News Archive
Breaking open the AI black box, team finds key chemistry for solar energy and beyond
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool for researchers, but with a significant limitation: The inability to explain how it came to its decisions, a problem known as the “AI…
Drowning tomatoes for science
Diana Yates
I can barely hear Esther Ngumbi over the roar of greenhouse fans as she shows me around her rooftop laboratory in Morrill Hall. The benches are full of tomato plants, and the…
Scientists use evolution to bioengineer new pathways to sustainable energy, pharmaceuticals
Lois Yoksoulian
Using evolution as a guiding principle, researchers have successfully engineered bacteria-yeast hybrids to perform photosynthetic carbon assimilation, generate cellular energy…
Illinois scientists to revamp corn breeding with focus on climate resilience
Lauren Quinn
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture is investing in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research that could expedite the development of climate-resilient…
Mohammed El-Kebir Hunts for Cancer’s Evolutionary Trees
Jonathan King
Mohammed El-Kebir (CAIM/IGOH) is an assistant professor of computer science researching cancer genomics, who investigates combinatorial optimization algorithms for problems in…
Ancient DNA reveals Indigenous dog lineages found at Jamestown, Virginia
Ananya Sen
Previous scientific studies have indicated that North American dog lineages were replaced with European ones between 1492 and the present day. To better understand the timing…
Researchers investigate parent perceptions of virtual learning
Ananya Sen
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of schools across the U.S. shifted to virtual learning. In a new study, published in Social Education Research, researchers…
Elephants on the move: Mapping connections across African landscapes
Lauren Quinn
Elephant conservation is a major priority in southern Africa, but habitat loss and urbanization mean the far-ranging pachyderms are increasingly restricted to protected areas…
Early Innovator Program pitch contest winners announced
Sarah Schwartz
It has been a busy summer for a group of postdoctoral and graduate student researchers who participated in the 10-week Early Innovator Program (EIP) at the Carl R. Woese…
