blog posts Different, not broken: Asexual people still reckon with erasure from their doctors Mar 18, 2024 11:45 am Salon (March 16) 'There is this burden of guilt in some contexts for marginalized people, racially marginalized people and people who are asexual. That’s a piece of the puzzle that doesn’t often get talked about,' says Professor Brittney Miles. Billions of cicadas are about to emerge. Cicadas on the menu? Mar 15, 2024 3:00 pm National Geographic (March 14) Some Americans plan to sauté some of this year’s double cicada brood. Cicadas are edible, according to U. of I. Extension. People eat them alongside other bugs – such as silkworms, locusts and crickets – worldwide. How the Canadian mortgage model could help unfreeze the U.S. housing market Mar 14, 2024 10:45 am Business Insider (March 9) 'The main benefit of introducing a feature like portability is that it could ... (allow) homeowners to move without having to give up the low mortgage rates that they've locked in,' says U of I professor Julia Fonseca. A double emergence of periodical cicadas isn’t cicada-geddon—it’s a marvel Mar 12, 2024 11:00 am Scientific American (March 11) 'I’ve been looking forward to this for years,' says U of I entomologist Catherine Dana. 'We have two different broods emerging in the same state, and that’s a very rare thing.' U of I researchers develop a novel approach to mapping brain behavior Mar 7, 2024 1:30 pm LabRoots (March 5) 'If you look at the brain chemically, it’s like a soup with a bunch of ingredients. Understanding... how those chemical reactions support computing is critical to having a better idea of how the brain functions.' Why do poison dart frogs ‘tap dance’? U of I researchers shed light Mar 6, 2024 9:45 am Smithsonian Magazine (March 4) Two U of I biologists suggest the vibrations from the frogs’ footwork cause insects to react and move around. 'Frogs can only really forage when prey is alive and moving,' says Professor Eva Fischer. On the trail of the Denisovans Mar 4, 2024 12:30 pm The New York Times (March 2) U of I anthropology professor Laura Shackelford said her team's discoveries raised the possibility that Denisovans and modern humans coexisted and interacted for tens of thousands of years. Climate change could unearth Cold War-era nuclear waste buried by the US Mar 1, 2024 9:45 am ABC News (Feb. 29) '[We are] probably going to have greater issues from climate change than the mobilization of radionuclides from the Cold War,' says U of I radiological engineering expert William Roy. Sand runs the world. Most don't realize the conflict it generates Feb 29, 2024 8:45 am Salon (Feb. 25) 'In some regions, illegal sand and gravel mining is associated with crime syndicates, coercion and violence, and many other related social impacts,' says James Best, a U of I professor of sedimentary geology. A fern’s ‘zombie’ fronds sprout unusual roots Feb 26, 2024 5:15 pm New York Times (Feb. 25) 'This is completely unknown in any other plant in the world'” says Jim Dalling, a professor and forest ecologist at the U. of I., who discovered the fern while searching for a completely unrelated plant. USS Illinois: The forgotten Iowa-class battleship the Navy never finished Feb 23, 2024 8:45 am The National Interest (Feb. 21) The ship’s bell was finished, and you can see the bell at the U. of I.’s Memorial Stadium, where Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps students strike the bell to signal touchdowns. Three charged with conspiring to illegally sell manuscripts of Eagles hits Feb 21, 2024 11:15 am AP (Feb. 20) Clashes over collectibles abound, but criminal trials like this are rare. 'If you can avoid a prosecution by handing over the thing, most people just hand it over,' says Travis McDade, a U of I expert in rare document disputes. U of I researchers show how large language models can auto-hijack websites Feb 19, 2024 2:30 pm The Register (Feb. 17) 'What really worries me about future highly capable models is the ability to do autonomous hacks and self-reflection to try multiple different strategies at scale,' says Illinois Professor Daniel Kang. Genetically engineered plants: A glow in the dark petunia, bright purple tomatoes Feb 16, 2024 9:30 am Scientific American (Feb. 14) You can now pre-order a genetically engineered plant that glows continuously. 'People’s reactions to genetically modified plants are complicated,' says Steven Burgess, a U of I professor of plant biology. How can our federal government solve big problems? How about over dinner? Feb 15, 2024 8:15 am The Meadville Tribune (Feb. 14) Jim Nowlan, with the U of I Institute of Government and Public Affairs, proposes the president, cabinet, and four top congressional leaders be required to have dinner regularly to wrestle with big problems. Student housing has a new mantra: Bigger is better Feb 14, 2024 9:00 am The New York Times (Feb. 9) Core Space’s Hub opened a block from the U. of I. in 2021, catering to students by offering a rooftop sun deck and pool, a barbecue area and a fitness center with a sauna. How Earth's new Rubin Observatory will usher in the next era of asteroid space missions Feb 12, 2024 1:00 pm Space.com (Feb. 9) The new Rubin Observatory may kick-start a new era of space exploration. 'Nothing will come close to the depth of Rubin’s survey and the level of characterization we will get for solar system objects,' says U of I Professor Siegfried Eggl. Why yoga may be even healthier than you thought Feb 8, 2024 9:45 am WebMD (Feb. 6) 'Yoga serves as a sort of brain fertilizer,' says U of I professor Sean Mullen. Yoga 'leads to the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a chemical that supports brain growth and learning and memory.' Freedom Corridor aims to create narrative of region's Black history Feb 7, 2024 1:15 pm Journal Courier (Feb. 5) "So our story — small 'o' — is now Our story — capital 'O'," says U of I professor Gerald McWorter, the great-great-grandson of he first African Americans to found a town in the U.S. Play provides a good brain carwash Feb 6, 2024 9:00 am NOLA.com (New Orleans, Feb. 4) Illinois recreation, sport and tourism professor Lynn Barnett co-wrote a study that concluded that playful adults report lower levels of perceived stress than their less playful counterparts. Black history that isn't taught: Historians share lesser known moments in racial history Feb 5, 2024 12:00 pm ABC News (Feb. 2) 'We’re fighting to ensure the most accurate interpretation, the most factual, empirical analysis of our experience is made available to our people and to the world,' says U of I professor Sundiata Cha-Jua. Cleaning water naturally the ancient Maya way Jan 29, 2024 9:15 am Scientific American (Jan. 26) U of I anthropology professor Lisa Lucero discusses the way ancient Mayans cleaned their water naturally, and the lessons we can learn from them. USDA grant supports U of I professor's popcorn-based curriculum for high schools Jan 25, 2024 11:45 am Laboratory Equipment (Jan. 22) 'Using popcorn to scaffold more complex science concepts keeps students more engaged because it’s already something they’re familiar with,' says crop sciences professor Tony Studer. How an Illinois petroleum organization is promoting misinformation in schools Jan 24, 2024 12:45 pm The Lever (Jan. 23) 'It’s accurate that those products exist and they’re being used,' says professor Warren Lavey. 'It’s inaccurate in giving the impression there’s a need for increased (production) in order to support the healthcare industry.' Will a nuclear reactor spring up on the U of I campus? Jan 23, 2024 12:45 pm Crain’s Chicago Business (Jan. 22) If the U of I wins approval and funding for the project, it would mark the return of a nuclear reactor to the Urbana-Champaign campus for the first time in more than two decades Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats? Jan 19, 2024 8:00 am Financial Times (Jan. 15) Generative AI can be used for 'generating [and] synthesizing data' with which to train machine learning models, says U of I professor Gang Wang. 'This is particularly helpful for security tasks where data is sparse or lacks diversity.' ‘Zombie’ retracted papers continue to infect future research, scholars warn Jan 18, 2024 12:15 pm The College Fix (Jan. 17) U of I information sciences professor Jodi Schneider calls these papers 'zombie studies' because though they appeared dead, they continue to live on, infecting research in the future. How to guarantee the safety of autonomous vehicles Jan 17, 2024 12:30 pm Quanta Magazine (Jan. 16) Professor Sayan Mitra's team has managed to prove the safety of lane-tracking capabilities for cars and landing systems for autonomous aircraft. And, it will soon help land drones on aircraft carriers. Tylenol may not be as ‘safe’ a pain reliever during pregnancy as some think Jan 12, 2024 10:45 am Parents (Jan. 9) 'Taking more acetaminophen during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester, was associated with children having smaller vocabularies and speaking in shorter sentences at age 2,' says U of I's Megan Woodbury. What is a 'passive house' in sustainable building design? Jan 11, 2024 9:15 am Green Building & Design Magazine (Jan. 9) 'Superinsulation' is a staple of passive house construction. The term was coined in 1976 by U of I professor Wayne Schick to describe insulation with a very high R-value. The future of astronomy lies in artificial intelligence Jan 9, 2024 10:15 am Forbes (Jan. 7) Illinois graduate student in astronomy Patrick David Aleo discusses the needs for algorithms to find celestial anomalies. 'With the Large Synoptic Sky Survey, we expect to find objects which we didn’t even know existed.' New study discovers coal's unexpected role in next-gen microelectronics Jan 8, 2024 11:30 am Interesting Engineering (Jan. 4) 'Our novel processing techniques have transformed coal into high-purity materials,' says U of I's Qing Cao. 'These materials have unlocked possibilities for creating ultra-small electronics with exceptional performance.' Federal bill aims to help Midwest produce more biofuels and bio-based products Jan 5, 2024 11:15 am High Plains Public Radio (Jan. 3) Many traditional manufacturing processes have moved off-shored, says U of I's Beth Conerty. 'But using biology as a manufacturing tool - I wouldn’t say that anybody has won that yet. It's an opportunity for the U.S.' At the heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, anthropology matters as much as history Jan 3, 2024 10:45 am The Hill (Dec. 27) Illinois professor emerita of anthropology Alma Gottlieb and a co-author discuss the importance of using anthropology to analyze the history of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The foods the world will lose to climate change Jan 2, 2024 3:45 pm Wired (Dec. 29) 'For every degree Celsius, the yield of oats reduces by about 1.8 bushels per acre...That’s just about how much we gain in oats every year with breeding. So every gain we make, we lose it with that extra degree of temperature.' ‘It’s part of the war now’: Unions increasingly use social media to boost labor actions Dec 21, 2023 4:30 pm Gateway Journalism Review (Dec. 21) 'It's fairly unsophisticated in how they use it,' says U of I labor expert Robert Bruno. 'It’s mainly to promote value and less about strategy.' AI finds potential biomarker for ADHD from brain scans Dec 20, 2023 3:15 pm Psychology Today (Dec. 17) 'There is definitely an unmet need for more objective metrics for diagnosis (of ADHD). That's the gap we're trying to fill,' says Carle Illinois College of Medicine student Justin Huynh . Agave is an increasingly popular substitute for honey and sugar. But is it healthy? Dec 19, 2023 8:45 am USA Today (Dec. 15) A report from the U of I College of ACES notes that agave is 1.5 times sweeter than even table sugar, so it takes less of it to achieve the same level of sweetness as other sweeteners. 20 somethings who speak their minds at work are changing the office forever Dec 18, 2023 10:15 am 'I think you still want work to matter in your life, but you’re thinking about how it fits into your identity, into your consciousness in a more critical way than I think the previous generations likely did,' says U of I labor expert Robert Bruno Earliest form of Mickey Mouse becomes public domain in 2024 - with caveats Dec 15, 2023 10:30 am Associated Press (Dec. 14) 'There’s actually more pushback now than there was 20-some years ago when the Mickey Mouse Act was passed,' says Paul Heald, a professor of law at the U. of I. When libraries like Gaza’s are destroyed, what’s lost is far more than books Dec 13, 2023 10:45 am Los Angeles Times (Dec. 12) U of I professor Laila Hussein Moustafa writes about what is lost when libraries are destroyed during times of war, especially as it pertains to the libraries in the Gaza Strip in the ongoing conflict. Turning down the toxicity of nature’s most powerful antifungal Dec 12, 2023 12:30 pm Fierce Pharma (Audio, Dec. 8) Illinois chemistry professor Martin Burke talks about a new drug without the toxicity of a known anti-fungal, its path to the clinic and how it could influence the next generation of antimicrobials. America's greatest AI visionary is... an English professor at Illinois Dec 6, 2023 3:45 pm Business Insider (Dec. 6) In a world filled with artificial intelligence skeptics and chatbot alarmists, Illinois English professor Ted Underwood is making one of the strongest, most compelling cases for the value of artificial intelligence. America's insurance crisis: Ballooning premiums for home, car insurance Dec 5, 2023 12:45 pm Daily Mail (Dec. 3) 'There’s been an increase in fatalities and accidents, and data showing that people are driving more recklessly,' says U of I professor of finance Lynne McChristian. Midwest weather experts say climate change reporting brings burnout, threats Dec 1, 2023 8:45 am NPR (Nov. 29) 'The message is the same if I’m talking to an environmental nonprofit or a farm bureau in a conservative county, but the way the message is delivered may differ,' says Illinois climatologist Trent Ford. Illinois book ban reform: U of I's Emily Knox explains key changes Nov 29, 2023 9:00 am Chicago Defender (Nov. 27) 'It basically says that in order to remove books from Illinois state libraries, you have to go through a certain process. You can’t just walk up and say "I don’t like this book" so someone can remove it.' Carle Illinois College of Medicine behind research that may help detect concussions Nov 27, 2023 10:45 am WGN-TV (Nov. 21) New research from the U. of I. may help doctors do a better job of detecting concussions. U. of I. medical student Annabelle Shaffer discusses the new study. Medical debt: New federal rules could provide credit relief for millions of Americans Nov 22, 2023 9:30 am Yahoo! Finance (Nov. 18) CFPB proposals could help end the negative effects of medical debt on credit reports, but Professor Julia Fonseca says a reduction in reported information could lead to changes in lenders' risk formulations. Murders of LGBTQ+ people often go unsolved. Nov 21, 2023 9:30 am The Advocate (Nov. 17) 'LGBTQ people...tend to find their interactions with the police to be less fair. They have more experiences of unwanted contact with the police,' explains Stefan Vogler, a professor of sociology at Illinois. 5 ways the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA strikes might change Hollywood Nov 20, 2023 11:45 am Washington Post (Nov. 15) Professor Michael LeRoy: Given the rising costs, there could be fewer projects. 'It will mean fewer employment opportunities for actors,' but 'when those opportunities come along, they'll pay much better.'