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Illinois IGB

News Archive [2015]

From the Depths of A Microscopic World, Spontaneous Cooperation

[ ] Maybe it’s not such a dog-eat-dog world after all. A clever combination of two different types of computer simulations enabled a group of Illinois researchers to uncover an…

Bringing It All Together - The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

[ ] As global issues become increasingly complex and urgent, many research enterprises are recognizing that scholars can benefit from collaborating with people outside of their field…

Are We Exterminating One African Elephant by Not Recognizing Two?

[ ] Update: This article, and recent genomic research, prompted a petition that calls for the reclassification of African elephants from one threatened species to two endangered…

Monkey Droppings Complement Field Observations, Researchers Report

[ ] In South American rainforests, researchers can tell one saddle-back tamarin from another, but what’s more difficult, is to see what the squirrel-sized monkeys are putting in their…

Taekjip Ha elected to National Academy of Sciences

[ ] Physics professor Taekjip Ha has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can garner. He is among 84 new members and 21…

Glacial Moraines Influence New Techniques in Biomedicine

[ ] A recent piece of biomedical research has drawn extensively from an unexpected source, glacial moraines. Moraines form as glaciers advance across landscapes…

IGB Art of Science 5.0 Opens April 23 at Indi Go Artist Co-op

[ ] The ‘Art of Science: Images from the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology,’ now in its fifth year, is a meeting place between the University and our community as a whole,…

First Report of a New Crop Virus in North America

[ ] The switchgrass exhibited mosaic symptoms—splotchy, discolored leaves—characteristic of a viral infection, yet tested negative for known infections. Deep sequencing, a new…

Microbes Scared to Death by Virus Presence

[ ] The microbes could surrender to the harmless virus, but instead freeze in place, dormant, waiting for their potential predator to go away, according to a recent study in mBio.…

Report: Photosynthesis hack needed to feed the world by 2050

[ ] Using high-performance computing and genetic engineering to boost the photosynthetic efficiency of plants offers the best hope of increasing crop yields enough to feed a planet…

Cultivated Papaya Owes A Lot to the Ancient Maya

[ ] A genetic study of papaya sex chromosomes reveals that the hermaphrodite version of the plant, which is of most use to growers, arose as a result of human selection, most likely…

Scientists Find DNA is Packaged Like a Yoyo

[ ] To pack two meters of DNA into a microscopic cell, the string of genetic information must be wound extremely carefully into chromosomes. Surprisingly the DNA’s sequence causes it…

Researchers Look to HIV Drug To Potentially Fight Bacterial Infections

[ ] With antibiotic resistance on the rise, scientists are looking for innovative ways to combat bacterial infections. The pathogen that causes conditions from strep throat to flesh-…

Cancer drug first tested in pet dogs begins human trials

[ ] Cancer drug first tested in pet dogs begins human trials A new drug that prompts cancer cells to self-destruct while sparing healthy cells is now entering phase I clinical trials…

Bryan White Elected to American Academy of Microbiology Fellowship

[ ] Bryan White, Professor of Animal Sciences and Director, The Mayo Clinic/University of Illinois Strategic Alliance for Technology-Based Healthcare, has been elected to Fellowship…

Illinois and AAAS Co-sponsor Bioengineering Panel

[ ] In biomedical engineering, experts see big research opportunities and some funding challenges. The interdisciplinary work necessary to develop biomedical engineering devices holds…

Ruby Mendenhall Featured, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Webcast

[ ] Ruby Mendenhall, Associate Professor in Sociology, African American Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, and Social Work, was recently featured in a webcast on the Spotlight on…

Institute for Genomic Biology Renamed for Professor Carl R. Woese

[ ] The University of Illinois’ Institute for Genomic Biology has been renamed in honor of a microbiology professor who changed the course of science with his discovery of a third…

Illinois Proof of Concept Fund Pre-proposal Applications

[ ] Pre-proposal applications for funding are being accepted now through February 27, 2015 This program helps bridge the gap between University innovations and the marketplace by…

Food and Fuel From Oilcane: A Minute With Agricultural Expert Stephen Long

[ ] Illinois plant biology professor Stephen P. Long and his collaborators have engineered sugarcane so that it accumulates oil in its stems that can be made into biodiesel. They now…