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How can science literacy help people better understand the news?
In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, the spread of misinformation and disinformation regarding scientific topics such as natural disasters, vaccines and climate change can pose a risk to public health. Nancy Averett, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign lecturer of journalism and expert in science and environmental journalism spoke with News Bureau physical science and media editor Lois Yoksoulian about how science literacy can help the American public make more informed choices.
How do we address the problem of PFAS in sewage sludge?
Communities and federal agencies are waking up to the dangers of “forever chemicals” in wastewater treatment sludge, which is often sprayed on farm fields as fertilizer. In mid-January, the federal Environmental Protection Agency warned that this practice endangers human health. A month later, Johnson County in northeast Texas declared a state of emergency over the […]
Team finds regional, age-related trends in exposure to drug-resistant pathogen
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Campylobacter infections are the most common foodborne illnesses in the U.S., sickening an estimated 1.5 million people each year. A new study examined records of Campylobacter jejuni infections from 10 states, plotting regional, age-related, and drug-resistance trends from 2013 to 2019. The study found that drug-resistant C. jejuni infections were highest in […]
To overcome antibiotic resistance, new research says to let it flow
When it comes to screening antibiotics against resistant infections, Illinois research says: Let it flow.
Study: ‘Sustainable intensification’ on the farm reduces soil nitrate losses, maintains crop yields
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A nine-year study comparing a typical two-year corn and soybean rotation with a more intensive three-year rotation involving corn, cereal rye, soybean and winter wheat found that the three-year system can dramatically reduce nitrogen — an important crop nutrient — in farm runoff without compromising yield. The new findings are detailed in […]
Mutation increases enzyme in mouse brains linked to schizophrenia behaviors
Researchers found a key role for an enzyme regulating glycine in the brain while investigating a rare genetic mutation found in two patients with schizophrenia.
Insect Fear Film Festival to feature ‘hairy, scary’ tarantulas
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 2025 Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will feature “Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders” as its theme and a Hollywood bug wrangler who works with the 8-legged creatures as a special guest. The festival, which is hosted by the Entomology Graduate Student Association and is in its 42nd […]
New study evaluates public policy preferences for limiting children’s access to energy drinks
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Energy drinks are becoming an increasingly important topic in public health, nutrition and food policy, with global sales more than doubling from 2018-2023 and product selection expanding by 20% since 2021. Just as sales of the drinks have surged, so has their caffeine content, elevating concerns about childhood energy drink consumption. A […]
How are migrating wild birds affected by H5N1 infection in the U.S.?
Each spring, roughly 3.5 billion wild birds migrate from their warm winter havens to their breeding grounds across North America, eating insects, distributing plant seeds and providing a variety of other ecosystem services to stopping sites along the way. Some also carry diseases like avian influenza, a worry for agricultural, environmental and public health authorities. […]
Dating is not broken, but the trajectories of relationships have changed
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — According to some popular culture writers and online posts by discouraged singles lamenting their inability to find romantic partners, dating is “broken,” fractured by the social isolation created by technology, pandemic lockdowns and potential partners’ unrealistic expectations. Yet two studies of college students conducted a decade apart found that their ideas about […]
Researchers develop a five-minute quality test for sustainable cement industry materials
A new test developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can predict the performance of a new type of cementitious construction material in five minutes — a significant improvement over the current industry standard method, which takes seven or more days to complete. This development is poised to advance the use of next-generation resources called supplementary cementitious materials — or SCMs — by speeding up the quality-check process before leaving the production floor.
What makes the bird flu virus so unusual?
The H5N1 virus attacks specific body systems in each species and behaves very differently in each depending on which body systems are involved, causing widespread death in some animals while barely affecting others, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign veterinary clinical medicine professor Dr. Jim Lowe. He spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates […]