blog posts

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  The 232-year history of prairie fire in Midwestern US

  Oct 19, 2021 10:00 am0 views

  A study of first-person accounts of fires occurring between 1673 and 1905 in the Midwest has given us the first systematic analysis of the timing, causes and consequences of prairie fires in this part of the world.

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  Co-worker interventions can moderate customer sexual harassment in service industry

  Oct 19, 2021 8:30 am0 views

  There’s been a lot of focus on sexual harassment that comes from within an organization, but much less on sexual harassment that comes from outside - from people who aren’t subject to the company’s rules and regulations. 

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  Longstanding magnetic materials classification problem solved

  Oct 14, 2021 10:00 am4 views

  Humans have been aware of of magnetism for over 2,000 years, and researchers have steadily improved upon humanity’s fundamental understanding of magnets. Now, new classifications have implications for quantum applications.

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  Satellite launch brings global quantum internet one step closer

  Oct 14, 2021 9:30 am0 views

  Nanosatellite CAPSat, deployed into orbit yesterday from the International Space Station, will test built-in maintenance of quantum communication detectors in space.

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  Patients view perinatal depression screenings as ineffective, study finds

  Oct 13, 2021 3:00 pm0 views

  Interviews with pregnant and postpartum women in central Illinois suggest that health care providers may conduct perinatal depression screenings in ways that hamper their efficacy and overlook patients’ symptoms. 

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  Illinois team advances research to turn trash into treasure

  Oct 12, 2021 11:00 am0 views

  'What we are proposing is that you can turn a waste that owners pay to dispose into a by-product  resource that you can make new construction products from and sell,' said Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Nishant Garg.

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  The history, legacy of the Newbery Medal for children's books

  Oct 8, 2021 10:00 am2 views

  The Newbery Medal, the most prestigious children’s literature award, is celebrating its centennial. The director of the Center for Children’s Books at U of I, has co-edited a book of essays to examine the award’s history, influence and future.

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  Team discovers invasive-native crayfish hybrids in Missouri

  Oct 8, 2021 9:45 am0 views

  A study of the Current River in southeastern Missouri, revealed – almost by chance – that the virile crayfish, Faxonius virilis, was interbreeding with a native crayfish, potentially altering the native’s genetics, life history and ecology.

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  Book explores political secrecy among ordinary Americans in today's divisive culture

  Oct 6, 2021 11:30 am0 views

  Professor's book looks at how much people feel they need to hide their views from others and the consequences of growing polarization – including the rising trend of clustering in communities with neighbors whose views mirror our own.

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  Light in, sound out: small-molecule probe is safe biopsy alternative

  Oct 6, 2021 10:45 am0 views

  U of I researchers developed a small-molecule probe that allows for rapid and non-invasive visualization of disease progression in Wilson’s disease and some metastatic cancers.

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  'Autonomous help-seeking' on the job pays dividends for workers

  Oct 6, 2021 8:45 am0 views

  'Metaphorically, what distinguishes (autonomous vs. dependent) help-seeking is the difference between asking someone to teach you how to fish versus just asking them for fish,' said Professor Yihao Liu.

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  New analytical technique spots subtle differences in subcellular chemistry

  Sep 30, 2021 11:15 am0 views

  This automated targeting and chemical analysis approach is faster and more accurate, andallows researchers to determine the chemical makeup of a single organelle – not the average composition of a larger sample containing many organelles. 

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  Smartphone motion sensors could be used to listen to your phone conversations

  Sep 29, 2021 9:30 am0 views

  A relatively simple device in your smartphone that counts steps, among other things, also has the capacity to be used as a listening device, according to researchers at Illinois' Coordinated Sciences Lab.

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  Birds' eye size offers clues to contest between brood parasites, hosts

  Sep 29, 2021 8:45 am13 views

  Birds with larger eyes relative to their body mass were less likely to have their nests parasitized. Eye size in host birds also was associated with their likelihood of recognizing foreign eggs – unless the eggs looked a lot like their own, researchers found.

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  U of I leads new $15M institute to understand climate change, disasters

  Sep 28, 2021 11:45 am0 views

  'This is a wonderful example of the many ways that LAS leads research and interdisciplinary collaboration that brings together talented colleagues from across campus,' said Venetria Patton, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

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  DNA sensor quickly determines whether viruses are infectious

  Sep 22, 2021 11:00 am0 views

  A new sensor can detect not only whether a virus is present, but whether it’s infectious – an important distinction for containing viral spread.

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  Tiny porous crystals change the shape of water to speed up chemical reactions

  Sep 20, 2021 10:00 am4 views

  Illinois researchers now understand how water molecules assemble and change shape in some settings, revealing a new strategy to speed up chemical reactions critical to industry and environmental sustainability.

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  Ultrathin self-healing polymers create new, sustainable water-resistant coatings

  Sep 17, 2021 7:45 pm0 views

  Illinois researchers have developed a new ultrathin waterproof coating with self-healing abilities that may help steam power plants run more efficiently in the future.

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  Antibodies from original strain COVID-19 infection don't bind to variants, study finds

  Sep 19, 2021 7:30 pm4 views

  People infected with the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 produced a consistent antibody response. However, those antibodies don’t bind well to new variants, according to a new Illinois study.

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  Study provides basis to evaluate food subsectors' emissions of three greenhouse gases

  Sep 13, 2021 1:30 pm0 views

  A new, location-specific agricultural greenhouse gas emission study is the first to account for net carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from all subsectors related to food production and consumption. 

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  Earthlike planets in other solar systems? Look for moons

  Sep 9, 2021 10:30 am5 views

  'If we can use this method to show there are other moons out there, then there are probably other systems similar to ours,' says researcher Siegfried Eggl. 'Other studies have shown the relationship between moons and the possibility of complex life.'

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  New tool maps future climate costs for airlines, passengers

  Sep 8, 2021 8:15 am2 views

  Because hot air is less dense than cool air, extremely hot temperatures – typically above 118 F – can affect an airplane’s ability to generate enough lift to get off the ground. And every option for compensating adds cost.

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  Avocados change belly fat distribution in women, controlled study finds

  Sep 3, 2021 9:00 am0 views

  A diet that included an avocado a day reduced visceral belly fat in women in a randomized controlled study of adults with overweight and obesity.

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  Unified theory explains how materials transform from solids to liquids

  Sep 2, 2021 10:15 am6 views

  'Now, we have shown that these physical states, solid and liquid, can exist together in the same material, and we can explain it using one mathematical expression,' said Krutarth Kamani, a chemical and biomolecular engineering grad student at Illinois.

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  Researchers address dairy processing's environmental, sustainability issues

  Sep 1, 2021 12:15 pm2 views

  A team of Illinois researchers found an economical and sustainable method to process excess dairy whey – one of the food manufacturing industry’s largest polluters.

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  Illinois entomologists identify new family of stoneflies

  Aug 26, 2021 12:00 pm101 views

  Scientists study stoneflies because they are the most sensitive indicators of water quality among all animals. Stoneflies won’t survive if there is runoff into streams from crop fields or sewage treatment plants. 

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  Illinois artist Ben Grosser's solo show imagines 'Software for Less'

  Aug 24, 2021 1:45 pm2 views

  A solo exhibition of work by artist Ben Grosser at arebyte Gallery in London considers what software might look like if its underlying philosophy was not the creation of more, but less.

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  New imaging, machine-learning methods speed effort to reduce crops’ need for water

  Aug 24, 2021 8:45 am0 views

  'Drought stress limits agricultural production more than anything else,' Professor Andrew Leakey said. Scientists are working to find ways to minimize water loss...without decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide the leaves take in.'

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  Merit-based employment practices contribute to gender pay gap, study says

  Aug 23, 2021 8:45 am0 views

  Rather than reducing gender-based pay inequality by limiting managers’ reliance on factors such as gender bias and favoritism, a shift to meritocratic employment practices may actually widen the gap by preserving the status quo.

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  Nutrient-rich human waste poised to sustain agriculture, improve economies

  Aug 20, 2021 1:30 pm2 views

  'Whatever comes in through food and drink must come out in our urine, feces and sweat. Knowing that, we can estimate how much (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) is in a population’s bodily waste if we know their diet,' says professor Jeremy Guest.