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Addressing societal concerns of genetic determinism of human behavior by linking environmental influences and genetic research

February 27, 2024

It has long been known that there is a complex interplay between genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping behavior. Recently it has been found that genes governing behavior in the brain operate within flexible and contextually responsive regulatory networks. However, conventional genome-wide association studies (GWAS) often overlook this complexity, particularly in humans where controlling environmental variables poses challenges.


February 27, 2024


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Genomics for Faith kicks off, connecting scientists and faith members in the community

June 5, 2023

Scientific and technological advancements, particularly in the area of genomics research, continue to penetrate nearly all areas of society. Yet most of the public do not have access to the knowledge or tools necessary to understand how this new research may affect them, both in their lives and in their careers. As such, Genomics for Professionals, otherwise known as Genomics forTM, was developed as a series of educational programs designed to teach basic concepts in biology and genomics to professionals within different public sectors.


June 5, 2023


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Honey bee colony aggression linked to gene regulatory networks

May 30, 2023

Collective behaviors are present across many different animal groups: schools of fish swimming in a swirling pattern together, large flocks of birds migrating through the night, groups of bees coordinating their behavior to defend their hive. These behaviors are commonly seen in social insects where as many as thousands of individuals work together, often with distinct roles. In honey bees, the role a bee plays in the colony changes as they age.


May 30, 2023


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Team uses MRI to image epigenetics in the brain

March 23, 2023

UPDATE: The Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has selected six papers published by PNAS in 2022 to receive the Cozzarelli Prize, an award that recognizes outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Papers were chosen from more than 3,200 research articles that appeared in the journal last year and represent the six broadly defined classes under which the NAS is organized.


March 23, 2023


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DOE Renews CABBI Five More Years

March 17, 2023

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed another round of funding to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to lead the second phase of its Bioenergy Research Center — one of four large-scale DOE-funded research centers focused on innovation in biofuels, bioproducts, and a clean energy future for the country.


March 17, 2023


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Illinois chosen to co-lead new CZ Biohub in Chicago

March 7, 2023

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been chosen to co-lead the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago—a new biomedical hub—with researchers from Illinois, the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. The three-university team was selected as part of a competitive application process (https://www.czbiohub.org/) for a research initiative explicitly focused on measuring human biology.


March 7, 2023


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Town hall spurs conversation and new ideas for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at the IGB

February 17, 2023

The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology recently held a town hall meeting to introduce new changes to improve diversity and inclusion at the IGB. Attendance was high, with faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students alike filling both meeting rooms to capacity in order to ask questions and weigh in on proposed changes.


February 17, 2023


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Cluster hires facilitate long-term institutional success

November 15, 2022

In light of long-standing inequities in STEM representation, many universities are now recognizing the value of diversity in higher education. Achieving such diversity involves creating an inclusive campus that welcomes scholars from different backgrounds, not only to foster a healthy intellectual environment, but also to provide role models to aspiring students. Faculty cluster hiring is an emerging practice in higher education, involving cross-campus collaborations to hire faculty working on interdisciplinary research topics.


November 15, 2022


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New project aims to sequence all known eukaryotic species

January 18, 2022

The Earth BioGenome Project, launched in November 2018, is an ambitious undertaking with the goal of sequencing all the existing, named eukaryotes—about 2 million species of fungi, plants, and animals—in a 10-year timeframe. The project was highlighted in “The Earth BioGenome Project: The Launch of a Moonshot for Biology Special Feature” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


January 18, 2022


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