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Hacking evolution, screening technique may improve most widespread enzyme

[ ] Plants evolved over millions of years into an environment that has dramatically changed in the last 150 years since the Industrial Revolution began: carbon dioxide levels have…

Study reveals how bacteria steal nutrients from human hosts

[ ] A new study, published in mBio, exposes a zinc-import system in bacteria that could contribute to their ability to cause infection. The study looked at how the bacterium…

Expanding Brazilian sugarcane could dent global CO2 emissions

[ ] Vastly expanding sugarcane production in Brazil for conversion to ethanol could reduce current global carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 5.6 percent, researchers report in the…

Nutrition scientist Sharon Donovan elected to National Academy of Medicine

[ ] Sharon M. Donovan, a professor of nutrition and the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health at the University of Illinois, was elected today on October 16, 2017 to…

Cholesterol byproduct hijacks immune cells, lets breast cancer spread

[ ] High cholesterol levels have been associated with breast cancer spreading to other sites in the body, but doctors and researchers don't know the cause for the link. A new study by…

U.S. Department of Energy grant to fund sorghum research at Illinois

[ ] An Illinois professor is part of a multi-institutional research project that has received a 5-year, $16 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to work with sorghum…

Group develops gene circuit design strategy to advance synthetic biology

[ ] Over the last 17 years, scientists and engineers have developed synthetic gene circuits that can program the functionality, performance, and behavior of living cells. Analogous to…

Join us for The Enduring Legacy of Sol Spiegelman

[ ] In honor of University of Illinois microbiologist Sol Spiegelman and his work with recombinant DNA technology, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology is hosting the…

Researchers awarded NSF grant to fund 3D bioprinter

[ ] A team of researchers from the IGB’s Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering (RBTE) theme was awarded a NSF grant that will provide funding for a new 3D-bioprinting instrument…

Researchers discover unique property of critical methane-producing enzyme

[ ] An unexpected discovery has given scientists a greater understanding of an important methane-producing enzyme. A team of IGB researchers published a paper in eLife that outlined…

The time is RIPE to transform agriculture and feed the world

[ ] University of Illinois receives grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FFAR, and DFID to catalyze photosynthetic improvements, increase yields for farmers worldwide.…

Airlines could fly thousands of miles on biofuel from new promising feedstock

[ ] A Boeing 747 burns one gallon of jet fuel each second. A recent analysis from researchers at the University of Illinois estimate that this aircraft could fly for 10 hours on bio-…

Researchers use computation and genomics to battle tooth decay

[ ] An expert in using computational and experimental techniques to combat infectious diseases, Illinois Bioengineering faculty and MMG member Paul Jensen is taking aim at one of the…

Seeing Emergent Physics Behind Evolution

[ ] Quanta magazine recently interviewed Swanlund Professor of Physics and leader of IGB's Biocomplexity research theme, Nigel Goldenfeld. The physicist Nigel Goldenfeld hates…

Scientists discover spring-loaded mechanism in unusual species of trap-jaw ant

[ ] Researchers reveal how a group of trap-jaw ants can snap their jaws shut at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour – just fast enough to capture their elusive prey. They report their…

NSF awards Illinois $3M for interdisciplinary graduate student training

[ ] The National Science Foundation recently granted the University of Illinois $3 million for an interdisciplinary graduate student training program to help form new insight on the…

Workshop “bridges” empirical, theoretical understandings of climate and crop yield

[ ] The societal stakes for assessing climate change impacts on agriculture and food supply are incredibly high. To meet this need, sophisticated computer models have been developed…

Combating antiviral drug resistance with dynamic therapeutics

[ ] Antiviral drug resistance has long been a problem in modern society. As viruses evolve, they develop resistance to antiviral drugs, which become less effective at treating…

Slowing dangerous bacteria may be more effective than killing them

[ ] Researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered a mechanism that allows bacteria of the same species to communicate when their survival is threatened. The study suggests…

New microscope technique reveals internal structure of live embryos

[ ] University of Illinois researchers have developed a way to produce 3-D images of live embryos in cattle that could help determine embryo viability before in vitro fertilization in…