blog posts Battery technology could charge up water desalination Feb 1, 2016 11:30 am Electricity running through a salt water-filled battery draws the salt ions out of the water. Beckman Institute purchases animal MRI machine Jun 27, 2019 12:15 pm Eighteen University of Illinois colleges, departments, and schools, along with a generous gift from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, are funding the purchase of a Bruker 9.4 Tesla preclinical animal MRI system. Beckman research advances understanding of how readers process language Jan 16, 2019 10:30 am The findings could lead to new teaching methods for struggling readers or second language learners Beckman researcher examines how caregiving impacts brain development Oct 18, 2018 4:15 pm 'There is tremendous plasticity in the brain in the first years of life, and that brain development is shaped, in part, by the infant’s repeated experiences with parents and other primary caregivers' 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. Beckman’s new micro-CT scanner first in the nation with life science applications Apr 30, 2024 11:30 am With microscopic computed tomography, also known as micro-CT or X-ray microscopy, researchers apply CT techniques to reconstruct samples as tiny and delicate as collagen and insect antennae. Beckman student develops tumor imaging method, wins international competition Nov 29, 2021 11:00 am Ronny Guo developed a new method to help clinicians non-invasively locate and characterize brain tumors. His paper won first prize in the annual IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society Student Paper Competition. Beckman's Visualization Laboratory is helping train local snipers Jan 4, 2018 1:15 pm Members of the sniper unit of the Champaign County Metropolitan Emergency Tactical Response Operations (METRO) gathered last month for an unconventional target practice that was captured on video. Beckman team builds better tool for assessing infant brain health Apr 29, 2021 8:30 am Their open-access tool will help doctors and researchers assess infant brain metabolite levels. High or low metabolite levels in the brain may be the first sign of problems with brain function or development. Beckman team develops new techniques to improve atomic force microscopy Jun 26, 2020 9:00 am Illinois researchers from the Beckman Institute have developed a new method to improve the noise associated with nanoscale chemical imaging using atomic force microscopy. Beliefs about cannabis influence older adults' choice of treatments for chronic pain Jun 17, 2020 10:45 am Study finds that pain levels and quality-of-life issues have little influence on older adults’ decisions to treat their condition with cannabis or opioids. Instead, treatment decisions are driven primarily by their and their providers’ beliefs about cannabis. Beneath the surface: Charting the Mahomet Aquifer for water security Mar 20, 2024 10:00 am The volume of the Mahomet Aquafir has always been a mystery, but a groundbreaking technology is giving us a deeper understanding of this vital water source, laying the groundwork for critical, equitable water management and governance. Beneficial arthropods find winter sanctuary in uncultivated field edges Jun 3, 2021 1:30 pm U. of I. entomology professor Alexandra Harmon-Threatt and former doctoral student Scott Clem found that field edges with a diversity of plants help keep pest species populations in check. Berry wine, minus the alcohol, may offer help for those with diabetes Aug 5, 2016 11:30 am Food scientists at Illinois have found that fermenting blueberries and blackberries - already considered 'diabetes superfoods' - may improve their antidiabetic potential even more. Beyond the big ads: Teaching kids ad literacy and nutrition in grade school Feb 4, 2016 3:30 pm “I think that all audiences...should be able to recognize something is an ad. The fact that many of these students didn’t seem to have even that level of understanding makes them more vulnerable, I suspect, to persuasive messages.” “Big Muddy” Missouri River needs a plan like the Mississippi's Jul 11, 2017 11:45 am A Missouri River plan to address flooding and naviation 'is essential to address the current waterway infrastructure restoration issues.' Biochar could replace unsustainable peat moss in greenhouse industry Feb 8, 2018 3:30 pm Plant lovers are familiar with peat moss as the major component of potting mix, but harvest of the material is becoming unsustainable Biochar may boost carbon storage, but benefits to germination, growth appear scant Jun 19, 2019 8:00 am Illinois researchers developed a systematic study to test the effectiveness of the soil additive biochar and found that it may not be as effective as previously thought. Biodiesel from sugarcane more economical than soybean Mar 17, 2016 1:30 pm Biodiesel from 'oil cane' could reduce the cost of biodiesel production from $4.10 to $2.20 per gallon and provide additional environmental and economic benefits. 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. Biography of Egyptian queen shows her influence on Cairo's architecture Mar 22, 2021 1:00 pm A woman born into slavery in 13th-century Egypt broke the glass ceiling of the time to become a sultan and changed the look of Cairo with her innovative architectural projects. Biomass harvest from grasslands could benefit the environment, farmers, and government Feb 24, 2016 11:00 am Economic analysis indicates that a 25 percent rental reduction in harvest years could incentivize farmers to keep land in CRP, allow them to earn revenue, and save the government millions in annual payments. Biomedical breakthrough: Carbon nanoparticles you can make at home Jun 18, 2015 2:00 pm Researchers have found an easy way to produce carbon nanoparticles that are small enough to evade the body’s immune system, reflect light in the near-infrared range for easy detection, and carry payloads of pharmaceutical drugs to targeted tissues Bird gets worm, makes history Jun 19, 2017 8:00 am No one has ever recorded a grebe of any species - whose legs are nearly useless out of the water - foraging on land. Birds' eye size offers clues to contest between brood parasites, hosts Sep 29, 2021 8:45 am Birds with larger eyes relative to their body mass were less likely to have their nests parasitized. Eye size in host birds also was associated with their likelihood of recognizing foreign eggs – unless the eggs looked a lot like their own, researchers found. Black hole size revealed by its eating pattern Aug 12, 2021 10:45 am A new study revealed that the flickering in the brightness observed in actively feeding supermassive black holes is related to their mass. Blog: Coring and exploring ancient Maya life May 15, 2016 9:15 am Openings in the earth, such as water bodies, served as portals to the underworld and a means through which the Maya communicated with gods and ancestors. Blog: Expedition to the highest lake in the world Dec 16, 2015 7:45 pm Early in 2016, a team will climb Ojos del Salado, the tallest active volcano in the world. Near the end of the trek, the team will veer off the summit path to visit something seen nowhere else on Earth at this altitude: liquid water. Blog: Expedition to the highest lake in the world. The Why Jan 6, 2016 9:30 am "For us, this is an extreme environment. But for the microbes, this is home.” – Manfredo Seufferheld Blog: Mapping the state budget impasse and its consequences Jun 7, 2016 12:45 pm Melissa Heil, a graduate student studying geography at the University of Illinois, collected data from numerous agency reports to build the Illinois Atlas of Austerity website. Blog: Salvaging the past in an ancient Maya settlement May 16, 2016 1:15 pm We are working in the the cleared agricultural fields near Cara Blanca Pool 7, a pre-Columbian residential area in west central Belize. Hundreds of ancient Maya structures once housed a thriving community here. Blood markers predict Humboldt penguin nest type, reproductive success Jun 2, 2020 11:45 am A new study of Humboldt penguins reveals metabolic differences between those that nest in sheltered and exposed areas. Blue and purple corn: Not just for tortilla chips anymore May 26, 2017 10:00 am Current sources of natural dyes are expensive and hard to come by. Now, a large University of Illinois project is filling the gap with colored corn. 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. Blue Waters simulations suggest there are fewer faint galaxies than expected Jul 7, 2015 4:15 pm There may be far fewer galaxies further out in the Universe than might be expected, suggests a new study based on simulations conducted using the Blue Waters supercomputer at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Blue Waters to help researchers tackle Ebola Apr 8, 2015 11:00 am NCSA's Blue Waters supercomputer will be used by three research teams to gain new understanding of the deadly Ebola virus, thanks to allocations provided through the National Science Foundation's Rapid Response Research program. Bobwhites listen to each other when picking habitat Jun 18, 2020 9:15 am Researchers' discovery that northern bobwhites are attracted to a habitat based on whether other bobwhites are present there could aid conservation efforts by attracting the birds to restored natural areas. Book describes how Hong Kong media waged Asia's cultural cold war Apr 6, 2023 2:30 pm Illinois history professor Po-Shek Fu wrote about how Hong Kong media was used in a cultural cold war in Asia and the effects it had on the political and cultural environments in Hong Kong. Book examines dangers of reading for young men in late 19th-century France Feb 11, 2020 9:30 am Excessive reading by young men was seen as a cause of declining virility and a national threat in late 19th-century France. Book examines Pope’s environmental encyclical, how religion can address climate change Feb 3, 2020 12:00 pm Robert McKim, a professor emeritus of religion, edited a book looking at how religion might respond to climate change. “Laudato Si’ and the Environment” is a response to Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical of 2015. Book examines the effects of volatility in state funding for higher education May 8, 2023 9:00 am 'Currently, higher education is still benefitting from COVID-19 relief funding, and when that dries up, many states will face a financial cliff for higher education,' says education professor Jennifer Delaney. 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. Book: Juries robbed of power by federal government, states Jul 14, 2016 9:45 am Despite their significant presence in the Constitution, juries have largely disappeared from the U.S. legal system, according to a recently published book by Illinois law professor Suja A. Thomas. Book looks at how immigrants revitalize a small Midwest town Feb 1, 2016 9:00 pm Immigrants from Latin America and Africa work in a central Illinois meatpacking plant. These displaced workers have made a new home in Beardstown, Illinois, but in many ways, they’ve also made a new town. Book looks at how landscape design helps solve water issues Dec 20, 2019 3:00 pm Landscape architecture professor Mary Pat McGuire co-edited a book discussing how landscape design research can help solve environmental problems related to fresh water systems. Book of essays considers how religions view other faiths Sep 5, 2017 12:30 pm A new book edited by University of Illinois religion professor Robert McKim examines how followers of a religious faith view those outside of their religion. Book recounts pillaging of rare illustrations from university libraries Jun 19, 2018 10:15 am A library thief decimated the rare-book collections of academic libraries during a 1980 crime spree. Travis McDade's new book tells the story of the thefts and how the thief was caught Botanical explorer discovers plant that survives frigid eastern Russian winters Jan 11, 2017 8:00 am University of Illinois plant geneticist Erik Sacks suspected one of Eastern Russia's native plants may hold the key to breeding cold-tolerant food and biomass crops. BPA exposure in mice affects fertility in three generations Apr 15, 2015 2:00 pm In a study of mice, professor Jodi Flaws and her colleagues linked BPA exposure during pregnancy to reproductive problems in the next three generations. Brain gene expression patterns predict behavior of individual honey bees Dec 22, 2020 10:00 am Researchers used barcodes to track individual honey bees in a study that looked for parallels between the bees’ foraging and egg-laying behavior and patterns of gene expression in their brains.