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Study offers insight into chloroplast evolution
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — One of the most momentous events in the history of life involved endosymbiosis — a process by which one organism engulfed another and, instead of ingesting it, incorporated its DNA and functions into itself. Scientific consensus is that this happened twice over the course of evolution, resulting in the energy-generating organelles known […]
How should we view the national decline in drug-overdose deaths?
Preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that drug-overdose deaths declined more than 16% between June 2023 and June 2024, the biggest drop in a decade marked by staggering increases. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign health and kinesiology professor Rachel Hoopsick, an epidemiologist who studies mental health challenges and substance use […]
Illinois researchers to kick off new phase of program to explore space-based manufacturing
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — What is being billed as the most exciting phase of a space manufacturing project called Mission Illinois is set to kick off this month. The project is currently gearing up to send a specialized construction apparatus to the International Space Station to demonstrate space-based or on-orbit manufacturing during the summer of 2026. […]
Can birthright citizenship be repealed?
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration reforms call for an end to birthright citizenship. But can a president unilaterally eliminate a long-standing constitutional right via executive order? Michael LeRoy is the Labor and Employment Relations Alumni Professor and an expert who studies immigration law and labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He spoke with News Bureau […]
Digital tools show promise at providing mental health interventions to refugee youths
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Mental health interventions provided through digital media to 445 displaced youths living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, showed promise at broadening care to this high-risk, difficult-to-reach population, a new study found. Led by Moses Okumu, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the study included youths ages 16-24 who were […]
Illinois researchers examine teens’ use of generative AI, safety concerns
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Information sciences professor Yang Wang and doctoral student Yaman Yu examined teens’ use of generative AI and found parents had little understanding of how their children used it and that GAI platforms offer insufficient safety protections.
How can the health care system more effectively support caregivers?
More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults provide unpaid care to another individual. Caregivers to loved ones with aging, disability or health concerns face challenges within the healthcare system and in their personal lives, but policy and culture changes can help, said Mina Raj, a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Nanorobot hand made of DNA grabs viruses for diagnostics and blocks cell entry
A tiny, four-fingered “hand” folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report.
Study: Brilliant white male characters more believable, some viewers say
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Brilliant characters often play key roles in movies and TV shows. However, when these characters are played by women and people of color, some audience members dismiss them as unrealistic, even if they portray real people and events, a recent study found. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign communication professor Matea Mustafaj found that […]
What message did voters send this election?
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Brian Gaines is a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics at the U of I System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Gaines, who studies elections and public opinion, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the state of the […]
Study tracks PFAS, microplastics through landfills and wastewater treatment plants
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Most of the PFAS and microplastics that flow into wastewater treatment plants from sewers and landfills end up back in the environment, a new study finds.
How are outbreaks of foodborne illness found and fixed?
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Outbreaks of foodborne pathogens, such as the E. coli linked to fast-food hamburgers in several states, expose vulnerabilities in the food supply chain but also present opportunities to learn new prevention strategies, said Matt Stasiewicz, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.