blog posts

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  How can we identify, respond to pandemic-triggered mental health crises?

  Dec 23, 2021 8:45 am

  With many adults and children experiencing 'pandemic fatigue' from the continuing disruptions caused by the coronavirus, more people may be at risk of toxic stress and other mental health problems, says social work professor Tara Powell.

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  How common are December tornadoes in the US and why are they so dangerous?

  Dec 14, 2021 8:30 am

  Even though December tornadoes are rare, they pose a significant threat because of their unexpectedness and tendency to occur after sunset while people are sleeping, unaware of the impending danger, says Professor (Robert) Jeff Trapp.

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  Will unionization push among retail workers continue in 2022?

  Dec 10, 2021 2:00 pm

  The unionization of a Starbucks store is a potential watershed moment for organized labor and reflects changes to the underlying conditions impacting the balance of power between capital and labor, says U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno.

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  How does society impact the benefits and challenges of technology?

  Dec 8, 2021 10:30 am

  A new book by electrical and computer engineering professor Rakesh Kumar examines how a country’s culture and society influence its adoption of new technologies and vice versa – using India as a case study. 

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  How can cities help accelerate climate action to meet COP26 goals?

  Nov 18, 2021 9:00 am

  Climate change acts as a threat multiplier to a city’s infrastructure, economic development and public health. (And) cities are taking action because they can. Local governments are most responsive to constituents who are demanding action.

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  What are the geopolitical implications of US nuclear submarine deal with Australia?

  Nov 11, 2021 10:15 am

  The U.S.-U.K. sale of nuclear subs to Australia is a response to China’s military ambitions in the South China Sea,  said global politics expert Edward Kolodziej. But it effectively cut out France's participation in defining the security architecture of East Asia.

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  A large asteroid will pass by Earth this weekend. Should we worry?

  Nov 10, 2021 9:30 am

  'Anything over 140 meters in diameter could cause major damage to cities or coasts, so any NEO with orbits that cross Earth’s orbit is classified as a potentially hazardous object.' The one we'll see this weekend is 160 meters.

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  Why is a past attempt to ban 'Beloved' from a high school curriculum a political issue now?

  Nov 10, 2021 8:45 am

  Professor Emily Knox, author of 'Book Banning in 21st-Century America,' says societal issues, such as changing racial demographics and disagreements over how to teach the history of race, prompt challenges to certain kinds of books.

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  Are global CO2 emissions rebounding to pre-COVID-19 levels?

  Nov 9, 2021 12:15 pm

  The annual Carbon Budget Project report found that global fossil carbon dioxide emissions in 2021 are set to rebound close to their pre-COVID-19 levels, says Illinois atmospheric sciences professor and report co-author Atul Jain.

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  Do kids need a COVID-19 vaccine?

  Nov 4, 2021 9:15 am

  The availability of a COVID-19 vaccine for school-aged children offers protection for children as well as easing challenges faced by their families and their schools, says Rebecca Lee Smith, a U of I epidemiologist.

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  Which animals can catch the coronavirus?

  Oct 14, 2021 2:30 pm

  The U of I's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab has played a key role in diagnosing coronavirus infection in animal species in zoos across the country. This is important work for understanding the virus’s behavior and its broad host range, Wang says.

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  What has been the impact of the Washington Football Team's name change?

  Sep 20, 2021 11:30 am

  The changes in the past year in the use of Native American imagery in sports and elsewhere have been unprecedented, said Jay Rosenstein, a Center for Advanced Study professor of media and cinema studies.

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  Are President Biden's vaccine mandates lawful?

  Sep 20, 2021 9:30 am

  The new vaccination requirements for the federal workforce will likely be upheld by the courts, but the OSHA mandate is on shakier legal ground, says labor relations expert Michael LeRoy.

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  Is the future of agriculture digital?

  Sep 10, 2021 9:00 am

  Crop sciences professor Stephen Moose and his colleagues aim to develop crops that can communicate with – and receive signals from – digital information-processing systems.

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  Can people take a livestock drug to treat a deadly virus?

  Sep 2, 2021 10:15 am

  Taking large or multiple doses of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin can cause a toxic overdose, and humans should not take forms intended for animal use, says Illinois veterinary medicine expert Dr. Jim Lowe.

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  Paper: Use patent law to curb unethical human-genome editing

  Aug 30, 2021 3:15 pm

  Patent law could create an 'ethical thicket' that discourages access to the medically and ethically dubious practice of heritable human-genome editing, said Jacob S. Sherkow, a professor of law at Illinois and bioethics expert.

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  Is the new Illinois state legislative district map fair?

  Aug 30, 2021 9:15 am

  An interesting wild card is whether any current Republican representatives will have such poor electoral prospects with the new (congressional) map that they jump into the 2022 gubernatorial contest instead of seeking reelection.

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  What's next for Afghanistan?

  Aug 17, 2021 8:30 am

  Professor Nicholas Grossman, an expert in international relations, speaks about the repercussions of the abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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  When will teens recover from social isolation of COVID?

  Aug 11, 2021 9:00 am

  Social isolation is not a good situation for anybody, but for teenagers it’s particularly hard. Studies have long indicated that teens who are socially isolated are at higher risk for mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.

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  What impact do the Olympics and mass-sporting events have on public health?

  Aug 2, 2021 8:00 am

  COVID has led to the postponement or cancellation of many sporting events. 'As global society continues to recover...the role of live spectating in promoting life satisfaction may become a more relevant topic for us,' says Professor Mikihiro Sato. 

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  Should the government implement a vaccine passport system?

  Jul 29, 2021 8:45 am

  Vaccine passports strike the right balance between letting life go on for those vaccinated against COVID-19 while still being realistic about the ongoing public health crisis in the U.S., said bioethics expert Jacob Sherkow.

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  What are the implications of the recent Supreme Court public school speech case?

  Jul 21, 2021 8:00 am

  The opaque ruling in the public school speech case Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. shouldn’t deter school officials from disciplining students who engage in cyberbullying, harassment or cheating, said media law expert Benjamin Holden.

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  How can the world prevent emerging infectious diseases, protect food security?

  Jul 20, 2021 10:00 am

  Postdoctoral researcher Valeria Trivellone describes how climate change, globalization, urbanization and trade in wildlife all contribute to the emergence of new infectious diseases and worsen food insecurity.

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  Where have all the entry-level professional jobs gone?

  Jul 1, 2021 9:30 am

   'It’s far cheaper for a big law firm to hold an online meeting with lawyers in India and have them write a legal document overnight while the partners in the U.S. are sleeping than to pay young lawyers in the firm to write it.'

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  How do July 4 celebrations affect wildlife?

  Jun 30, 2021 8:45 am

  'Fireworks can incite flight responses and disorientation in (birds)... In one documented example, birds flew so far out to sea that there was no possibility they would be able to make the return trip,' writes Professor Sam Sander.

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  Are generous unemployment benefits to blame for worker shortages?

  Jun 23, 2021 9:30 am

  '...post-pandemic, people don’t want to work at low-quality jobs anymore. With employers everywhere looking to quickly rehire, workers have some leverage and they’re using it to temporarily stay out of the labor market in certain industries.'

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  Is reconciliation realistic?

  Jun 17, 2021 11:30 am

  Historians warn that deep-seated racial divides in America make political healing a challenging path.

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  Are the ultrawealthy breaking the law in avoiding taxes?

  Jun 16, 2021 8:00 am

  The ultrawealthy aren’t breaking the law in avoiding taxes, but public outrage over their financial legerdemain could prompt legislators to consider an annual wealth tax, says tax policy expert Richard L. Kaplan.

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  Are we experiencing another unaccompanied child 'crisis' at the southern US border?

  Jun 15, 2021 9:15 am

  The issue of unaccompanied migrant children at the southern U.S. border has embroiled the previous three presidential administrations because there’s no easy solution to the problem, says law professor Lauren Aronson.

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  Why do we need a health care equity law?

  Jun 9, 2021 10:00 am

  The Illinois Health Care and Human Services Reform Act has potential to address health disparities and foster health equity through provisions, says Illinois professor Ruby Mendenhall.

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  What does the Chicago Tribune sale mean for the future of newsrooms?

  Jun 2, 2021 9:30 am

  Journalism professor Brant Houston touts nonprofit news organizations as a viable alternative to traditional newspaper business models.

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  Why has violence erupted now between Israelis and Palestinians?

  May 20, 2021 10:30 am

  A leadership vacuum and political maneuvering by both Israel and the Palestinians are fueling the violence, said Rachel S. Harris, a professor in the Programs in World and Comparative Literature and Jewish Culture and Society.

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  Is it time to get rid of the filibuster in the US Senate?

  Apr 28, 2021 8:45 am

  Although it’s been weakened over the years, the mere threat of a filibuster in the U.S. Senate still provides swing-vote senators with leverage, bargaining power and media attention, said U. of I. political science professor Gisela Sin.

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  How are social media changing higher education?

  Apr 22, 2021 9:30 am

  The power of social media and unwritten rules about acceptable discourse exert significant influence over teaching, research and the tenure process in higher education, according to sociology professor Ilana Redstone.

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  When danger becomes the norm

  Mar 29, 2021 11:15 am

  Beirut's inhabitants face daily violence and disruptions, caused by state sanctioned neglect, violence on its people. To ethnographer Ghassan Moussawi, the city reveals how people adapt in the face of continuous danger and scarcity.

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  How does COVID-19 affect the heart?

  Mar 23, 2021 9:15 am

  While many think of COVID-19 as primarily a respiratory disease, its effects on the heart contribute to nearly 40% of deaths – and can strike even healthy children and athletes, says Illinois medical scholar Mariam Bonyadi Camacho.

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  Economist: The path to economic recovery must address child care

  Mar 4, 2021 10:45 am

  With the damage inflicted to the U.S. economy by the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery will require not only restoring jobs and income, according to a professor at Illinois, but revitalizing a key industry that affects millions of families: child care. 

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  Survey: Teacher shortage worsening for most Illinois districts

  Mar 3, 2021 9:00 am

  'You come to college to become a teacher, borrow a significant amount of money along the way, then go into the profession with a very low salary. ...that’s a very difficult invitation to accept,' says College of Education Dean Jim Anderson.

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  Do labor laws need to be modernized with rise of gig economy?

  Mar 1, 2021 8:00 am

  The Protecting the Right to Organize Act would be the most significant revision of U.S. labor law since 1947, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law.

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  Skepticism about coronavirus vaccines persists in communities of color

  Feb 16, 2021 10:15 am

  USA Today (Feb. 16) 'When we talk about why Black people wouldn’t trust a medical establishment a lot of people cite Tuskegee, which makes sense,' says Rana Hogarth, a history professor at Illinois. 'But Tuskegee is not the start.'

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  Can President Biden pass comprehensive immigration reform?

  Feb 15, 2021 9:30 am

  Any legislative action on comprehensive immigration reform will face significant headwinds in the Senate, says Lauren R. Aronson, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Illinois. 

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  How will imprisonment of Russian dissident Navalny affect opposition to Putin?

  Feb 10, 2021 8:00 am

  'Navalny is a very clever character. He’s gamed out the different scenarios. His own life and health will be protected, because it would make a terrible impression if he died in prison,' says professor Richard Tempest.

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  What does Amanda Gorman's Super Bowl performance mean for poetry?

  Feb 3, 2021 8:45 am

  Gorman captured the attention of the nation as the youngest-ever inaugural poet. She’ll reach a far wider audience with her Super Bowl appearance. Poet, professor Ángel García hopes Gorman will inspire people to work for social change

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  How might Freedom Schools promote educational equity in Illinois?

  Jan 27, 2021 3:30 pm

  An education reform bill in Illinois establishes a fund for Freedom Schools, which could help address learning gaps children may experience as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Professor Jon Hale.

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  The presidency: A tense time for transition

  Jan 13, 2021 10:15 am

  Historically, skipping inaugurations have generally been the result of bitter and divisive politics. It’s only happened four times before, with the most recent being 152 years ago.

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  What happens when the coronavirus mutates?

  Jan 5, 2021 8:45 am

  Mutations in the coronavirus that have become widespread so far are unlikely to create resistance to the vaccines developed, but may require new tests for detection, says Illinois professor Gustavo Caetano-Anollés.

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  What is the new variant of coronavirus in the UK?

  Dec 23, 2020 8:00 am

  The new strain of coronavirus circulating in the U.K. has a mutation that makes its spike protein bind 20 times more strongly to the receptor on human cells, says Illinois professor Erik Procko.  

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  2020 a bad year in many ways, but what about global carbon emissions?

  Dec 15, 2020 9:00 am

  The annual Carbon Budget Project report found that the global COVID-19 pandemic restrictions caused a record drop in CO2 emissions for 2020, says Illinois atmospheric sciences professor and report co-author Atul Jain.

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  Can employers legally require employees to vaccinate against COVID-19?

  Dec 7, 2020 9:30 am

  In most cases, an employer could require a COVID-19 vaccination. It might seem like a violation of an employee’s personal freedom, but “No one has a legally enforceable right to a specific job,” says Professor Michael LeRoy

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  Does the U.S. need to pursue transitional justice in the post-Trump era?

  Nov 18, 2020 10:30 am

  To promote accountability in government, President-elect Biden ought to pursue 'transitional justice' in the aftermath of the Trump presidency.