blog posts 'Lovie Ball - Where the Magical Slowly Becomes the Norm' Nov 11, 2019 1:45 pm Sports Illustrated (Nov. 10) Was Illinois' 37-34 comeback win at Michigan State where the crossroads of phenomenal and realistic happened? What if this version of Lovie Smith’s squad is the actual Illini team here to stay? Water helps kids focus, improves ability to multitask: study Nov 14, 2019 1:45 pm New York Post (Nov. 13) A study co-written by Illinois professor Naiman Khan found that drinking water, staying hydrated increased children’s ability to multitask and improved their reaction times. The diseases our cats and dogs give us Nov 15, 2019 2:45 pm Discovery Magazine (Nov. 14) 'We have this much more intimate relationship with our companion animals than we do with wildlife,' says Prof. William Sander. And that proximity increases the chance of disease sharing. How Illinois businesses are preparing before recreational marijuana use begins Nov 18, 2019 2:30 pm Daily Herald (Nov. 17) 'There isn’t an express prohibition' related to recreational marijuana use, says Illinois professor Michael LeRoy, s0 employers retain the right to fire employees for their marijuana use. Do you overspend at the holidays? Your smartphone may be to blame Nov 19, 2019 11:30 am USA Today (Nov. 19) A study co-written by Illinois professor Yuqian Xu finds consumers end up spending more because they tend to buy more frequently when using mobile apps. If you don’t notice something within 1.5 seconds, you may never see it Nov 20, 2019 12:15 pm New Scientist (Nov. 20) 'The most natural (assumption) is that the longer an object is (in your field of view), the more opportunity you have to notice it. ... It seems not to help you very much,' says Illinois' Katherine Wood. With production halted at an Iowa facility, cellulosic ethanol takes another hit Nov 22, 2019 10:45 am Successful Farming (Nov. 21) 'Dreams of second-generation cellulosic ethanol production were already on life support,' says Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin. 'The plug was just pulled on the respirator.' Researchers build microscopic biobots propelled by muscles, nerves Nov 25, 2019 4:45 pm Design News (Nov. 22) Researchers at the U. of I. have developed soft biological robotic devices that are self-driven using light-stimulated neuromuscular tissue and have intelligence, memory and learning ability. Desert beetles inspire research into harvesting moisture from fog Dec 2, 2019 12:00 pm Cosmos (Dec. 2) Illinois grad student Fan Kiat Chan is studying desert beetles to advance fog harvesting, which may provide an additional freshwater source in foggy coastal areas with little precipitation. The historic (and ongoing) struggle of Native Americans to survive Dec 3, 2019 4:45 pm Time Magazine (Nov. 28) Illinois professor Frederick Hoxie says 'only the maintenance of extraordinarily high birth rates' saved one nation from 'dropping into oblivion.' Black scholars are not ‘rare creatures’ Dec 4, 2019 2:45 pm New York Times (Dec. 4) Consider a rising star like Sanmi Koyejo, a professor of computer science at Illinois whose work on neural networks has been recognized by the Kavli Foundation. Climate simulations are mostly accurate, study finds Dec 5, 2019 3:30 pm AP (Dec. 4) U of I expert says climate change deniers 'do a lot of weird things to misrepresent models. None of those analyses have been valid and they should be ignored. We should no longer be debating the basic science of climate change.' Trump's new work requirements will cut 700,000 from SNAP benefits Dec 6, 2019 10:15 am Washington Post (Dec. 5) 'SNAP is supposed to be an anti-hunger program, full stop,” says U of I economist Craig Gundersen. Experts say there is little evidence receiving food stamps discourages work. 100-year-old Tuskegee airman from Bethesda returns to the sky for his birthday Dec 9, 2019 1:45 pm WTOP (Dec. 6) - Drafted when he was a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Charles E. McGee is one of nine living Tuskegee pilots who flew combat missions. Religious rights vs. foster kids' rights weighed in lawsuit over sex-trafficking shelter Dec 11, 2019 1:45 pm San Diego Union-Tribune (Dec.8) Professor Robin Fretwell-Wilson says the Catholic non-profit does good work proving homes to abused teens. 'But we want them to do that work in a way that doesn’t double-victimize children.' Warning: Christmas trees could contain masses of praying mantis eggs Dec 12, 2019 12:45 pm Newsweek (Dec. 12) 'Once in your warm house, the baby praying mantis can hatch from its egg and will likely then starve,' says Illinois' Chris Enroth. 'Juiced ball' report finds manufacturing subtleties affecting MLB baseballs Dec 13, 2019 10:30 am New York Daily News (Dec. 11) 60% of the surge in home runs was attributable to a decrease in drag and 40% to a change in 'launch conditions,' says Alan Nathan, Illinois' expert on the physics of baseball. Gifts won’t make you happy for long Dec 16, 2019 1:45 pm Baltimore Sun (Dec. 14) Illinois happiness expert Ed Diener has found that those who value attaining material possessions more than they value creating happy experiences have nearly as many negative moods as positive moods. Democrats rush to back union as labor dispute threatens presidential debate Dec 17, 2019 2:15 pm Washington Times (Dec. 16) 'It’s a really bad look to cross a picket line,' says Illinois labor expert Robert Bruno. 'It clearly signals how important organized labor’s support is to all of the candidates.' Yoga benefits the brain in ways similar to aerobic exercise Dec 18, 2019 1:00 pm CNBC (Dec. 17) Yoga appears to have a positive effect on areas 'responsible for memory and information processing, as well as emotional regulation,' says Illinois professsor Neha Gothe. Slanted toilets are the logical extreme of hyperproductivity Dec 20, 2019 12:15 pm The Atlantic (Dec. 19) A U of I architecture professor tried to simulate the effect of the slanted toilet. 'Even for just a few seconds, it felt uncomfortable and jarring. After a minute or two, it felt very painful behind the shins.' Limited agreement easing trade restrictions with China seems like great news for farmers Dec 23, 2019 12:15 pm Some are still worried that ag exports will suffer for years. 'History suggests that once you break an important relationship trade wise like this, it is very difficult to fully recover your market share,' says Illinois' Scott Irwin. Asian giant hornet invasion threatens honey bees in Pacific Northwest Dec 27, 2019 12:15 pm New York Times (Dec. 24) U of I entomologist May Berenbaum says the hornets can wipe out an entire beehive. 'You want to talk about beepocalypse! They are sworn enemies of honey bees...a bee’s worst nightmare.' Under a new deal, China would purchase $40 to $50 billion in U.S. ag products Jan 2, 2020 11:15 am Washington Post (Dec. 30) 'If the trade deal is signed and it’s real, (we'd) be looking at a China-driven miniboom in the ag sector,' says economist Scott Irwin. But, he adds, 'I don’t even know how we’d get to that number.' Despite recent tough times for farmers, cutting costs may not be a priority for '20 Jan 3, 2020 12:15 pm Kenosha News (Jan. 3) Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin says making big cuts could hurt farmers in the long term. He sees light at the end of the tunnel, especially in a tentative trade pact between the U.S. and China. Illinois professor’s research looks at brain activity as it relates to yoga Jan 6, 2020 12:45 pm BTN (Jan. 3) 'Anecdotally, anyone you talk to will tell you it helps them. The instructors...can tell how different poses will help,' says researcher Neha Gothe. 'But there definitely needs to be more science to back it up.' U of I hires alum, consulting vet to lead Chicago tech center Jan 9, 2020 1:30 pm Crain's Chicago Business (Jan. 8) William Jackson, a former Johnson Controls exec, will head the Discovery Partners Institute, the U. of I.’s facility in Chicago for technology research and development, teaching. St. Louis prosecutor alleges violations of rarely used KKK Act in lawsuit against city Jan 16, 2020 1:45 pm NBC News (Jan. 14) 'A successful plaintiff has to show that a conspiracy is based on intent to injure somebody based on his or her race. But conspiracies are hard to prove,' says Illinois professor Michael LeRoy The TSA intercepted a record number of guns at airport checkpoints last year Jan 21, 2020 1:15 pm Washington Post (Jan. 21) Illinois' Sheldon Jacobson says TSA’s concerns over the 2019 increase come without context. 'Yes, it’s a big number, but it’s inconclusive what it means,' he says. How an African American UPS worker challenged powerful union leaders, and won Jan 22, 2020 4:45 pm Philadelphia Inquirer (Jan. 22) A decisive move in 2018 'unwittingly fueled an expansion of opposition caucuses across the country,' says Robert Bruno, a labor historian at the U. of I. With model of mummy’s vocal tract, researchers recreate voice of long-dead Egyptian priest Jan 24, 2020 10:15 am Washington Post (Jan. 24) Illinois expert Daniel Bodony says the vocal tract is only half of what makes 'the human being sound like the human being,' so the electronic re-recreation 'sounds tinny.' Why your zodiac sign is probably wrong Jan 27, 2020 3:30 pm The Conversation (Jan. 24) James Kaler, an Illinois professor of astronomy, writes that the science of astronomy is at odds with one of the basic organizing principles in astrology – the dates of the zodiac. Reducing air pollution saved the US $24 billion on elderly health benefits Jan 29, 2020 10:30 am 'One of the main ways...we differ from previous studies of air pollution is that we rigorously estimate the counterfactual life expectancy of individuals killed by acute pollution exposure,” says Illinois's Tatyana Deryugina NYT Book Review of Dennis Baron's 'What's Your Pronoun' Jan 31, 2020 3:00 pm New York Times (Jan. 22) 'Pronouns are suddenly sexy,' Dennis Baron declares at the start of 'What’s Your Pronoun?' And by 'sexy,' he means 'thorny.' Impeachment trial of Trump something of a ratings bust Feb 4, 2020 8:45 am Voice of America (Jan. 31) 'People have entered a state of avoidance,' says professor Nikki Usher. The predictable outcome didn’t help, either. 'It’s like tuning in to watch a movie when you know what the ending is.' 'Insects run the planet, something most people don't know' Feb 5, 2020 1:00 pm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Feb. 4) Illinois professor May Berenbaum will deliver the keynote address, 'How humans affect insect evolution without even realizing it,' at a celebration of the life, works of Charles Darwin. Bumblebees are dying across North America, Europe as the climate warms Feb 10, 2020 11:15 am Washington Post (Feb. 7) '...bumblebees are exquisitely adapted to cold climate...(but) it’s a challenge for them to adjust behaviorally or physiologically to warming temperatures,' says entomologist May Berenbaum. Farmers would go from trade bailout to subsidy cuts under Trump's budget proposal Feb 11, 2020 11:00 am Bloomberg News (Feb. 10) U of I professor Jonathan Coppess, an Obama administration head of the federal agency that administers farm subsidies, calls the budget proposal 'incoherent in the extreme.' Trump expansion of land mine use may cause more civilian casualties, alienate allies Feb 12, 2020 1:30 pm Los Angeles Times (Feb. 10) Illinois law professor Lesley Wexler writes about the implications of the Trump administration’s recently announced intent to expand the U.S. armed forces’ use of land mines. Gov. Pritzker touts benefits of $500 million investment in U of I-led research institute network Feb 17, 2020 9:00 am Journal Gazette & Times Courier (Feb. 13) 'Today’s announcement is so exciting. It will fast-track construction planning and we hope to break ground for DPI in a few months,' says University System President Tim Killeen. 100+ researchers have taken a U of I workshop for genomics researchers, Indigenous communities Feb 17, 2020 1:15 pm Washington Post (Feb. 16) 'Having better science isn’t just about keeping science in the ivy tower of academia; science is about helping communities,' says program founder, genomic researcher Ripan Malhi Climate science deniers hoping to influence 2022 assessment of climate impacts Feb 19, 2020 1:00 pm Scientific American (Feb. 18) U of I professor who oversaw the last assessment says Trump science advisor Kelvin Droegemeier will work to produce an assessment free of Trump’s erroneous assertions about climate change. U of I researchers describe AI system to help farmers monitor plants, increase yields Feb 24, 2020 8:45 am Inverse (Feb. 20) 'Instead of establishing a small field plot, running statistics and publishing the means, what we’re trying to do involves the farmer far more directly,” says Professor Nicolas Martin. Weinstein guilty verdict shows the #MeToo movement is bringing unprecedented changes Feb 25, 2020 1:00 pm '#MeToo is so far the most successful effort to change the ground rules,' says Louise Fitzgerald, a professor of psychology and of gender and women’s studies at Illinois. Did a 'volcanic winter' wipe out the toolmakers of Sumatra 74,000 years ago? Feb 26, 2020 11:00 am Science (Feb. 25) A new study suggests they survived the eruption and thrived for another 50,000 years. Illinois anthropologist Stanley Ambrose questions the study's conclusions. U of I students studying abroad in Italy asked to leave as soon as possible Mar 2, 2020 11:30 am Chicago Tribune (March 1) 'The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is requiring all of our students studying in Italy to depart at the earliest opportunity. You may return to the U.S., your home country, or travel elsewhere.' Jack Welch, U of I alum, G.E. chief who became business superstar, dies at 84 Mar 3, 2020 1:45 pm New York Times (March 2) Jack Welch, who led General Electric Co. through two decades of extraordinary corporate prosperity and became the most influential business manager of his generation, died Sunday. Staying informed about crisis can come with a cost. 54% feel stress reading coronavirus news Mar 5, 2020 11:45 am Yahoo! Sports (March 4) 'It’s good to read data specific to one’s population,' says U. of I. data scientist Sheldon Jacobson. How should parents talk to their children about the coronavirus? Mar 9, 2020 11:45 am WBEZ-FM (March 6) Tara Powell, a professor of social work at Illinois whose research focuses on trauma recovery and resilience in children, joins an expert panel to discuss the question. Experts say there's still no evidence you can catch COVID-19 from pets Mar 10, 2020 12:00 pm 'At this time, people should be minimally concerned about this coronavirus affecting their pets. The virus seems well-adapted to spread between people and, therefore, unlikely to jump to dogs or cats,' says U of I's Will Sander.