Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Research news

Health and medicine Dr. Timothy Fan, left, sits in a consulting room with the pet owner. Between them stands the dog, who is looking off toward Fan.

How are veterinarians advancing cancer research in dogs, people?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — People are beginning to realize that dogs share a lot more with humans than just their homes and habits. Some spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs are genetically very similar to those in people and respond to treatment in similar ways. This means inventive new treatments in dogs, when effective, may also be […]

Uncategorized Portrait of the researchers standing outside in front of a grove of trees.

Study links influenza A viral infection to microbiome, brain gene expression changes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study of newborn piglets, infection with influenza A was associated with disruptions in the piglets’ nasal and gut microbiomes and with potentially detrimental changes in gene activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a central role in learning and memory. Maternal vaccination against the virus during pregnancy appeared […]

Engineering Close-up of the top of a venus flower basket sponge.

Researchers capture nanoparticle movements to forge new materials

Researchers can now observe the phonon dynamics and wave propagation in self-assembly of nanomaterials with unusual properties that rarely exist in nature. This advance will enable researchers to incorporate desired mechanical properties into reconfigurable, solution-processible metamaterials, which have wide-ranging applications — from shock absorption to devices that guide acoustic and optical energy in high-powered computer applications.

Uncategorized Portrait of Naiman Khan standing outside in front of Freer Hall on the U. of I. campus.

Machine-learning model reliably predicts cognitive performance

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study offers insight into the health and lifestyle indicators — including diet, physical activity and weight — that align most closely with healthy brain function across the lifespan. The study used machine learning to determine which variables best predicted a person’s ability to quickly complete a task without becoming distracted. […]

Arts Diptych image of the book cover of "Natural Attachments" and a portrait of Pollyanna Rhee standing in front of greenery.

Book explores how ‘domestication’ of environmentalism limits who it protects

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The response to a 1969 oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, reveals how the modern environmental movement has been used to protect the interests of private homeowners, said a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher. Landscape architecture professor Pollyanna Rhee chronicled how affluent homeowners use what she calls “ownership environmentalism” […]

Agriculture Graduate student Andrea Jimena Valdés-Alvarado, left, and food science professor Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia standing in the Edward R. Madigan Laboratory holding samples of the legume pulses they used in the study.

Fermenting legume pulses boosts their antidiabetic, antioxidant properties

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Food scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign identified the optimal fermentation conditions for pulses ― the dried edible seeds of legumes ― that increased their antioxidant and antidiabetic properties and their soluble protein content. Using the bacteria Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v as the microorganism, the team fermented pulses obtained from varying concentrations […]

Agriculture Photo of Stephen Long standing in a soybean field and holding a soybean leaf.

Report: ‘Future-proofing’ crops will require urgent, consistent effort

Professor Stephen Long describes research efforts to “future-proof” the crops that are essential to feeding a hungry world in a changing climate.

Expert viewpoints A woman stands in front a mural depicting viruses and cells

What did the COVID shutdowns teach us about public health policy?

The COVID-19 pandemic taught public health officials that communication and trust are as crucial as technology and innovation, says University of Illinois epidemiologist Becky Smith.

Arts Photo of a band onstage, lit by red light.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts announces ELLNORA guests, 2025-26 season performances

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will open its 2025-26 season Sept. 4-6 with ELLNORA: The Guitar Festival, the 11th year of the biennial festival. The performing arts center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign held its first ELLNORA festival 20 years ago. Tickets for ELLNORA events and for the season’s performances […]

Behind the scenes Earth and environmental sciences Physical sciences Photo of Ellen Buckley standing on a white field.

Teaching about sea ice while standing on it

UTQIAQGVIK, Alaska — My boots crunch into the snow as I step onto the frozen Arctic Ocean. It’s April in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, and I’m here to help run a sea ice field trip for eighth graders and assist with some fieldwork. Around me, a network of tents — each with a story to tell about […]

Behind the scenes Photo of Scott Althaus

Because America never forgot

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On March 11, 1944, my relative 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly, Jr. and 10 other crew members of a B-24 bomber named “Heaven Can Wait” were declared missing in action after being shot down somewhere over the waters of Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea. For our family, as for so many families […]

Health and medicine The researchers standing with a scale.

Eating craved foods with meals lessens cravings, boosts weight loss

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Food cravings are the downfall of many dieters, who feel locked in an eternal battle with their willpower to resist the tempting sweets, snacks and other foods they love. However, researchers in food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say in a new study that eating dessert may […]

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