blog posts Bursting bubbles: Tiny yet hazardous Mar 31, 2023 9:15 am Aerosols produced by bubble bursting can impact air pollution, global climate and even the transmission of infectious diseases, and smaller aerosol drops are more easily lifted by winds and can travel much further. Colleges should reexamine career services for students with disabilities Apr 28, 2023 3:30 pm 'Too often these college students’ career aspirations are negatively shaped by the limiting attitudes of family, campus policies and society to lock in an identified career,' said Professor Chang-kyu Kwon. Royal Fever: Will the brand play on for King Charles? May 3, 2023 10:00 am Professor Cele Otnes says the British Royal Family brand consists of at least five types of brands - all likely to be on display during coronation weekend: Family, Global, Heritage, Human, and Luxury. Each aspect offers challenges to the new King. How love, health, and neighborhood intersect for Black Americans May 12, 2023 12:45 pm People living in better-quality neighborhoods showed lower negative, higher positive affects 10 years later. 'This really speaks to the powerful effect of the community you're in and the amount of stress or support that you get from your neighborhood.' Study tracks social, genetic evolution in Asian colobine primates Jun 1, 2023 12:45 pm A new study reveals that colobines living in colder regions experienced genetic changes and alterations to their ancient social structure that likely enhanced their ability to survive. How much nitrogen does corn get from fertilizer? Less than farmers think Jun 5, 2023 9:00 am Recent studies by U of I researchers show that corn takes up the majority of its nitrogen – about 67% on average – from sources occurring naturally in soil, not from fertilizer. More veterans using marijuana - but not from medical sources Jun 14, 2023 11:00 am Marijuana remains federally illegal, classified as Schedule I by the DEA, so the Veterans Health Administration providers cannot prescribe or recommend marijuana to patients, though they may discuss the drug in a general sense. Healthy sex life during pandemic tied to an array of sexual coping strategies Jun 15, 2023 10:45 am People who found ways to explore their sexuality and use it as a coping mechanism during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic had more active and fulfilling sex lives, according to U of I studies. Cannabis use lower among Illinois teens living near medical dispensaries Jun 20, 2023 10:00 am 'We need to combat the hysteria that legalizing cannabis is going to have a wild and resounding impact on teens in terms of substance use rates and prevalence,' says social work professor Doug Smith. 'That’s simply not the case.' Conflict in marriage less harmful for kids when dad keeps it constructive Jun 21, 2023 9:30 am 'Fathers using constructive conflict resolution led to more parental involvement, which led to more positive child development. Destructive conflict has the opposite effect on kids,' says family development professor Karen Kramer. Are honey bees, wild bees still in trouble? Jun 29, 2023 11:00 am U of I entomology professor Adam Dolezal, who studies how environmental stressors affect honey bees and wild bees, spoke to News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the current status of bees in the U.S. Study: How mother and infant sleep patterns interact during the first two years of life Jul 25, 2023 10:15 am New mothers can expect sleep deprivation in the first few years of baby’s life. A new U of I study looks at maternal and infant sleep patterns, identifying predictors and providing recommendations for instilling healthy habits. CAR-T immune therapy attacks ovarian cancer in mice with a single dose Aug 1, 2023 1:15 pm A CAR-T immune therapy effective at attacking late-stage ovarian cancer in mice with a single dose provides evidence that CAR-T therapies could effectively treat solid-tumor cancers. Study: People expect others to mirror their own selfishness, generosity Aug 7, 2023 8:45 am Generous people tend to reward generous behavior and selfish individuals often punish generosity and reward selfishness – even when it costs them personally. Green stormwater infrastructure: A solution for mosquito-borne disease? Aug 9, 2023 1:30 pm The microbial growth from blackberry leaves in aquatic habitats is detrimental to mosquito larval survival. 'It looked to be an organic form of mosquito control,' said professor Brian Allan. They appear to be just as effective as larvicides. Study links epigenetic changes to historic trauma in Alaska Native communities Sep 8, 2023 11:15 am The study found a pattern among Alaska Native participants, in which specific epigenetic differences were observed in those who reported experiencing the most intense symptoms of distress when reflecting on historic losses. Air pollution via wildfire smoke increases suicide risk in rural counties Sep 12, 2023 11:00 am A new paper co-written by Gies College of Business professor David Molitor found that air pollution via drifting wildfire smoke disproportionately elevates the risk of suicide among rural populations in the U.S. Top scientists, engineers choose startups over tech behemoths for reasons other than money Sep 20, 2023 10:30 am 'There’s a common belief that individuals work at startups to get rich when the venture is successful, but we find that employees are aware that startup employment is risky and they choose it for reasons other than future financial payoffs.' Although the air is now cleaner in the U.S., air pollution remains a problem for public health Sep 21, 2023 10:30 am "It’s pretty clear that wildfire smoke is affecting a lot more people on a lot more days than it used to,” says Christopher Tessum, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. Study: Tipped restaurant workers in Chicago compensated at rates below minimum wage Oct 5, 2023 1:30 pm Researchers also found several violations of municipal, county, state and federal work-related laws, including wage theft, hours and work schedule violations, discrimination and harassment, and occupational health and safety violations. Higher pay consistently trumps meaningful work as strongly valued job attribute Oct 12, 2023 12:30 pm Although meaningful work is a strongly valued attribute when seeking a job, it may be less influential than salary when prospective employees evaluate career opportunities, according to new U of I research. Researchers identify unexpected twist while developing new polymer-based semiconductors Nov 14, 2023 8:15 am Fresh insight into the development of semiconductor materials that can do things their traditional silicon counterparts cannot – harness the power of chirality, a non-superimposable mirror image Cultural capital is key to a sense of belonging for college students of color Nov 20, 2023 11:15 am Researchers found that college students derive belongingness from four broad factors – their identification with the university overall; feelings of being a social match with others; their sense of being accepted and welcome; and their cultural capital. Database expands to document police uses of lethal force across US Dec 5, 2023 12:00 pm 'SPOTLITE,' identified more than 23,000 incidents of police uses of lethal force in the U.S. during 2014-2021. It includes incidents in which police used a firearm - including those with nonfatal outcomes - and other uses of force that result in a death. Study shows challenges to protecting privacy of library users Dec 8, 2023 12:30 pm The biggest challenges libraries face in protecting the privacy of patrons are a lack of training and technical knowledge, particularly with increased use of digital services, according to a study by information sciences professor Masooda Bashir. Parentification: The impact of children taking on parental roles in their family Dec 13, 2023 12:00 pm We expect parents to always take care of their children’s physical and emotional needs. But sometimes the roles are reversed, and the child assumes responsibilities beyond what is appropriate for their age. Study: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy linked to language delays in children Jan 3, 2024 8:00 am A new study links acetaminophen use in pregnancy to modest but significant delays in the language development of offspring, says Illinois Kids Development Study principal investigator Susan Schantz. New book explores complicated relationship between workers and their work Jan 8, 2024 9:15 am A new book by U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno explores how workers characterize their relationship to their jobs using personal six-word mini-narratives, serving as a broader exploration of how middle-class workers view work in the U.S. News media trigger conflict for romantic couples with differing political views Jan 16, 2024 2:30 pm Couples with differing political views and identities face unique challenges in their consumption of news, which can create significant stress on their relationship, communication professor Emily Van Duyn found in a recent study. Ageism, mistaken beliefs complicate acceptance of older adults’ sexuality Jan 23, 2024 12:30 pm More than 25% of the young adults surveyed in a recent study mistakenly believed that sexual activity increases older adults’ risk of heart attack and that disinterest in sex is a normal and inevitable part of aging. Whether a racial minority or majority at work, white teachers struggle with race relations Jan 31, 2024 8:30 am White teachers were often ill-equipped for discussions about racial issues because they had little prior experience thinking about or confronting race in their family, educational and previous work environments. Navajo scholar’s Indigenous leadership research aids educators of Native students Feb 8, 2024 10:30 am Sometimes researchers discover something they weren’t looking for—something as valuable, perhaps even more so, than the original treasure they sought. Such is the case with Oliver Tapaha. White people more likely to confront authors of racist online posts to set discussion rules Feb 12, 2024 9:45 am 'If the objective is reframed from trying to change a transgressor’s deep-seated attitudes to a potentially more achievable goal (defining social norms)...participants’ willingness to confront others about racist content increases.' Study: Metabolic diseases may be driven by gut microbiome, loss of ovarian hormones Feb 22, 2024 8:00 am Mice that received fecal biome transplants from donors that had their ovaries removed expressed higher levels of genes associated with metabolic diseases, including fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis and Type 2 diabetes. Historic racial covenants in property deeds linked to disparities in exposure to dangerous heat Mar 6, 2024 8:00 am A study by urban and regional planning professor Rebecca Walker is the first to examine the environmental impact of racial covenants, using the first database to map the presence of the covenants in a U.S. metropolitan area. Study: Americans struggle to distinguish factual claims from opinions amid partisan bias Mar 12, 2024 11:30 am Americans struggle to tell the difference between statements of fact and statements of opinion – a troubling trend that has grave implications for civic discourse in the U.S., say U of I political science researchers. Study: Default testing for COVID-19 in K-12 schools more effective than voluntary testing Mar 13, 2024 9:00 am A new paper co-written by U of I business professors found that default testing of K-12 students for COVID-19 during the pandemic could have saved up to one out of every five school days lost to the coronavirus during the fall 2021 semester. Illinois schools sought to participate in 2024 Illinois Youth Survey Mar 18, 2024 9:30 am The Illinois Youth Survey is a biennial survey of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students that provides important assessments of school climate issues and substance use across Illinois’ middle and high schools. The downside of 'branded access offers': Perceived lack of consumer commitment Apr 11, 2024 12:30 pm 'Brands are constantly pursuing new customers, and the leading trend is a focus on branded access offers... moving away from ownership to more of a short-term rental mode,' said U of I business professor Tiffany Barnett White . Wearable sensors for Parkinson’s can improve with machine learning, data from healthy adults Apr 12, 2024 10:00 am The study shows that 'the expansion of datasets with healthy older adult motion data and integration with deep learning approaches can help improve the accuracy of detecting differences in motor impairment in persons with Parkinson's...' Paper: Firms learn more from ‘knowledge-gap’ failures than mere ‘slip-ups’ Apr 22, 2024 8:30 am More organizational learning was associated with design-related product recalls than with process-related recalls. Researchers also learned that a firm’s accumulated patents and investment in R&D enhanced learning from design-related recalls. Tibetan plateau had broader social dimensions than previously thought Apr 29, 2024 11:30 am Using excavated artifacts, Profewssor Stanley Ambrose and his team discovered that there was a long-distance cultural exchange between the Tibetan plateau and northern China. Cicadas and tinnitus: Here's what you need to know May 20, 2024 1:15 pm Professor Fatima Husain explains why individuals with tinnitus may find peace among the audial onslaught and offers suggestions for how people can safely shield their ears from the impending 'wall of sound.' Researchers: Green infrastructure plans need to consider historical racial inequalities May 21, 2024 9:45 am 'For the environmental and ecological questions, we have a pretty good handle on what we need to do. The questions that are the hardest... are how to work well with communities, particularly marginalized communities.' Study: Social networks can influence perception of climate-change risk May 22, 2024 9:45 am A U of I study found that social networks can play a significant role in influencing the financial behaviors and perception of catastrophic risks brought about by climate change. Book details how feds used bribery to end relationships with Native American tribes May 28, 2024 12:15 pm A new book by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor David Beck examines how the federal government used bribery schemes to end its relationships with Native American tribal nations in the early 20th century. When mothers and children talk about problems, environment matters Jun 4, 2024 10:45 am Talking to their parents about daily stressors can help adolescents deal with their problems. This is particularly important during the transition to middle school. But does it matter where these conversations take place? Specialist and migratory birds at greater risk under climate change Jun 11, 2024 4:30 pm Following decades of decline, even fewer birds will darken North American skies by the end of the century, according to a new analysis by scientists at the U. of I. College of ACES. First of its kind study shines light on LGBTQ+ farmer mental health Jul 1, 2024 1:45 pm LGBTQ+ people involved in farm work are more than three times more likely to experience depression and suicidal intent and about two and a half times more likely to experience anxiety than the general population. Emotional overeating fed by temperament, caregivers’ reactions to children’s emotions Jul 2, 2024 11:45 am New research on the origins of emotional overeating in 3-year-olds suggests that caregivers' responses to infants’ and toddlers’ negative emotions (disappointment, fear, anger) influences a child’s development of emotional overeating.
