blog posts Rogue supernovas likely flung into space by black hole slingshots Aug 13, 2015 2:30 pm Using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other telescopes, astronomer Ryan Foley traced 13 high-velocity exploding stars back to the galaxies they came from to find the peculiar combination of events leading to the stars’ lonely deaths. New microscope technique reveals internal structure of live embryos Aug 14, 2017 9:15 am Illinois researchers have developed a way to produce 3-D images of live embryos in cattle that could help determine embryo viability before in vitro fertilization in humans. Indigenous scholars confront the power, limitations of genomics Aug 20, 2019 9:15 am Participants learned how to amplify and sequence a fragment of their own DNA, and discussed the implications of genomics research involving their ancestors and communities. New synthetic tumor environments make cancer research more realistic Aug 27, 2015 1:45 pm University of Illinois researchers have developed a new technique to create a cell habitat of squishy fluids, called hydrogels, which can realistically and quickly recreate microenvironments found across biology. Illinois study tracks evolution of SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations Aug 27, 2020 2:00 pm In a new study undergoing peer review, University of Illinois researchers and students show the virus is honing the tactics that may make it more successful and more stable. Many young adults lack financial literacy, economic stability, study finds Aug 28, 2018 3:45 pm Nearly a third of 18 to 24 year olds were found to be 'financially precarious' because they had poor financial literacy and lacked money management skills and income stability New grant to optimize gut microbes, boost health benefits of broccoli Sep 1, 2023 11:00 am U of I researchers plan to identify which microbes maximize the benefits of broccoli and other brassica vegetables, which could lead to the development probiotics to help level the playing field for people with lower-efficiency microbial communities. Researcher uses LGBTQ voices in Beirut to understand daily violence, disruption Sep 3, 2020 1:15 pm Ghassan Moussawi examines strategies that Beirut’s LGBTQ residents use to survive daily violence and disruptions from lack of basic resources in his new book 'Disruptive Situations: Fractal Orientalism and Queer Strategies in Beirut.' Rise in labor earnings inequality during COVID eased by stimulus, unemployment checks Sep 4, 2020 1:30 pm Job losses during the pandemic were substantially worse for workers in low-paying jobs, leading to a dramatic increase in wage inequality during the early months of the COVID-19 recession. Illinois researchers capture images in the field Sep 5, 2017 12:15 pm A new book by Illinois Natural Survey History educators, wildlife photographers and researchers Michael R. Jeffords and Susan L. Post documents some of their research adventures. Retirement expert: After 50 years, Medicare needs a major update Sep 6, 2015 3:45 pm Medicare’s 50th anniversary provides an occasion for a serious checkup of one of the federal government’s most popular programs Future drought will offset benefits of higher CO2 on soybean yields Sep 6, 2016 11:15 am Soybeans will suffer yield losses sooner than previously predicted under future conditions that combine elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels with drought. Female cowbirds pay attention to cowbird nestling survival, study finds Sep 9, 2015 11:15 am Brown-headed cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and then disappear, the story goes. But a new study suggests cowbird moms pay close attention to how well their offspring do, returning to lay their eggs in the most successful host nests. Researchers say smart watches are vulnerable to hackers Sep 10, 2015 12:30 pm They’re the latest rage in jewelry and gadgetry, but like all computer devices, smart watches are also vulnerable to hackers. Diet beverage drinkers compensate by eating unhealthy food, study finds Sep 11, 2015 10:00 am Kinesiology and community health professor Ruopeng An found that diet beverage drinkers compensate by eating a greater percentage of unhealthy foods that are high in fats, cholesterol and calories. Redistricting less contentious when resolved using computer algorithm Sep 11, 2017 9:30 am 'Any legislator who is truly committed to their citizens must consider algorithmic redistricting as an available, and viable, option during the next redistricting period...' Metabolic signatures differ for breast cancer patients Sep 11, 2023 2:00 pm Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer presents differing metabolic signatures in the blood of African American women and non-Hispanic white women. Carbon-coated iron catalyst structure could lead to more-active fuel cells Sep 12, 2016 9:30 am “Previously, we didn’t know what these catalysts were made of because they had a lot of different things inside them. Now we’ve narrowed it down to one component." Study provides basis to evaluate food subsectors' emissions of three greenhouse gases Sep 13, 2021 1:30 pm A new, location-specific agricultural greenhouse gas emission study is the first to account for net carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from all subsectors related to food production and consumption. Partnership will use engineering-based medicine to study, treat sepsis Sep 14, 2015 11:00 am “Identifying patterns of disease when sepsis overwhelms a patient’s immune system will help us save lives and reduce (treatment) costs." - Dr. Richard Berlin Study: Cholesterol metabolite causes immune system to attack T cells instead of cancer Sep 14, 2020 9:15 am By inhibiting the enzymes that make that molecule, researchers slowed the cancer’s progression and boosted the efficacy of immune therapy in the mice. YouTube did not actively direct users toward anti-vaccine content during COVID-19 Sep 15, 2023 11:15 am New research led by data science experts at Illinois and United Nations Global Pulse found that there is no strong evidence that YouTube promoted anti-vaccine sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paper: Equal protection clause inadequate shield against discrimination Sep 17, 2015 1:00 pm The Supreme Court's interpretation of the equal protection clause is poorly suited to guarantee people genuine equal treatment under the law when it comes to race. Illinois study examines high-frequency hearing Sep 17, 2019 8:15 am Illinois researchers examine why people struggle to hear others in noisy environments as they age. Do-it-yourself COVID-19 vaccines fraught with public health problems Sep 17, 2020 2:00 pm 'Citizen scientists' developing homemade COVID-19 vaccines may believe they’re inoculating themselves against the pandemic, but self-experimentation with do-it-yourself medical innovations is fraught with legal, ethical and public health issues. Changes in nonextreme precipitation may have not-so-subtle consequences Sep 18, 2017 8:45 am llinois researchers found that changes in nonextreme precipitation are more significant than previously realized and larger than those in major floods, droughts Researchers develop microbubble scrubber to destroy dangerous biofilms Sep 19, 2018 11:00 am Researchers harnessed the power of bubbles to propel tiny particles through the surfaces of these tough films and deliver an antiseptic deathblow to the microbes inside Classics professor uses 3-D technology to answer an ancient question Sep 22, 2017 9:15 am For classsics professor Daniel Leon, a recent discovery about ancient life in Athens occurred because of what he calls 'serendipity' — and a bit of 21st century technology 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. Study: Damaged liver cells undergo reprogramming to regenerate Sep 26, 2018 8:00 am New Illinois research has determined how damaged liver cells repair and restore themselves through a signal to return to an early stage of postnatal organ development Illinois research accurately predicts U.S. end-of-season corn yield Sep 27, 2018 2:00 pm Crop yield predictions impact nearly the entire agricultural supply chain. That’s why improving the accuracy of those predictions is so important U of I leads new $15M institute to understand climate change, disasters Sep 28, 2021 11:45 am 'This is a wonderful example of the many ways that LAS leads research and interdisciplinary collaboration that brings together talented colleagues from across campus,' said Venetria Patton, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. More physical activity, less screen time linked to better executive function in toddlers Sep 29, 2022 9:00 am A new Illinois study finds that toddlers who spend less than 60 minutes looking at screens or engage in more than 60 minutes of exercise per day tend to have better executive function than toddlers who do not. 20 years of research on relationship maintenance: More diversity needed Sep 30, 2022 12:00 pm 'Instead of saying, "past research found this in this sample, so we should assume it is truth," we need to think about how things may be different and how they may or may not apply to diverse populations," says Professor Brian Ogolsky. Tiny aquariums put nanoparticle self-assembly on display Oct 2, 2017 3:15 pm A team of Illinois engineers is observing the interactions of colloidal gold nanoparticles inside tiny aquariumlike sample containers to gain more control over the self-assembly process of engineered materials. Large, crystalline lipid scaffolds bring new research possibilities Oct 2, 2017 3:30 pm A new study reveals a lipid structure that can support much larger proteins and molecules than before. Pay-it-forward college financing policies examined in new study Oct 4, 2017 9:00 am Pay-it-forward college financing programs that let students pay tuition upon departure rather than entry may make college more accessible to students in the U.S. Book explores political secrecy among ordinary Americans in today's divisive culture Oct 6, 2021 11:30 am Professor's book looks at how much people feel they need to hide their views from others and the consequences of growing polarization – including the rising trend of clustering in communities with neighbors whose views mirror our own. Rebates a cost-effective way to boost healthy eating among low-income people Oct 7, 2015 9:00 am Providing low-income households that receive federal food assistance benefits with financial incentives to buy fruits and vegetables would encourage them to purchase and consume more healthy food High hope for improving cassava as a staple food Oct 8, 2015 3:00 pm Researcher Amanda de Souza is working to improve this resilient tropical plant’s ability to feed growing populations NEH 50th anniversary: Chairman William Adams visits Oct 9, 2015 11:00 am William Adams, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will speak on the University of Illinois campus on Oct. 29 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the NEH. New method identifies protein structures in hours instead of months Oct 9, 2015 1:30 pm “We expect this to not only accelerate the rate at which we can study proteins, but also increase its repeatability and the reliability of the results.” - Graduate student Joseph Courtney Few hunters know how their duck stamp dollars are spent Oct 9, 2017 4:30 pm Illinois hunters each pay $25 for an annual federal duck stamp to legally shoot waterfowl, yet few know how their money is used, according to a University of Illinois study. Sweet corn growers, processors could dramatically increase yield, profit Oct 9, 2019 1:45 pm In an industry struggling to maintain profitability, it’s curious that U.S. processing of sweet corn is falling so far below its potential, according to a new study. 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. Making sense of the Arab Spring Oct 11, 2017 10:00 am U. of I. sociology professor Asef Bayat looks at the Arab Spring and its aftermath, as well as the nature of revolution itself Computational models used to predict behavior of protein complexes Oct 11, 2019 10:30 am The latest paper by Rafael Bernardi and Zaida Luthey-Schulten looks at how molecular dynamics simulations can be used to predict the behavior of protein complexes. 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. Illinois team advances research to turn trash into treasure Oct 12, 2021 11:00 am 'What we are proposing is that you can turn a waste that owners pay to dispose into a by-product resource that you can make new construction products from and sell,' said Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Nishant Garg. 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.