blog posts

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  T-cells infiltrate brain, cause respiratory distress in condition affecting the immunocompromised

  Aug 30, 2023 11:15 am

  The pulmonary distress associated with C-IRIS, an inflammatory condition that can affect immunocompromised patients, is caused not by damage to the lungs but by T-cells infiltrating the brain, U of I researchers discovered.

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  Team identifies key driver of cancer cell death pathway that activates immune cells

  Jul 31, 2023 10:00 am

  Illinois researchers identified a protein that plays a key role in the action of several emerging anticancer therapies. The finding may help improve immunotherapies against solid tumors.

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  Cave excavation pushes back the clock on human migration to Laos

  Jun 21, 2023 11:30 am

  Fifteen years of archaeological work in the Tam Pa Ling cave in northeastern Laos has yielded a reliable chronology of early human occupation of the site, revealing that humans lived in the area for at least 70,000 years – and likely even longer.  

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  Ancient katydid fossil reveals muscles, digestive tract, glands, testicle

  Jun 23, 2023 11:45 am

  “Now we know that about 50 million years ago, this genus had already evolved and already had a morphology that mimics the grass in which it lives and hides from predators,' said Sam Heads, director of the U of I’s Center for Paleontology.  

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  Lean body mass, age linked with alcohol elimination rates in women

  Jun 27, 2023 3:00 pm

  New research examines blood alcohol concentrations and how obesity and age affect the rate of absorption and elimination for women.

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  U of I geologists challenge conventional view of Earth’s continental history, stability

  Jun 12, 2023 10:15 am

  This hypothesis defies decades of conventional plate tectonics theory and begs to answer why most cratons have remained structurally stable while their underbellies have experienced significant change. 

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  INHS researchers reveal 'virgin birth' in a crocodile

  Jun 12, 2023 2:30 pm

   'It’s wild... There animals are out there in our world – even in Illinois – that can produce offspring without a mate, but this is the first time that anyone has confirmed this in crocodilians,' says Mark Davis, biologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. 

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  Webb Space Telescope detects universe’s most distant complex organic molecules

  Jun 5, 2023 10:45 am

  Thanks to the capabilities of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope and careful analyses from researchers, a new study lends critical insight into the complex chemical interactions that occur in the first galaxies in the early universe. 

  
  

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  Registration open for I-Ready, an online camp for college-bound students with autism

  May 25, 2023 10:15 am

  Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors at Illinois high schools and new graduates with autism are encouraged to apply. 

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  Brain circuits for locomotion evolved long before appendages, skeletons

  Apr 26, 2023 3:30 pm

  A new study finds parallels between the brain architecture that drives locomotion in sea slugs and that of more complex segmented creatures with jointed skeletons and appendages.  

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  New stellar danger to planets identified by NASA'S Chandra program

  Apr 21, 2023 9:30 am

  An exploded star can pose more risks to nearby planets than previously thought, initiating intense X-rays that can damage the atmospheres of planets up to 160 light-years away according to a study led by U of I scientists and colleagues.

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  Hubble unexpectedly finds double quasar in distant universe

  Apr 5, 2023 7:45 pm

  These two gravitationally bound quasars existed when the universe was just 3 billion years old. 'We don't see a lot of double quasars at this early time... and that's why this discovery is so exciting,' said grad student Yu-Ching Chen, lead author of the study. 

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  Unique opportunity to learn how Illinois soils have changed over 120 years

  Mar 16, 2023 3:00 pm

  In a dusty U of I barn that was scheduled for demolition, soil scientist Andrew Margenot discovered a time capsule in the form of thousands of jars of soil from around the state, some dating as far back as 1862. 

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  Possible genetic basis found for severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

  Feb 9, 2023 2:45 pm

   A mutant or damaged gene may be a cause of a severe, mysterious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that affects an estimated 25% of Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.

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  Soy protein blocks LDL cholesterol production, reducing risks of metabolic diseases

  Jan 23, 2023 9:45 am

  U of I food scientists discover that soybean varieties with greater proportions of the protein B-conglycinin reduce plasma cholesterol levels and promote liver homeostasis, showing potential for preventing fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis.

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  U of I team central to NSF project researching flow of Earth’s mantle

  Dec 22, 2022 11:15 am

  A National Science Foundation project is exploring the microphysical activities of rocks that affect the Earth's upper mantle. 'Our modeling sits at the intersection of all this work. It's at the heart of the scientific process behind this project.'

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  Experts boost activity of potential therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer

  Nov 30, 2022 11:00 am

  Illinois researchers have found that stimulating estrogen receptor beta in triple-negative breast cancers alters the activity of cancer-related genes and reduces the growth and metastasis of these breast cancers. 

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  Team uses digital cameras, machine learning to predict neurological disease

  Oct 11, 2022 10:45 am

  Illinois researchers led the development of a new approach for identifying people with multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.

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  Scientists crack upcycling plastics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

  Oct 3, 2022 9:45 am

  Researchers have developed a breakthrough process to transform the most widely produced plastic - polyethylene - into the second-most widely produced plastic, polypropylene, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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  DNA nets capture COVID-19 virus in low-cost rapid-testing platform

  Sep 23, 2022 1:00 pm

  Tiny nets woven from DNA strands can ensnare the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, lighting up the virus for a test – and also impeding the virus from infecting cells, opening a new possible route to treatment, study finds.

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  Bringing science closer to the water

  Sep 2, 2022 1:00 pm

  The U. of I. RiverLab, the only one of its kind in the country, provides new insight into what's happening with our rivers

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  Explore Vision 2030, a seven-year plan to enhance global learning & engagement

  Aug 23, 2022 3:45 pm

  Over the next seven years, the Global Strategy will serve as a roadmap to develop richer connections with current partners while pursuing new cooperative relationships in the Global South.

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  U of I student’s research reveals signaling molecule key to activating hair regrowth

  Aug 3, 2022 10:30 am

  New research by a Carle Illinois College of Medicine student may unlock new naturally occurring treatments for patients with hair loss. 'The genetic basis for understanding how hair follicles can be reactivated has been a mystery until now.'

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  Study explores unusual interaction between viruses, live vaccines

  Jul 6, 2022 1:45 pm

  Illinois researchers found that live vaccines and viruses can infect the same cells in living animals and sometimes share molecular tools that aid new infections. The findings should inform the design of vaccines to reduce spread of viruses.

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  10 year anniversary: Remembering U of I's contribution to the Higgs Boson discovery

  Jul 5, 2022 11:30 am

  The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider exactly ten years ago, and the progress made since then to determine its properties, have allowed physicists to make tremendous steps forward in our understanding of the universe

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  Study explores coevolution of mammals and their lice

  Jul 5, 2022 9:00 am

  Lice first took up residence on a mammalian host tens of millions of years ago, thus beginning the long association between mammals and lice and setting the stage for their coevolution as new animal species developed.

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  Small molecule transports iron in mice, human cells to treat some forms of anemia

  Jun 24, 2022 11:15 am

  Study demonstrates that the small molecule hinokitiol potentially could function as a 'molecular prosthetic' when the iron-transporting protein ferroportin is missing or defective, offering a potential treatment path for certain kinds of anemia.