blog posts 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 Paper tubes make stiff origami structures Sep 8, 2015 11:15 am From shipping and construction to outer space, origami could put a folded twist on structural engineering. Genome mining effort finds 19 new natural products in four years Sep 8, 2015 11:15 am A technique called genome mining was used to isolate the genes responsible for making 19 unique, previously unknown phosphonate natural products - each a potential new drug. One of them has already been identified as an antibiotic. 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. Study: Easy explanations for life’s inequities lead to support for the status quo Sep 9, 2015 11:30 am “Even though there is considerable bias in how society is structured, many people seem to think that society is fair. We wanted to know why.” - Andei Cimpian 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. 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 Making wearable health-monitoring electronics comfortable, easy to use Sep 15, 2015 10:00 am Professor Deana McDonagh will help design a “skinlike” electronic platform for screening health information – vital signs and motion - based on Professor John Rogers’ work in making flexible electronics Surgical probe seeks out where cancer ends and healthy tissue begins Sep 15, 2015 4:45 pm A new surgical tool uses light to make sure surgeons removing cancerous tumors 'got it all' New exhibit will provide look at giant ancient mollusk Sep 16, 2015 10:00 am Long before the dinosaurs, Endolobus spectabilis was one of the largest sea creatures of the in the murky lagoons of Illinois. Study shows new forests cannot take in as much carbon as predicted Sep 16, 2015 10:00 am Atmospheric sciences professor Atul Jain and graduate student Prasanth Meiyappan found that most carbon emissions models overestimate the capacity of regrowing forests to take in carbon. 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. Maternal protein deficiency during pregnancy ‘memorized’ by fetal muscle cells Sep 17, 2015 3:45 pm Detecting biomarkers of protein insufficiency early in a pregnancy could enable clinicians to treat it, possibly averting many serious health conditions in the next generation New study links anxiety, the brain's orbitofrontal cortex, and optimism Sep 22, 2015 11:30 am The new analysis offers the first evidence that optimism plays a mediating role in the relationship between the size of the OFC and anxiety. Study adds to evidence that viruses are alive Sep 28, 2015 7:00 am The study offers the first reliable method for tracing viral evolution back to a time when neither viruses nor cells existed in the forms recognized today, the researchers say. Education, infrastructure key public investments for job growth Sep 28, 2015 11:00 am Investments in education and infrastructure, along with a balanced budget, are chief among the public policies that boost a state’s employment, according to a new paper co-written by a University of Illinois labor expert. Pax Britannica? British Empire was a world of trouble, says historian Sep 28, 2015 1:15 pm Dissent and disruption were the rule, not the exception, according to Antoinette Burton, in her new book, “The Trouble With Empire" Mellon grant to help humanities scholars explore digital publishing options Oct 2, 2015 9:30 am A four-year, $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will help University of Illinois humanities scholars identify digital publishing options and produce new publications that will best disseminate their research. 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 Paper: Civic participation can bridge social-class segregation Oct 10, 2015 11:45 am Research from U. of I. labor professor Richard Benton says there’s a strong correlation between civic participation and improving the prestige of one’s social network. Health care, research failing to adapt to U.S.’s growing multiracial population Oct 12, 2015 12:00 pm Professor Karen Tabb Dina's two recent studies explored issues of racial identity and its impact on health care access and utilization among nearly 8,000 U.S. young people. Why has Putin's Napoleonic 'cold charisma' made him so popular in Russia? Oct 12, 2015 5:45 pm A Minute With...™ Richard Tempest, professor of Slavic languages and literatures Jazz-playing robot will provide insight into how computers communicate with humans Oct 14, 2015 11:30 am Can a robot improvise a jazz solo in response to what its human partner is playing? Alaskan boreal forest fires release more carbon than the trees can absorb Oct 19, 2015 10:45 am So many forest fires are occurring in Alaska's Yukon Flats that the area has become a net exporter of carbon to the atmosphere. Illinois researchers developing new technology to assist in-home rehab care Oct 20, 2015 4:00 pm In the future, the occupational therapist helping you relearn how to use a fork following a stroke might be a computer. Krannert Art Museum concert series to celebrate anniversaries of progressive music groups Oct 22, 2015 2:45 pm Krannert Art Museum will celebrate the contribution of Chicago musicians to progressive jazz music with upcoming performances in its Sudden Sound Concert Series. Grant funds computer simulation to train social work students, clinicians Oct 27, 2015 10:00 am A federal grant will fund one new course and support training for clinicians at area agencies in conducting early interventions with people who abuse substances. Bacterial hole puncher could be new broad-spectrum antibiotic Oct 27, 2015 3:15 pm A new class of spiral polypeptides developed at the University of Illinois targets one thing no bacterium can live without: an outer membrane. People with MS may be more physically fit than tests indicate Oct 29, 2015 10:30 am Professor Lara Pilutti found that conventional methods of testing physical fitness in people with multiple sclerosis may underestimate their cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength. Wimps or warriors? Honey bee larvae absorb the social culture of the hive Oct 29, 2015 11:15 am Even as larvae, honey bees are tuned in to the social culture of the hive, becoming more or less aggressive depending on who raises them Illinois composer chosen for Copland House residency Oct 30, 2015 10:30 am Professor Carlos Carrillo will spend about six weeks next summer at the New York home where composer Aaron Copland lived and worked, now a National Historic Landmark. Juvenile cowbirds sneak out at night, study finds Nov 2, 2015 8:30 am The study found that cowbird juveniles leave the host parents at dusk and spend their nights in nearby fields, returning just after daybreak. Pineapple genome offers insight into photosynthesis in drought-tolerant plants Nov 2, 2015 10:15 am “Drought is responsible for the majority of global crop loss, so understanding the mechanisms that plants have evolved to survive water stress is vital for engineering drought tolerance in crop species.” 3-D cow app will help veterinary students learn anatomy Nov 3, 2015 10:15 am A veterinary medicine design team created an app that allows users to see a cow’s internal organs and systems in 3-D when a device is pointed at 'Dr. Moolittle.' Illinois to lead NSF Midwest Big Data Hub Nov 3, 2015 3:15 pm To accelerate advancements in the rapidly emerging field of big data analysis, the National Science Foundation is establishing four regional Big Data Hubs. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will lead the Midwest Hub. Links between hunger and health: Doctors should screen patients for food insecurity Nov 4, 2015 10:45 am “Health care professionals should recognize the possibility that food insecurity may be one determinant, among others, of a patient’s health challenges,” Illinois economist Craig Gundersen said. Supervolcanoes likely triggered externally, study finds Nov 4, 2015 12:45 pm Supervolcanoes are likely triggered externally when the rock around them cracks or collapses, according to a study led by Illinois geologist Patricia Gregg. Ground-level ozone reduces maize and soybean yields Nov 5, 2015 2:00 pm Over the last 30 years, ozone emissions have reduced soybean and corn yields by 5 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Drugs with multiple targets show promise against myotonic dystrophy type 1 Nov 9, 2015 11:30 am Researchers have added new capabilities to an experimental drug agent that previously defeated only one of DM1’s many modes of action. Their retooled compounds interrupt the disease’s pathology in three ways. $4.3 million awarded for center focusing on self-healing materials Nov 10, 2015 12:30 pm The center will build upon research into autonomous materials conducted by the Autonomous Materials Systems Group at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Nanopores could take the salt out of seawater Nov 10, 2015 1:45 pm "These materials are efficient in terms of energy usage and fouling, which are issues that have plagued desalination technology for a long time.” - Professor Narayana Aluru Machine learning could solve riddles of galaxy formation Nov 11, 2015 11:15 am A new machine-learning simulation system developed at Illinois promises cosmologists an expanded suite of galaxy models – a necessary first step to developing insights into the formation of the universe. Prints flocked with gunpowder highlight gun violence on college campuses Nov 11, 2015 3:00 pm “It sounds like the phrase, ‘Run, Hide, Fight,’ could come from an infantry manual. It sounds old-timey, in a call-to-arms kind of way. The (Civil War military) costume points that out.” - Art professor Guen Montgomery Scarcity, not abundance, enhances consumer creativity, study says Nov 16, 2015 10:45 am "What we found is that abundant resources may have a negative effect on creativity. When you have fewer resources, you use them more creatively.” Legislators' prior union experience correlates with voting pro-labor Nov 16, 2015 10:45 am A legislator’s experience with unionization earlier in life is positively related to voting in favor of pro-worker legislation once he or she holds elected office, according to a paper from an Illinois labor expert who studies unions and politics. Does climate change result in civil unrest? Nov 18, 2015 8:30 am A Minute With...™ Peter Nardulli, political scientist