blog posts Federal bill aims to help Midwest produce more biofuels and bio-based products Jan 5, 2024 11:15 am High Plains Public Radio (Jan. 3) Many traditional manufacturing processes have moved off-shored, says U of I's Beth Conerty. 'But using biology as a manufacturing tool - I wouldn’t say that anybody has won that yet. It's an opportunity for the U.S.' A tiny implantable device detects overactivity in the bladder, uses light to reduce the urge to urinate Jan 8, 2019 1:00 pm Photonics (Dec. 7) Illinois researchers worked with colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine and the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern to create the device U of I's rail transportation center calculates cost of delayed maintenance on Chicago's Metra system Jan 11, 2019 9:30 am Daily Herald (Jan.10) Study by the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center shows the failure to spend $1 in preventive maintenance now can cost $4 in deferred maintenance later Second year in a row: U. of I. poised to freeze tuition for new in-state undergrads next year Jan 21, 2016 12:00 pm Chicago Tribune (Jan. 20) - Officials hope the tuition freeze will help attract students who have been leaving the state as costs have increased and the state's financial outlook is uncertain. Illinois Extension receives $1.5 million grant from the IEPA to help reduce nutrient loss to waterways Jan 25, 2018 11:30 am Effingham Daily News (Jan. 24) Extension will hire two watershed coordinators to help producers implement management practices identified in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Illinois A-G Lisa Madigan wants to stop state worker paychecks until there’s a state budget deal Jan 30, 2017 12:00 pm WIS-TV (Jan. 27) Labor Expert Robert Bruno says that action would not dampen enthusiam for a strike by AFSCME workers. 'It could only have the effect of further encouraging it.' Could Robert Mueller indict Trump? It would be the first indictment of a sitting president Feb 5, 2018 1:00 pm Politico (Feb. 2) Mueller may lack the legal standing to bring those charges, says Ronald Rotunda, a professor emeritus of law at Illinois Two-thirds of our electricity still comes from fossil fuels, but solar is growing rapidly Feb 6, 2018 11:00 am WGLT-FM (Feb. 6) – About 1% of all electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar power, says Illinois professor Don Fullerton. 'It’s not going to take over the world yet' Who will pay for Americans to live to 100? The financial aspects have been ignored Feb 8, 2016 12:00 pm Next Avenue (Feb. 8) - “As a society, we have to get serious about encouraging people to stay in the labor force longer and have longer careers,” says Illinois economist Jeffrey Brown. Science is taking big steps toward understanding the impact of concussion Mar 4, 2016 12:30 pm The Economist (March 5) - Illinois professor Charles Hillman found that children who had sustained a single sports-related concussion still had impaired brain function two years later. Weinstein’s 23 year sentence signals shift in #MeToo justice Mar 12, 2020 1:30 pm Bloomberg (March 11) 'These...high-profile women were probably the only ones with enough credibility and social power to get this going,” says Illinois professor Louise Fitzgerald, expert in the psychological effects of harassment. The federally mandated addition of ethanol to gasoline, diesel faces a reckoning Mar 26, 2018 2:00 pm 'You are fooling yourself if you think this law was ever passed in the first place for its environmental benefits,” says Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin Illinois students will be able to take online courses during winter break Apr 10, 2017 3:45 pm U.S. News & World Report (April 8) - Online classes have been offered between the fall and spring semesters for the last three years. Now that pilot project is permanent. River piracy: Global warming suddenly shifted glacier melt from one river to another Apr 18, 2017 10:00 am Illinois geologist Jim Best: 'River piracy' usually takes tens of thousands of years and hadn't been seen in modern times Americans' perception of discrimination is increasingly split along party lines Apr 26, 2019 2:45 pm Deseret News (April 25) A recent surge in discrimination-related lawsuits and legislation may help explain why. We’re becoming 'more fractured,' says Illinois professor Robin Fretwell Wilson. Carbon capture tech draws the attention of state lawmakers, environmentalists Apr 26, 2023 1:30 pm Capitol News Illinois (April 25) The state is planning several carbon sequestration projects. 'We have some of, if not the most favorable geology for this particular activity in the country,' says U of I researcher Sallie Greenberg. People infected with COVID remain contagious up to nine days after testing positive Apr 29, 2022 1:45 pm UPI (April 28) A new study at the University of Illinois may help explain why the COVID virus appears to spread so easily - and quickly - in some cases but not in others. Tiny walking bio-bots get a spinal-cord pep in their step Apr 30, 2020 1:15 pm New Atlas (April 29) A U. of I. research team led by Martha Gillette, a professor of cell and developmental biology, has added a segment of lumbar spinal cord tissue to the bio-bot mix. When will the next supervolcano erupt? New model suggests it depends on local plate tectonics May 2, 2018 2:00 pm Newsweek (May 1) Illinois doctoral student, colleagues find supervolcanoes located in regions being pulled apart by plate tectonics erupt more frequently than under different tectonic conditions Almost half of working mothers in Illinois have lost jobs, hours during COVID May 6, 2021 10:00 am WFLD-TV (May 5) 'While working women – especially working mothers – already faced labor force participation and pay gaps relative to men before COVID-19, survey data makes clear that the pandemic has almost certainly worsened those disparities.' Meet the novelist and alumnus who fans say saved "Star Wars" May 23, 2017 10:15 am Chicago Tribune (May 22) — Zahn grew up in Lombard and studied physics at Illinois, but almost no one mentioned it at C2E2, a massive Chicago comic book convention, or seemed aware this was a homecoming. How electric vehicles are targeted by the Republican policy bill May 28, 2025 3:15 pm The New York Times (May 23) “We will not realize the energy efficiency and health benefits as fast as we could and as fast as other countries are realizing them,” says U. of I. professor Eleftheria Kontou. Next week will be key in determining how much of the corn crop is planted this year Jun 3, 2019 11:00 am New York Times (May 31) Even with changes to federal assistance payments, floods and rain have caused other problems that will effect the economy. Prof. Scott Irwin says you'll see it first in the price of milk, meat and eggs. Scientists at Illinois develop highly sensitive photonic sensor Jun 7, 2016 10:00 am United Press International (Washington, D.C., June 6) -- Scientists at Illinois have developed a highly sensitive photonic sensor -- a device they hope will enable new high-speed diagnostic technologies. Visible damage to oak trees in recent years may be caused by farm chemicals Jun 8, 2017 12:45 pm Illinois research in 2004 found a “strong correlation” between a condition called leaf tatters and exposure to chloroacetanilide herbicides, particularly in white oaks. The real access-to-justice problem and how we might solve it Jun 12, 2019 11:15 am Legal Talk Network (June 12) Rebecca Sandefur, an Illinois professor of sociology and law, on why people rarely turn to lawyers, courts for help. Broccoli poised to become more super, new study finds Jun 23, 2016 1:15 pm Tech Times (June 23) - Researchers at Illinois have identified a huge number of candidate genes that control the amount of phenolic compounds in the superfood broccoli. How to save Major League Baseball from itself Jun 25, 2021 9:00 am South Side Sox (June 25) Illinois professor Alan Nathan, the world’s foremost authority on the physics of baseball, discusses spin and goo gunk, the characteristics of the baseball and his ideas for meaningful, fun metrics. Wettest weather in 124 years has Midwest farmers adapting to 'soggy new normal' Jul 1, 2019 10:00 am Bloomberg (July 1) “On a decadal time scale, yeah, you’re going to see record after record falling,” says Illinois atmospheric scientist Don Wuebbles. ‘Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois’ opens newer window to old world Jul 6, 2022 11:15 am Chicago Sun-Times (July 3) Three experts, including Illinois Natural History Survey herpetologist Christopher Phillips, have published an illustrated guide to all things herpetology in Illinois, with 177 photographs, 100 maps and an identification key. Scientists test agriculture and solar energy on Illinois farms Jul 19, 2024 3:45 pm WBEZ Chicago (July 18) 'Obviously, this setting is not perfect for the farming system,' says Professor D.K. Lee. But U. of I.'s Solar Farm 2.0 could indicate whether the marriage between agriculture and solar power will be a happy one. Last week, an Illinois Ph.D. student left his 'Jeopardy' appearances with $137,088 in winnings Aug 8, 2016 11:45 am Chicago Tribure (Aug. 5) It took seven shirts, six wins, two days of filming and at least one utterance of “Oh my God, I’m an idiot” Researchers find biomarkers as effective at predicting sepsis as long-term monitoring Sep 8, 2017 2:00 pm United Press International (Sept. 7) –Researchers from Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital found that five key biomarkers in blood that characterize sepsis can give physicians as much information as hours of monitoring symptoms. Threatened rail strike: Shipments of food, ag, energy products could screech to a halt Sep 14, 2022 10:00 am Dallas Morning News (Sept. 14) It’s been decades since we've had an industrywide shutdown, says U of I labor expert. 'We don’t see national strikes anymore. They tend to be conflicts between one union and one workplace, not against an entire industry.' Ex-Obama adviser warns Trump's promises could force fed to hike rates Sep 27, 2024 2:00 pm Benzinga (Detroit, Sept. 26) Trump would impose a hefty tariff on John Deere for moving production to Mexico. U. of I. professor Jonathan Coppess says relocating jobs has serious consequences, but Trump’s solution may not be effective. State legislatures are struggling to determine how young is too young to marry Oct 15, 2018 12:45 pm Deseret News (Oct. 13) 'The great movement of the law has been to say that kids have more ability to make decisions not less,' says Illinois law professor Robin Fretwell Wilson Study: Expression of a single gene could determine whether bees are solitary or social Oct 18, 2018 2:45 pm Science (Oct. 18) – Behavioral genomicist Gene Robinson says the next step is to figure out how the genes in his study of honey bees affect brain development and function Congress is considering a bill that would allocate $1.275 billion to quantum research from 2019-23 Oct 22, 2018 11:45 am New York Times (Oct. 21) 'I see the country at a crossroads with quantum information systems,' says Illinois' Brian DeMarco. 'I can see things not working out, where the balance is not good, and it derails our ability to compete' Affordable housing among striking Chicago teachers’ demands Oct 22, 2019 11:45 am Associated Press (Oct. 21) Illinois labor expert Robert Bruno knows of no other cities where the issue has pushed its way into contract negotiations. 'Teacher unions around the country are watching this very closely,' Aging brain cells become inflamed, produce chemicals known to impair cognitive function Oct 26, 2018 3:45 pm Creators (Oct. 26) Scientists at Illinois may have a remedy: more dietary fiber. Dietary fiber promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gut, which in turn helps the brain MacArthur ‘genius’ grant spotlights access to justice field Oct 30, 2018 3:15 pm Law 360 (Oct. 28) When U. of I. sociologist Rebecca Sandefur found out she’d been named a MacArthur fellow for research on access to civil justice, she was 'absolutely stunned' War of words between Gov. Rauner and Speaker Madigan is hindering a budget resolution Nov 9, 2015 11:00 am Chicago Tribune (Nov. 9) - Labor law expert Matthew Finkin says the stalemate in Springfield is similar to labor disputes where "the personality, vision and style" of adversaries can play a critical role in resolving or prolonging problems. More Illinois teens using e-cigarettes today than two years ago, according to U of I survey Nov 13, 2018 11:30 am WTTW-TV (Nov. 12) 'Our survey rarely registers increases of this magnitude among any of our measures of illicit youth substance use,' says Scott Hays of the Center for Prevention Research and Development 'Watered-down hope': Experts wanted more from climate pact Nov 15, 2021 11:30 am ABC News (Nov. 14) Some progress was made, says U. of I. climate scientist Donald Wuebbles, “But the probability of getting to 1.5 degrees (C temperature increase limit) is much reduced, even to the point of almost being impossible.' Scientists modify plants for more efficient use of sunlight Nov 18, 2016 12:15 pm New York Times (Nov. 17) Using genetic engineering techniques to alter photosynthesis, Illinois researchers have modified plants and increased the productivity of a test plant – tobacco – by as much as 20 percent. An estimated 65 million people will watch the Marching Illini in the Macy's Parade Nov 25, 2015 12:00 pm Chicago Tribune (Nov. 24) - Nearly three million will line the parade route when the Marching Illini perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in the band's storied history Experts aren’t buying White House’s spin on climate report Nov 28, 2018 11:45 am “It’s very important that they represent the science properly in their discussions of it, rather than these simplistic statements that are not based on fact at all,” says Don Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Illinois. Toddlers capable of knowing when someone's pretending Dec 6, 2016 11:30 am Mental Floss (Tampa, Fla., Dec. 5) – Psychologists working with young toddlers say the children are capable of recognizing when someone else is pretending, cheating or straight-up lying. Psychology professor Renee Baillargeon of Illinois was a co-author on the study. Blueberries prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer while also combatting aging Dec 6, 2017 12:15 pm Longevity (Dec. 6) Illinois study on prostate cancer showed the anthocyanins found in blueberries may attack cancer-causing free radicals and prevent tumor cells from forming Girls face a staggering amount of sexual harassment and violence Dec 17, 2018 8:45 am Dallas Morning News (Dec. 16) – Nearly 7 in 10 girls experience sexual harassment before they leave high school, according to a 2014 study from Illinois