blog posts Ag robot speeds data collection, analyses of crops as they grow Mar 13, 2018 7:00 pm A new lightweight, low-cost agricultural robot could transform data collection and field scouting for agronomists, seed companies and farmers Ainsworth wins 2019 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences Jan 23, 2019 3:45 pm Professor Elizabeth Ainsworth will receive the 2019 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences for her research into how climate change will affect crops Air pollution via wildfire smoke takes toll on labor markets Jun 27, 2023 11:30 am A new paper analyzes how air pollution via the effects of drifting wildfire smoke impacts the U.S. labor market. AI to run chemical factories of the future Nov 13, 2019 10:00 am Illinois researchers have combined a fully automated robotic platform with artificial intelligence to develop a new way to manufacture chemicals. 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. A little prairie can rescue honey bees from famine on the farm, study finds Nov 25, 2019 2:15 pm Honey bee hives placed near flowering prairies in late summer and early fall were much healthier than those left near soybean fields after August, the researchers found. A method to locate power grid hackers using GPS signals Nov 20, 2017 10:45 am CSL researchers developed a method to locate power grid hackers using GPS signals, earning them a Best Presentation Award at the 2017 ION GNSS+ conference An artificial oxygenation simulator aims to train surgeons for life and death situations Jul 19, 2017 12:00 pm Researcher Pramod Chembrammel: 'The simulator allows doctors to train for the surgery, which has never been possible before.' An avocado a day keeps your gut microbes happy Dec 16, 2020 10:15 am Illinois researchers found that people who ate avocado every day as part of a meal had a greater abundance and diveristy of gut microbes that break down fiber and produce metabolites that support gut health. Ancient African herders had lasting ecological impact on grazed lands Aug 29, 2018 11:00 am Ancient herding sites increased ecological diversity on the African savanna. Sites where herders penned their animals became fertile hotspots that still nourish large communities of herbivores Ancient American goddesses on display Feb 2, 2018 9:00 am New exhibit at Illinois’ Spurlock Museum show artistic, spiritual legacy of people who built Cahokia, a great, thousand-year-old urban center on the Mississippi River Ancient bones, teeth tell story of strife at Cahokia Aug 6, 2016 12:00 pm “You have these earlier sacrifices of women that are very organized, and this lasts for a number of generations. And then you get this situation where everything is obviously not right in the world because they are violently killing some people..." Ancient human fossils from Laos reveal early human diversity Apr 8, 2015 12:00 pm An ancient human skull and a jawbone found a few meters apart in a cave in northern Laos add to the evidence that early modern humans were physically quite diverse, Illinois researchers report. Anemonefish dads further fathering research May 3, 2017 9:15 am Male anemonefish are the primary caregivers in the nest. A new study examines how hormones influence their commitment to fathering. A new idea for maintaining communication satellite megaconstellations Jul 11, 2019 10:15 am 'When satellites break, providing a spare quickly is important... In our solution, another orbit that is lower than the actual orbit, which we call the parking orbit; becomes an intermediate warehouse of (spare) satellites.' A new partnership for the bees Feb 10, 2019 1:30 pm Anheuser-Busch has pledged $5,000 to The Healthy Bee Fund at Illinois. In addition, the company will donate $1 to the fund for every case sold of b, a new alcoholic honey beverage Anger-prone children may benefit most from maternal sensitivity, study finds Oct 3, 2019 10:30 am Children who are prone to anger or less likely to express pleasure during everyday interactions may benefit most from caregivers who are sensitive to their emotional needs and behavioral cues. A night in grizzly country Jul 21, 2016 1:00 pm "(The students) had to learn a few new skills, like how to hang food from a bear pole. Some also had to adjust emotionally to the idea of sleeping in the middle of grizzly country." Announcing the Cancer Center at Illinois Jul 6, 2017 9:00 am The Cancer Center at Illinois will bring together more than 90 faculty members from across campus, plus graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, to pursue cancer-related research Answering the biggest questions: ‘Where did everything come from?’ and ‘Are we alone?’ Mar 28, 2017 10:45 am According to Dr. Felipe Menanteau, all of human learning is driven by these two fundamental questions. Anthropologist’s book considers culture of MBA degree, global capitalism Oct 16, 2019 9:00 am Professor Andrew Orta's book is a study of 'what MBAs learn about culture, and what that can tell us about contemporary global capitalism.' Antibiotic breakthrough: Team overcomes gram-negative bacterial defenses May 10, 2017 12:00 pm Researchers have created a molecular Trojan horse that can penetrate gram-negative bacteria, a problem that had stalled development of new antibiotics against these increasingly drug-resistant microbes. Antibodies from original strain COVID-19 infection don't bind to variants, study finds Sep 19, 2021 7:30 pm People infected with the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 produced a consistent antibody response. However, those antibodies don’t bind well to new variants, according to a new Illinois study. Antifungal drug improves key cystic fibrosis biomarkers in clinical study Dec 17, 2020 11:15 am 'We have a long way to go, but this has increased our optimism that a molecular prosthetics approach could provide a new way to treat all people with cystic fibrosis,' says study leader. professor and medical doctor Martin D. Burke. App Authors gives elementary students programming experience Feb 28, 2017 11:15 am Through an after-school program called App Authors, elementary students are trying their hands at software design - gaining experience in coding and learning to work as a team to solve problems. Architecture professor’s book examines the biases in design of products and places Mar 28, 2017 10:30 am Book by professor Kathryn Anthony looks at both bad and good examples of design and suggests ways for consumers to demand better designs for products and places. Are discoveries of small animals in produce really that rare? Jul 11, 2019 11:00 am In 40 media stories (2003 to 2018), frogs, lizards, snakes, mice, birds, and even a bat, were found in salad greens, green beans, or mixed vegetables. Ten of these were alive. Are we at a tipping point with weed control? Oct 5, 2017 9:30 am If farmers could no longer control weeds with existing herbicides, Americans would quickly notice a spike in their grocery bills Are we wiping out one African Elephant by not recognizing two? May 4, 2015 1:00 pm “By not recognizing two species, these organizations may be condemning the African forest elephant to extinction,” said University of Illinois Animal Sciences Professor Alfred Roca. Artificial photosynthesis transforms carbon dioxide into liquefiable fuels May 22, 2019 3:15 pm Chemists at the University of Illinois have successfully produced fuels using water, carbon dioxide and visible light through artificial photosynthesis. Artist in-residence helping to create new theatrical work May 1, 2015 3:00 pm Lisa Dixon, a University of Illinois theatre professor, is working with Struan Leslie, formerly the head of movement and a choreographer at the Royal Shakespeare Company, to develop a new theatrical work, “My Case is Altered: Tales of a 21st Century Roaring Girl.” Artist uses location, weather and other data to create sculptural landscapes Jan 25, 2017 9:30 am Illinois Art & Design professor Stephen Cartwright creates sculptural landscapes from data he collects about himself and his environment. Art professor Jorge Lucero curates a Barack Obama Presidential Library by the people Jun 17, 2015 1:30 pm A storefront community arts center in Hyde Park is hosting an exhibit that invites people to share their thoughts and stories of the president - the sorts of things that won’t be found in the official presidential library. As an act of self-disclosure, workplace creativity can be risky business Sep 4, 2019 10:30 am Business professor Jack Goncalo finds that being creative in the workplace is potentially fraught with peril because creativity itself is deeply personal. Asian tiger mosquito gains ground in Illinois Jun 4, 2020 12:45 pm Researchers report that the Asian tiger mosquito has become more abundant across Illinois in the past three decades. Its spread is problematic, as the mosquito can transmit diseases – like chikungunya or dengue fever – to humans. Astronomers discover 'hyper-starburst' galaxy Dec 15, 2016 3:00 pm The finding presents an opportunity to study one of the mysteries behind star formation, according to one of the study’s co-authors at the University of Illinois. Astronomers image magnetic fields at the edge of a black hole Mar 24, 2021 9:00 am The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration has revealed how a black hole looks in polarized light. This is the first time astronomers have been able to measure polarization, a signature of magnetic fields, this close to the edge of a black hole. Atom by atom, team models bacteria’s photosynthetic engine Jul 29, 2015 1:30 pm Physics professor Klaus Schulten and colleagues used a supercomputer to model the atomic structure of a chromatophore, the engine of photosynthesis in some bacteria. Atomic structure of antifungal drug opens door to less-toxic derivatives Dec 9, 2021 1:15 pm Advanced molecular imaging technology has now mapped the structure of a drug widely used to treat fungal infections but whose workings have mystified researchers and physicians for nearly 70 years. Augmented reality app enables intelligent shopping experience Feb 1, 2016 3:45 pm Researchers have developed an app that uses a phone’s camera and location-tool to automatically detect nearby businesses and pull up reviews from multiple sources on the same screen. A unique combination of catalysts opens doors to making useful compounds Aug 16, 2018 11:30 am 'Lots of researchers have tried to develop new photocatalysts for different reactions. And enzyme catalysis is a relatively old field.' Few researchers have put these two catalysts together Author looks at portrayals of slavery beyond questions of freedom Mar 2, 2021 9:45 am Professor Christopher Freeburg's book, 'Counterlife: Slavery After Resistance and Social Death,' argues that scholars should look at the lives and creativity of slaves more broadly than whether their actions led to freedom. 'Autonomous help-seeking' on the job pays dividends for workers Oct 6, 2021 8:45 am 'Metaphorically, what distinguishes (autonomous vs. dependent) help-seeking is the difference between asking someone to teach you how to fish versus just asking them for fish,' said Professor Yihao Liu. Avocados change belly fat distribution in women, controlled study finds Sep 3, 2021 9:00 am A diet that included an avocado a day reduced visceral belly fat in women in a randomized controlled study of adults with overweight and obesity. A World in a Grain of Sand: New Discoveries in Kidney Stones Nov 30, 2020 10:45 am Travertine stone used extensively in Mayo Clinic buildings has provided a research team from Mayo Clinic and geologist Bruce Fouke's team at the University of Illinois with an unexpected – and beautiful - clue about kidney stones. 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. Bacterial protein fragment kills lung cells in pulmonary fibrosis, study finds Mar 24, 2020 10:00 am New study from researchers at the U of I and Mie University in Japan finds that a bacterial protein fragment instigates lung tissue death in pulmonary fibrosis, a mysterious disease affecting millions of people. Bankruptcy data reveal patterns that underscore broader social, economic trends Jan 20, 2022 8:00 am 'We found that there is no typical bankruptcy filer, and the law needs to be adaptive to different situations – particularly to the nine distinct patterns that emerged in our data,' said law professor Robert Lawless. Basar named College of Engineering interim dean Dec 20, 2017 10:00 pm Basar is a Swanlund Chair, an internationally renowned scholar, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a recipient of multiple prestigious awards and honors Bats’ midnight snacks reveal clues for managing endangered species Sep 16, 2022 11:15 am 'This was an in-depth study of these two imperiled (bat) species in landscapes where they co-occur. Nobody's done that before. (It)gives us a much better sense of how bats not only coexist, but also how they benefit our forests,' says U of I's Joy O'Keefe.