News Archive
Harnessing microbial communities’ division of labor for biofuel, chemical production
Emily Scott
Much like human society, microbial communities have a division of labor. In these complex groups of microorganisms, different microbes are responsible for different tasks, such…
Kidney stones have distinct geological histories
Diana Yates
A geologist, a microscopist and a doctor walk into a lab and, with their colleagues from across the nation, make a discovery that overturns centuries of thought about the…
Unusual biosynthetic pathway offers a key to future natural product discovery
Cluadia Lutz
Bacteria are master engineers of small, biologically useful molecules. A new study in Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06083-7) has revealed one of the tricks of…
Workshop seeks common ground in development and behavior research
Emily Scott
A workshop held at the IGB this summer set out to bridge the gap between research in animal development and research in animal behavior.
The two-day workshop brought…
Researchers develop “cytological ruler” to build 3D map of human genome
Ben Short, Rockefeller University Press
It has been almost 20 years since the human genome was first sequenced, but researchers still know little about how the genome is folded up and organized within cells. In a new…
A professor not afraid to cross academic boundaries
Craig Chamberlain
Ask Ruby Mendenhall about the scope of her activities, and you’re quickly overwhelmed. Ask her to illustrate how they all connect, and you’ll soon have a page full of circles,…
New CRISPR technique skips over portions of genes that can cause disease
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
In a new study in cells, University of Illinois researchers have adapted CRISPR gene-editing technology to cause the cell’s internal machinery to skip over a small portion of a…
A unique combination of catalysts opens doors to making useful compounds
Emily Scott
Researchers have developed a new method that aids in the process of making valuable compounds by using a unique combination of catalysts.
A study published in Nature…
Ancient virus defends koalas against new viral attacks
Lauren Quinn
The human genome is riddled with endogenous retroviruses – little pieces of degraded and generally harmless retrovirus DNA passed down through the generations, along with our…