blog posts

• 

  Division of labor within regenerating liver maintains metabolism, mouse study finds

  Mar 1, 2021 4:15 pm35 views

  The liver has a rare superpower among body organs – the ability to regenerate. It even continues its work of removing metabolites and toxins during the process of regeneration. But how?  

• 

  Virtual reality program lessens physical side effects of hemodialysis

  Feb 25, 2021 9:30 am0 views

  Patients in a study who used a virtual reality program to engage in a mindfulness/meditation exercise reported fewer side effects such as fatigue, lightheadedness and nausea related to their hemodialysis treatments.

• 

  Short-term climate modeling forecasts drought for Southeast US

  Feb 25, 2021 9:15 am0 views

  Drought forecasting, typically performed at the multi-decade scale, is getting a makeover by Illinois researchers who focus on short-term models that stress the urgency of drought risk in the U.S. to help inform policymakers now.

• 

  Rediscovered journal brings unique perspective on Atlantic slave trade

  Feb 24, 2021 11:30 am2 views

  A German barber-surgeon who worked on slave ships kept a journal. 300 years later, 'It bears straightforward witness to the commodification of human life and to the banality of evil,' write the authors of a book based on that journal.

• 

  Research advances in aggressive brain cancer leads to $3M award

  Feb 24, 2021 9:45 am2 views

  Their research which will unite the fields of cell biology, bioengineering, and chemistry behind cancer drug development to fight glioblastoma.

• 

  ‘Plastics don’t ever go away’: John Scott studies impact of microplastics

  Feb 24, 2021 9:45 am2 views

  'They’re always out there. If I analyze something that doesn’t have microplastics in it, I think there’s something wrong,' says Illinois Sustainable Technology Center researcher John Scott.

• 

  Simple fish hook change creates real conservation impact

  Feb 19, 2021 12:45 pm2 views

  Circle hooks almost always hook fish in the corner of their mouths, rather than in gills, eyes, or down into the fish’s stomach. They are far easier on fish. And for catch-and-release fishing and for fish conservation in general, that’s a big deal.

• 

  Preschoolers with higher cardiorespiratory fitness do better on cognitive tests

  Feb 18, 2021 9:30 am2 views

  Researchers report that 4-6-year-old children who walk farther than their peers during a timed test – a method used to estimate cardiorespiratory health – also do better on cognitive tests and other measures of brain function.

• 

  Paper: STEM skills gap modest among IT help desk workers

  Feb 18, 2021 9:15 am2 views

  'When people generically bemoan skills gaps, they’re often parroting unverified talking points. They’re only focusing on the supply side, the availability of workers...while ignoring the role of firms and their influence on the demand side.'

• 

  Study links prolonged sedentary time to distractibility in obese, overweight adults

  Feb 17, 2021 8:45 am0 views

  Adding to the evidence linking sedentary behaviors and cognition, the study found that individuals who spent more sedentary time in bouts lasting 20 minutes or more were less able to overcome distractions.

• 

  Quantum leaps in understanding how living corals survive

  Feb 15, 2021 10:00 am2 views

  'This study has allowed us to establish a comprehensive understanding of the coral system and make connections to the formation of layered rock in other systems such as hot springs, roman aqueducts, and even human kidney stones.'

• 

  Patient education with mental health component cuts cardiovascular disease risks

  Feb 11, 2021 9:45 am0 views

  People who participated in a health education program that included both mental and physical health information significantly reduced their risks of cardiovascular disease and sustained those health benefits up to six months later.

• 

  Lipid epoxides target pain, inflammatory pathways in neurons

  Feb 10, 2021 8:30 am0 views

  These modified compounds, called epo-NA5HT and epo-NADA, have much more powerful effects than the molecules from which they are derived, which also regulate pain and inflammation.

• 

  NIFA grant project aims to improve food safety testing for leafy greens

  Feb 8, 2021 12:45 pm4 views

  The main pathogen related to leafy greens is E. coli. Current testing involves collecting samples from the field and sending them to a lab for testing. That may catch major contamination issues, but smaller-scale events are often undetected.

• 

  Children's lit scholar examines how 'production stories' minimized slave labor

  Feb 8, 2021 9:30 am0 views

  Children’s stories in the 19th century that taught how commodities such as sugar were made often left out the human element of production, including slave labor.

• 

  Mysterious organic scum boosts chemical reaction efficiency, may reduce chemical waste

  Feb 5, 2021 11:45 am2 views

  This discovery brings a new fundamental understanding of catalytic chemistry and a steppingstone to practical applications that could someday make chemical manufacturing less wasteful and more environmentally sound.

• 

  New book examines animals' role in British Empire, racial politics

  Feb 1, 2021 9:45 am10 views

  'Animalia: An Anti-Imperial Bestiary for Our Times,' co-edited by Illinois history professor Antoinette Burton, examines the roles that animals played in the British Empire – both in advancing and in disrupting British imperial power.

• 

  'Shot in the dark' call leads to research that better predicts covid-19 severity

  Jan 29, 2021 11:15 am4 views

  This MD says his call to artificial intelligence researchers at Illinois three years ago was a 'shot in the dark.' Now the tool they have created accounts for diabetes and other chronic conditions to more accurately predict the severity of COVID-19 cases.

• 

  Mouse study: Childhood trauma could affect development, treatment of multiple sclerosis

  Jan 29, 2021 10:15 am15 views

  Mice that experienced stress when young more likely to develop multiple sclerosis, less likely to respond to a common treatment. However, treatment that activated an immune-cell receptor mitigated the effects of childhood stress in the mice.

• 

  DOE funds project to apply AI technologies to sorting plastics

  Jan 28, 2021 2:00 pm2 views

  'Sensor fusion and artificial intelligence algorithms used in the process will increase the speed and accuracy of plastic sorting, eventually making the technology more economical with a cost goal of less than $30 per ton.' 

• 

  Genome-editing tool TALEN outperforms CRISPR-Cas9 in tightly packed DNA

  Jan 27, 2021 10:45 am12 views

  A broader selection of genome-editing tools is needed to target all parts of the genome, said Professor Huimin Zhao. 'CRISPR is a very powerful tool that led to a revolution in genetic engineering, but it still has some limitations.'

• 

  Culture shapes willingness to share personal data to reduce COVID spread

  Jan 27, 2021 10:45 am2 views

  Culture, civic-mindedness and privacy concerns influence how willing people are to share personal location information to help stem the transmission of COVID-19 in their communities.

• 

  Medicaid expansion helps uncover undiagnosed HIV infections

  Jan 26, 2021 8:45 am2 views

  The Medicaid expansion facilitated by the Affordable Care Act led to increases in HIV identification and the use of HIV prevention services, according to Illinois researchers who study the intersection of health care and public policy.

• 

  High-res satellite imagery service available to faculty, student researchers

  Jan 26, 2021 1:00 pm2 views

  'The applications for this imagery are enormous, and will be of use to all those who wish to detect change on the surface of the Earth, and use this imaging within their research and teaching,' said geology professor Jim Best.

• 

  COVID-19 cases, deaths in U.S. increase with higher income inequality

  Jan 25, 2021 10:15 am2 views

  The findings suggested, according to the researchers, that 'High levels of income inequality harm population health … irrespective of racial/ethnic composition.'

• 

  Study: Negative mental health effects of pandemic lockdowns spike, then fade

  Jan 25, 2021 9:45 am4 views

  New research from Illinois experts finds that the negative mental health effects of pandemic lockdowns are temporary and gradually decrease over time as people adjust to their 'new normal.'

• 

  Gut bacteria help digest dietary fiber, release important antioxidant

  Jan 19, 2021 11:45 am2 views

  Some species of gut bacteria break down fiber so that it not only becomes digestible, but releases ferulic acid, an important antioxidant with multiple health benefits, according to a new study led by Illinois researchers.

• 

  50 million-year-old fossil assassin bug has unusually well-preserved genitalia

  Jan 19, 2021 9:45 am3 views

  The find suggests that the banded assassin bugs, a group to which the new specimen is thought to belong, are about 25 million years older than previously thought, said entomology graduate student Daniel Swanson, who co-led the research.

• 

  Latch, load and release: Elastic motion makes click beetles click, study finds

  Jan 19, 2021 8:30 am3 views

  Illinois researchers Aimy Wissa, Marianne Alleyne and Ophelia Bolmin studied the motion of a click beetle’s jump and present the first analytical framework to uncover the physics behind ultrafast motion by small animals. 

• 

  Paper: Underemployment pervasive for part-time workers in Illinois

  Jan 14, 2021 8:45 am2 views

  As many as 61% of hourly workers in Illinois are underemployed, with up to 65% and 70% of Black and Latino workers, respectively, logging fewer hours than they would like to work.