blog posts

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  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.

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  Study tracks waterbird use of Chicago-area wetlands

  Sep 14, 2022 10:00 am

  Researchers found that several wetland bird species make use of even small Chicago-area wetlands, and that the level of urbanization had little effect on most studied species’ use of such sites, provided the right kinds of habitat were available.

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  Immunotherapy trials show promise for treating canine melanoma

  Aug 8, 2022 10:00 am

  These novel approaches have yielded encouraging results in canine patients, and human trials using the same therapeutic platforms are expected to begin in 2023.

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  Study links protecting Indigenous peoples' lands to greater nonhuman primate biodiversity

  Aug 10, 2022 1:30 pm

  Researchers found that areas managed by Indigenous peoples tend to have much more primate biodiversity than nearby regions, and that primates whose territories overlap with Indigenous areas are less likely to be classified as threatened.

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  Symbiosis: Understanding cooperation and conflict in plants

  Aug 4, 2022 10:30 am

  Do the interests of the symbionts always line up with the hosts plants, or do genes that benefit symbionts come at the expense of the hosts? Researchers investigate this question through genomic sequencing of plants seeded with microbial symbionts.

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  Study tracks plant pathogens in leafhoppers from natural areas

  Aug 2, 2022 10:00 am

  By extracting and testing DNA from archival leafhopper specimens collected in natural areas, the study identified new phytoplasma strains and found new associations between leafhoppers and phytoplasmas known to harm crop plants.

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  What do bursting bubbles have to do with climate, human health?

  Jul 22, 2022 9:00 am

  Bacteria, viruses in ocean water, for example, can be much more concentrated in jet droplets ejected during bubble bursting. Because the droplets are so small, the microorganisms are  dispersed into the surrounding air, carried by the wind, may be inhaled by people.

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  Survey: COVID-19 vaccine recipients report changes in menstrual bleeding

  Jul 15, 2022 1:15 pm

  Study represents the most comprehensive assessment so far of menstrual changes experienced by pre- and post-menopausal individuals in the first two weeks after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. 

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  Poor diet, household chaos may impair young children’s cognitive skills

  Jul 12, 2022 1:45 pm

  Analyses of data on hundreds of young children suggested that regular consumption of sugary snacks and other unhealthy food, coupled with chaotic living environments, may impair children’s development of executive function skills.

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  Study: Individualized eating program helps dieters lose weight, keep it off

  Jul 14, 2022 11:15 am

  An individualized diet program developed by nutritionists at Illinois uses a visual tool that plots protein, fiber intake to help dieters choose foods that limit their calories while consuming recommended amounts of protein and fiber. 

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  Mouza selected as next Education Dean

  Jul 7, 2022 12:00 pm

  Chrystalla Mouza, currently the Director of the School of Education at the University of Delaware, has been selected to serve as the next Dean of the College of Education.

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  Staring at yourself during virtual chats may worsen your mood, research finds

  Jun 13, 2022 1:00 pm

  Psychology doctoral candidate Talia Ariss and her colleagues found that people who stared at themselves during an online chat tended to experience a lower mood after the conversation, an effect worsened by alcohol consumption.

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  U of I's Cancer Center targets minor cannabinoids as potential cancer therapeutics

  Jun 20, 2022 11:15 am

  Many cancer patients use cannabis to treat pain and chemotherapy-related symptoms such as nausea, but researchers still don’t fully understand the mechanisms behind cannabis and its molecular components.

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  Latin dance may be a step toward better working memory for older Latinos

  Jun 10, 2022 8:00 am

  Latino adults who participated in a health intervention that provided Latin dance lessons showed significant improvements in their working memory, according to a new Illinois study.

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  Lake Michigan water-level rise affects inland waterways, study finds

  May 31, 2022 10:15 am

  2020 marked Lake Michigan’s highest water level in 120 years, and climate variance makes future water levels tough to predict. Coastal impacts are well-documented, but the effect on the area’s inland waterways has been poorly understood.

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  Student expenditures decrease at some colleges that receive promise scholarship funds

  May 17, 2022 9:15 am

  'We looked at the alignment between promise program money coming into postsecondary institutions and whether institutions spent it in ways that benefited students... In some ways these were aligned, in other ways they were not.'

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  Long-term study of pregnant women finds increasing chemical exposure

  May 11, 2022 10:45 am

  A national, long-term study that enrolled a highly diverse group of pregnant women found rising exposure to chemicals from plastics and pesticides that may be harmful to development.

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  Four-story vertical wind tunnel installed within walls of Talbot Lab

  May 5, 2022 12:45 pm

  The wind tunnel that spans Talbott Lab’s four stories is the largest of its kind. It was designed to study turbulent flows laden with particles, but it also enables research on wall-bounded turbulence and heat transfer effects.

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  Corn genetic heritage the strongest driver of chemical defenses against munching bugs

  May 3, 2022 1:30 pm

  University of Illinois researchers compared how different corn varieties responded to chewing insects in the presence of a soil bacterium.

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  First dogs in the Americas arrived from Siberia, disappeared after European contact

  Jul 6, 2018 8:45 am

  The continent's first dogs were not domesticated North American wolves, but likely followed their human counterparts over a land bridge that once connected North Asia and the Americas

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  Researchers repurpose failed cancer drug into printable semiconductor

  Oct 3, 2019 8:45 am

  Illinois researchers have repurposed a failed cancer drug into a new type of organic semiconductor for use in transistors and chemical sensors.

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  Physics group achieves most efficient single-photon production ever

  Oct 4, 2019 1:30 pm

  With planned upgrades, the apparatus could generate upwards of 30 photons at unprecedented efficiencies. Sources of that caliber are precisely what’s needed for optical quantum information applications. 

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  Illinois-led study suggests opinion polarization caused by data overload

  Jul 31, 2020 12:30 pm

  Humans see an ever-shrinking fraction of the ever-expanding amount of available information. As it becomes harder to navigate the growing menu of information sources and options, the natural instinct is to gravitate towards the familiar.

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  Use of tobacco pipes by Native groups tells story of regional diversity

  Jun 23, 2021 9:45 am

  A study of pipes recovered from Hopewell sites in Illinois, Ohio reveals that the manufacture, import, export and use of pipestone pipes varied significantly between the groups, even though they engaged in trade with one another.

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  NSF director announces $40M in awards for U of I projects

  Apr 21, 2022 1:15 pm

  Federally funded research at the nation’s universities creates new companies, industries, opportunities, and jobs—and the tech-savvy, educated workforce needed to fill them. In the state of Illinois, the impact is significant.

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  Parents' reactions while helping with math shape young children's achievement

  Apr 25, 2022 11:30 am

  When math homework with their parents is fraught with negativity such as parental feelings of frustration or ineptitude, children are less likely to enjoy math and tackle challenging math problems. 

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  Paper: COVID-19 outcomes not consistently explained by race, social vulnerability

  Apr 14, 2022 9:15 am

  The racial health disparities shown in the COVID-19 data 'highlight that our society is highly interconnected, so poor health outcomes for any group will have repercussions for the health of the general population,' says researcher Wendy Tam Cho.

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  New approach enhances muscle recovery in aged mice

  Apr 13, 2022 10:00 am

  The muscles of children, young adults tend to recover quickly from atrophy caused by disuse, 'but unfortunately for older adults, they are deficient in the capacity to recover muscle mass,' says researcher Marni Boppart.

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  Protected tropical forest sees major bird declines over 40 years

  Apr 11, 2022 11:15 am

  Deep in a Panamanian rain forest, bird populations have been quietly declining for 44 years. A new U of I-led study shows a whopping 70% of understory bird species declined 1977 and 2020. And most are down by half or more.

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  Study examines impact of DNA evidence in sexual assault prosecutions

  Apr 7, 2022 9:45 am

  When DNA evidence is available that matches the suspects in sexual assault cases, prosecutors are more likely to litigate and the odds of conviction are more than nine times greater than cases without biological evidence, a new study found.

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  Illinois researchers make Deseret Alphabet texts available for study

  Apr 5, 2022 10:30 am

  Researchers from Linguistics and Computer Science are working together to develop resources for studying the Deseret Alphabet, which was created by the Mormons and used briefly in the 19th century.

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  Drug use beliefs found to be strongest predictor of youth substance use

  Mar 28, 2022 10:45 am

  Many drug use prevention programs for youth focus on peer and family relationships, school connection, and self-confidence.. This study suggests another factor may be equally–or even more–influential: whether the youth believes drug use is wrong.

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  Mind the gap: Beckman researchers measure electron transport through space

  Mar 25, 2022 9:00 am

  The flow of electrical current through organic compounds is a central chemical process, factoring into everything from photosynthesis to energy storage in batteries. This study could enable new devices for the emerging field of molecular electronics.

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  NCSA joins humanities project: Looking to the past to save the oceans

  Mar 23, 2022 11:30 am

  The Oceans 1876 project revisits the voyage of the HMS Challenger on it’s 150th anniversary. Untapped Challenger data may help us to protect Earth's oceans by serving as a pre-industrial baseline for our deteriorating oceans.

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  Study ties present-day Native American tribe to ancestors in San Francisco Bay area

  Mar 21, 2022 2:45 pm

  Previous studies of artifacts and language patterns suggested that the Ohlone were relative newcomers to the region. But genomic research found a deep signal of continuity between the ancient population and the new one.

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  Team identifies compound with potent antiseizure effects

  Mar 22, 2022 8:45 am

  Researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe - the most common type of epilepsy - discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such seizures originate. 

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  Study: Vigilantism is an identity for some people

  Mar 10, 2022 9:30 am

  Illinois psychology researchers developed a new tool to determine whether an individual has adopted a vigilante identity, characterized by a desire to monitor other people’s behavior and punish those deemed wrongdoers.

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  Study: Private investment in California’s solar industry increases climate vulnerabilities

  Mar 9, 2022 11:45 am

  Solar energy development in California depends on large-scale infrastructure to attract private investment, but that makes it more vulnerable to climate extremes, according to a study led by urban and regional planning professor Sean Kennedy.

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  Study: Pro-worker ideas in political platforms resonate with voters

  Feb 28, 2022 9:00 am

  A study that covered 54 countries and more than 1,100 political parties found that parties whose manifestos contained a greater percentages of pro-worker ideas were more appealing to voters. 

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  Studies examine effects of California's push for computer science education

  Feb 24, 2022 9:30 am

  Despite California’s computer science education policies, gender, racial and ethnic disparities persist among the high schools that offer these courses, the students enrolled in them and the faculty who teach them.

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  New insights into links between Alzheimer’s Disease, hearing loss

  Feb 22, 2022 9:15 am

  Until now, there’s been little analysis using MRI images to compare the physical changes in the brains of AD patients who report hearing loss with other AD patients.

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  Water filtration membranes morph like cells

  Feb 23, 2022 1:15 pm

  The new study by Grainger Engineering researchers is the first to demonstrate nanoscale morphogenesis in a synthetic material. The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

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  Study identifies key regulator of cell differentiation

  Feb 21, 2022 3:15 pm

  Embryonic stem cells and other pluripotent cells divide rapidly and have the capacity to become nearly any cell type in the body. U of I researchers report that they have identified a key regulator of this process.

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  Regional public universities make local economies more resilient

  Feb 21, 2022 10:00 am

  The local economies of regional public universities tend to be more resilient, resulting in fewer losses in employment, income and population during and following periods of economic tumult, said professor Russell Weinstein,

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  DOJ grant funds study of domestic violence awareness training for divorce attorneys

  Feb 16, 2022 12:30 pm

  Two U of I researchers have received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Justice to study the effectiveness of training attorneys to identify and address intimate partner violence in divorce and custody cases.

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  Oncology dietitians rarely ask cancer patients about food insecurity, study finds

  Feb 14, 2022 9:00 am

  Despite awareness that many cancer patients are food insecure, most of the registered dietitian nutritionists interviewed by U of I researchers said they did not use a validated tool to screen patients for it.

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  'Molecular Velcro' enables tissues to sense, react to mechanical force

  Feb 9, 2022 1:00 pm

  The Velcro-like cellular proteins that hold cells, tissues together also perform critical functions when under increased tension. A U of I study found that cadherins sense tissue mechanics to regulate cell communication and biological tissue growth.

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  Study: High COVID rates in older Latinos linked with economics, outside help

  Feb 9, 2022 10:30 am

  Financial hardship and using outside help for assistance with everyday tasks may explain some of the reasons why older Latinos are at higher risk of being infected with COVID-19, according to research led by social work professor Lissette Piedra.

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  7 Tesla MRI scanner enables U of I, Carle research on brain hemorrages

  Feb 8, 2022 9:00 am

  The research team, led by Carle Foundation Hospital neurosurgeon Wael Mostafa, will seek to characterize microenvironments surrounding the hemorrhages, which may hold the answers on how to treat patients in the future.

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  Protecting dark, quiet skies from satellite constellation interference

  Feb 4, 2022 10:15 am

  'With the advent of more affordable launch options, large-scale commercial use of space has become a reality,' says Professor Siegfried Eggl. 'The increased presence of tens of thousands of artificial satellites in low-Earth orbit comes with challenges...'