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Book: Maya wisdom should guide humanity’s future
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new book takes readers on a guided tour of Maya history as narrated by an anthropologist who has spent more than 35 years salvaging and exploring the remains of ancient Maya cities, farms and sacred spaces. “Maya Wisdom and the Survival of Our Planet,” by Lisa J. Lucero, is also a […]

Paris research trip reconnects Native American tribes with historic painted robes
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Robert Morrissey traveled to a Paris museum in November to see four ceremonial robes created more than 300 years ago by Native American tribes in Illinois. The research trip included members of the Miami and Peoria Nations and it was part of a collaborative project, “Reclaiming […]

Schools need to boost entry-level salaries to better compete for novice teachers, study says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Despite concerns about teacher shortages in certain school districts and subject areas, a recent study found that schools are not adjusting their salary scales strategically so they can better attract novice teachers. Paul Bruno, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, found little evidence that […]

New research helps eliminate dead zones in desalination technology and beyond
Engineers have found a way to eliminate the fluid flow “dead zones” that plague the types of electrodes used for battery-based seawater desalination. The new technique uses a physics-based tapered flow channel design within electrodes that moves fluids quickly and efficiently, potentially requiring less energy than reverse osmosis techniques currently require.

Team makes sustainable aviation fuel additive from recycled polystyrene
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study overcomes a key challenge to switching commercial aircraft in the U.S. from their near-total reliance on fossil fuels to more sustainable aviation fuels. The study details a cost-effective method for producing ethylbenzene — an additive that improves the functional characteristics of sustainable aviation fuels — from polystyrene, a hard […]

Physical neglect as damaging to children’s social development as abuse
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — While physical neglect is understudied compared to physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect is just as damaging to children’s social development, a new study indicates. More than 9,150 individuals, nearly 41% of whom retrospectively reported some form of maltreatment before age 12 or reaching the sixth grade, were included in the study, […]

New law could mean bump in Social Security benefits for some public pensioners, expert says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new law affecting Social Security benefits for workers with a public pension means some retirees will receive a modest increase in their monthly checks, according to a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign expert on U.S. tax policy and retirement issues. The bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act got rid of the Windfall Elimination Provision and […]

Is the highly pathogenic avian influenza a threat to pets?
The American Veterinary Medical Association has issued recommendations for keeping pets and backyard flocks safe from highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the recommendations are also a useful guide for humans. In an interview with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates, Stephany Lewis, a professor of zoological medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and […]

Will presidential transition affect potential East Coast dockworkers strike?
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Will another East Coast dockworkers strike further snarl supply chains during the upcoming presidential transition? Michael LeRoy is the Labor and Employment Relations Alumni Professor and an expert who studies labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the implications of the potential strike. East Coast dockworkers […]

Gene editing tool reduces Alzheimer’s plaque precursor in mice
A new gene editing tool that helps cellular machinery skip parts of genes responsible for diseases has been applied to reduce formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.

New model helps e-commerce platforms decide whether to dump underperforming products
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Online retail platforms are increasingly becoming a dumping ground for low-quality products — which, over time, only serves to tarnish the retailer’s reputation and dent sales. But new research from a team of business scholars at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Penn State points to a new model that would allow e-commerce […]

What can the Notre-Dame restoration tell us about how we value historic structures?
The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris reopened to the public on Dec. 8 for the first time since April 2019, when a fire destroyed its roof and spire and filled its interior with ash, lead dust and charred wood. A five-year restoration project stabilized its walls, rebuilt the roof and spire, and cleaned the interior, including […]