blog posts Bioenergy grass can withstand freezing temperatures Nov 29, 2016 9:00 am Once the genes responsible for freezing tolerance are identified in prairie cordgrass, they may be applied to other crops in the future. By targeting gene expression in parasites, Vet Med researcher aims to end childhood disease Nov 28, 2016 1:30 pm As a young veterinarian in Zambia, Dr. William Witola wanted to know why the baby cows he saw were dying from a parasite resisting all treatment. Decades later, the University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine researcher is designing small molecules to silence that same parasite’s gene expression, find potential drug targets and help end a disease afflicting children around the world. Young toddlers can tell when others hold false beliefs, study finds Nov 28, 2016 10:15 am A new study finds that, under the right conditions, 2 1/2-year-old children can answer questions about people acting on false beliefs, an ability that most researchers believe does not develop until age 4. New research at Illinois could make ethanol production more efficient and economic Nov 23, 2016 2:15 pm New Illinois research on production techniques could significantly change ethanol production by lowering operating costs and simplifying the dry grind process. Study on rats: Low blood alcohol levels have no effect on total calories consumed Nov 23, 2016 9:15 am Rats that drink low amounts of alcohol eat less food and their total energy intake remains steady, but higher amounts lead to a drop in caloric intake. Illinois researcher wants to view cancer through the eyes of mantis shrimp Nov 21, 2016 3:30 pm Illinois professor has been working on a camera that could allow doctors to detect cancer cells through the use of polarized light. The inspiration for this camera came from studying the eyes of mantis shrimp. Team finds new way to attach lipids to proteins, streamlining drug development Nov 21, 2016 2:30 pm Illinois biochemistry professor Satish Nair and his colleagues found a way to use a microbial enzyme to efficiently transform proteins by adding lipid (fat) molecules to them. Solar stove research team wins $100,000 award for innovation Nov 21, 2016 1:45 pm Researchers in the iSEE-funded Stored Solar Stove Project are the recipients of The Ocean Exchange’s 2016 Gulfstream® Navigator Award. Soybean plants with fewer leaves yield more Nov 23, 2016 1:30 pm 'The reduction in leaves allows more sun light to penetrate through the canopy making the whole plant more productive, and it also reduces crop water demand.' Eight Illinois researchers rank among world’s most influential Nov 18, 2016 10:45 am Eight University of Illinois researchers have been named to the Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list for 2016 - scientists “whose research has had significant global impact within their respective fields of study” Widespread groundwater contamination found in southwestern Illinois cave streams, springs Nov 17, 2016 2:30 pm Researchers have detected prescription and over-the-counter medications and personal care products in Illinois groundwater, an indication that humans are contaminating water that is vital to aquatic life. Scientists tweak photosynthesis to boost crop yield Dec 6, 2016 1:45 pm Researchers report in the journal Science that they can increase plant productivity by boosting levels of three proteins involved in photosynthesis. Mississippi River could leave farmland stranded Nov 15, 2016 11:00 am Seasonal flooding events along the Mississippi in 1993, 2011, and 2016 have left farmland underwater, threatening the agricultural future in the area. Yoga practice linked to lower stress, better cognitive performance in older adults Nov 15, 2016 7:15 am Older adults who practiced hatha yoga three times a week for eight weeks were better able to manage stress and performed better on cognitive tests For First Nations peoples, effects of European contact are recorded in the genome Nov 15, 2016 10:30 am “This is the first genome-wide study – where we have population-level data, not just a few individuals – that spans 6,000 years,” said University of Illinois anthropology professor Ripan Malhi. Research Live: Grad students explain their work in 3 minutes Nov 14, 2016 11:00 am Come to Stage 5 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts to see these 14 finalists explain their graduate work to a general audience in 3 minutes with only 2 slides. The Clearest Solution: Engineering rethinking water as a renewable resource Nov 14, 2016 11:00 am Researchers at the University of Illinois are not only leading the way in providing solutions, but they are also changing the paradigm through which the world—and the communities of our state and nation—approach the water crisis. Illinois printmaker pursues new medium through artist residency Nov 10, 2016 10:00 am A pack of coyotes, made of vitreous china and mounted on a wall, are running in different directions, fleeing human contact and disassembling as they go. Licorice compound interferes with sex hormones in ovary, study finds Nov 9, 2016 12:30 pm A study of mouse reproductive tissues finds that exposure to isoliquiritigenin, a compound found in licorice, disrupts steroid sex hormone production in the ovary, researchers report. The cornfield death march Nov 3, 2016 12:30 pm So here we are, drenched in sweat, and only two-thirds of the way to finishing the task at hand...the dew point is in the upper 70s and my phone app tells me that the heat index is well north of 100 degrees. Time-lapse cell imaging reveals dynamic activity Oct 27, 2016 11:30 am A new advanced imaging method can track cells over long periods of time using only light – no dye or chemicals required – to reveal dynamics and provide insight into how cells function, develop and interact. Beckman researchers create comprehensive, interactive rat brain atlas Oct 26, 2016 9:45 am Brain atlases can be used to compare magnetic resonance images (MRI) between subjects and research specimens. Blue Waters fellow studies how cities affect severe weather Oct 25, 2016 3:30 pm Blue Waters Graduate Fellow Larissa Reames, a Ph.D student at the University of Oklahoma, is working to understand how the shape of a city plays a role in extreme weather events. Scientists find link between tropical storms and decline of river deltas Oct 24, 2016 11:00 am An international research team has used new techniques, data, and methodology to reveal the threat posed by changing storm patterns to river deltas around the world. Nick Holonyak honored with prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award Oct 18, 2016 3:45 pm The list of Franklin Institute laureates includes many famous scientists, including Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Rudolf Diesel, Pierre and Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, and Stephen Hawking. Historian finds a frail humanity in personal accounts of life under Nazi occupation Oct 17, 2016 12:30 pm “I really try to stay at the street level. I try to get into the stairwells, try to watch people watching their neighbors through windows, onto courtyards.” In the process, he finds much despair, self-absorption and selfishness. Knowledge increases awareness of biodiversity despite firsthand experiences Oct 13, 2016 11:15 am Identifying discrepancies between management priorities and social values for ecosystem services can help balance public interests with the protection of biodiversity. Poet Janice Harrington’s new work reflects on life and art of painter Horace Pippin Oct 12, 2016 10:15 am “Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin” is both a critique of the perception of African-American folk art as primitive and a reflection on Pippin’s life and how his experiences influenced his art. Livestock donation programs reduce poverty, improve food security and nutrition Oct 11, 2016 10:30 am Two Illinois professors found that the direct donation of livestock had numerous positive effects, including a reduction in poverty and increased food security, dietary diversity, economic resilience and gender empowerment. Urban forestry project ties residential nature to health care spending Oct 10, 2016 4:45 pm Research explores how urban forestry affects health care spending, builds an online modeling to estimate their communities’ potential rate of return on their investments in parks and other natural elements. Illinois scientists just figured out how to make a great cancer-fighting drug even better Oct 10, 2016 12:45 pm Tamoxifen is one of the best drugs to fight against breast cancer and has been for more than 40 years. Now researchers know why not all patients react the same way to tamoxifen. Adults with disabilities on Medicaid wait list most likely to have unmet service needs Oct 6, 2016 2:15 pm Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Illinois’ Medicaid wait list who are minorities, in poor health or unable to speak are more likely to have unmet service needs, a new study found. Delinquent youths with PTSD need individualized treatment, studies suggest Oct 6, 2016 10:15 am Juvenile offenders who have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder are at 67 percent greater risk of entering substance abuse treatment within seven years, a new study found. Preschoolers form body images – but parents are unaware, study says Oct 5, 2016 9:15 am Young children develop body image much earlier than parents believe, so parents may miss opportunities to promote positive body-image formation in their children Distracted much? New research may help explain why Oct 5, 2016 7:00 pm University of Illinois psychology professors Simona Buetti and Alejandro Lleras found that as people’s engagement with a task increases, their distractibility tends to go down. Researcher receives $3M to study food-energy-water nexus Oct 5, 2016 8:15 am CEE at Illinois Assistant Professor Megan Konar will study the connections between food production, energy production and water supply in the United States. High-Risk, High-Reward Research award goes to Illinois biomedical researchers Oct 4, 2016 11:30 am Illinois professors Chad Rienstra (Chemistry), Emad Tajkhorshid, and James Morrissey (Biochemistry) have been awarded a Director’s Transformative Research Award from the National Institutes of Health for their highly creative approach to the study of cell membrane lipids. Leal earns NIH New Innovator Award Oct 4, 2016 11:30 am The $1.5 million award, given over a period of five years, supports young investigators who have proposed exceptionally creative research ideas that have the potential for unusually high impact in biomedical or behavioral science. Review finds little evidence that brain-training games yield real-world benefits Oct 3, 2016 3:30 pm “The idea behind ‘brain training’ is that if you practice a task that taps a core component of cognitive ability, like memory, the training will improve your ability to perform other tasks that also rely on memory..." What’s in a name? For young Chinese consumers and foreign brands, it’s about culture mixing Oct 3, 2016 9:30 am Younger, more cosmopolitan Chinese consumers tend to favor brand translations that keep both the sound and the meaning of the original name, says U. of I. business professor and branding expert Carlos J. Torelli. Brown armorated stink bugs are on the move in Illinois this fall Sep 30, 2016 2:00 pm An invasive stink bug species has been found in five newly invaded Illinois counties this year, according to Kelly Estes, Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey coordinator in the Prairie Research Institute. Geologic imaging technique measures strength of Earth’s outer shell Sep 29, 2016 3:45 pm An advanced imaging technique used to map Earth’s outer shell also can provide a measure of strength, finding weak spots and magma upwellings that could point to volcanic or earthquake activity, Illinois religion professor looks at Jewish theology of protest in new book Sep 26, 2016 9:00 am Professor Dov Weiss writes about rabbinic texts of the 6th and 7th centuries in which rabbis protested and debated against God. Study links nutrition to brain health and cognitive aging Sep 28, 2016 9:45 am A new study of older adults finds an association between higher blood levels of phosphatidylcholine, a source of the dietary nutrient choline, and greater cognitive flexibility, the ability to regulate attention to manage competing tasks. Team earns $150K prize with tech for rapid detection of infectious diseases Sep 23, 2016 9:15 am Anurup Ganguli, PhD student in bioengineering, received this year’s First Prize of $150,000 in the Student Technology Prize for Primary Healthcare competition. Farming with forests? Illinois researchers say it’s the sustainable choice Sep 23, 2016 9:15 am University of Illinois researchers stress that we should not overlook sustainability in the frenzy to achieve production goals. Researcher receives $2.9 million grant to study environmental influences on child health Sep 22, 2016 9:15 am U. of I. comparative biosciences professor Susan Schantz is the lead on the grant to Illinois and the University of California, San Francisco. Researcher: Environmental DNA provides early detection of invasive crayfish Sep 20, 2016 11:30 am University of Illinois aquatic ecologist Eric Larson introduces how eDNA is used to identify invasive species. Illinois nuclear fusion device receives $1 million grant Sep 20, 2016 11:00 am The Department of Energy has awarded $1.05 million to support use of the University of Illinois' HIDRA plasma/fusion facility ‘Culture of affluence’ complicates women’s help-seeking for domestic violence Sep 19, 2016 3:00 pm Pressures to maintain a facade of a perfect family and other values associated with the “culture of affluence” discourage some women from leaving violent spouses or disclosing their abuse, a new study suggests.