News Archive

[ 2018-10 ] A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Mayo Clinic have engineered a new type of molecular probe that can measure and count RNA in cells and…

[ 2018-10 ] When temperatures drop, plants can’t bundle up. Stuck outside, exposed, plants instead undergo a series of biochemical changes that protect cells from damage. Scientists have…

[ 2018-10 ] Dr. Hong-Yan Shih, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Physics and at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign…

[ 2018-10 ] Somatic stem cells are microscopic workhorses, constantly regenerating cells throughout the body: skin and the lining of the intestine, for example. And to University of Illinois…

[ 2018-10 ] Entomology professor and director of the IGB Gene Robinson, an international leader in honey bee research, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine “for pioneering…

[ 2018-10 ] Changing the way microbes are classified can reveal similarities among mammals’ gut microbiomes, according to a new study. The study, published in mBio, proposed an alternative…

[ 2018-10 ] For centuries, sugarcane has supplied human societies with alcohol, biofuel, building and weaving materials, and the world’s most relied-upon source of sugar. Now, researchers…

[ 2018-09 ] In Greek mythology, Zeus punishes the trickster Prometheus by chaining him to a rock and sending an eagle to eat a portion of his liver every day, in perpetuity. It was the right…

[ 2018-09 ] Science writer David Quammen will be at the University of Illinois to speak about his most recent book that features prominently the revolutionary work of microbiologist Carl R.…

[ 2018-09 ] Coral reefs have long faced problems like overfishing, global warming and pollution — but they’re also threatened by how slow they regenerate. To reproduce, coral release sperm…

[ 2018-09 ] Stiff microbial films often coat medical devices, household items and infrastructure such as the inside of water supply pipes, and can lead to dangerous infections. Researchers…

[ 2018-09 ] An Illinois Crop Scientist will lead a team of researchers on a five-year study of new crops that could contribute to the production of affordable, sustainable sources for market-…

[ 2018-09 ] 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 as…

[ 2018-09 ] 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 nature…

[ 2018-09 ] 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…

[ 2018-09 ] 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 together…

[ 2018-08 ] 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…

[ 2018-08 ] 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,…

[ 2018-08 ] 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…

[ 2018-08 ] 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 reported a…