chemical sensor device that could detect cancer at an early stage.

"Cancer, if detected and treated in the early stages is no longer a death threat," said Francis D'Souza, a University Distinguished Research Professor in UNT's Department of Chemistry. "However, early...

DENTON, Texas (UNT) - Linguistics is set to be the third department in the College of Information at the University of North Texas. The elevation to department gives the program distinction and increases notability. The change in status will take effect on August 22 (Monday).

"It was my great pleasure to serve as the interim dean when the Linguistics program became an official department in the College of Information," said Victor Prybutok, interim dean of the College of Information. "Having Linguistics as a department in our college will offer some...

DENTON (UNT), Texas – University of North Texas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Thomas Scharf has been elected to the national Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) board of directors.

Scharf's research interests include physical and chemical vapor deposition of ceramic and metallic thin films for moving mechanical assemblies, atomic layer deposition of...

DENTON (UNT), Texas – The University of North Texas College of Information has named Kinshuk, who goes by a single name, as its new dean. Kinshuk is formerly the associate dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada.

"Dr. Kinshuk brings with him great leadership and research experience," said Finley Graves, provost and vice president for academic affairs at UNT. "We look forward to Dr. Kinshuk working with our faculty to articulate a clear vision for the future of the College of Information."

Kinshuk...

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Plant science researchers at the University of North Texas have found potential new pathways for the creation of plant-based bioproducts. The research is outlined in a new article in the journal Nature Plants.

The UNT research team was working as part of the US Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center coordinated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The team looked into the roles of enzymes that convert amino acids into lignin in Brachypodium, a fast-...

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The University of North Texas' Science Education Research Lab is seeing measurable results from environmental education efforts the lab has conducted in Dallas schools for a decade.

As a result, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has named the lab a winner of the 2016 Texas Environmental Excellence Award. The TCEQ will recognize UNT and eight other winners May 4 during the Environmental Trade Fair and Conference at the Austin...

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Post oak and blackjack oak trees in full foliage may provide more benefits for humans than blocking winds and casting shade to cool the ground on hot days. The trees may also improve air quality when air pollutants fall onto their branches and leaves and are eventually washed to the ground by rain or fall to the ground with the leaves, according to Alexandra Ponette-González, University of North Texas assistant professor of geography.

Ponette-González recently received a $475,167...