Agriculture

Low-calorie sweetener derived from lactose gets manufacturing boost from yeast

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The quest to satisfy the sweet tooth without adding to the waistline has a new weapon in its arsenal: a strain of yeast that can metabolize lactose, the sugar in dairy products, into tagatose, a natural sweetener with less than half the calories of table sugar. Yong-Su Jin, a University of Illinois […]

Agriculture

Scientists at the University of Illinois found that compounds in purple corn fight obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance in mouse cells. The team includes, from left, food science professor Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, postdoctoral researcher Diego Luna-Vital and crop sciences professor John Juvik.

Study: Phenols in purple corn fight diabetes, obesity, inflammation in mouse cells

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists at the University of Illinois have developed new hybrids of purple corn containing different combinations of phytochemicals that may fight obesity, inflammation and diabetes, a new study in mice indicates. The pericarp – or outer layer – of purple and other brightly colored corn kernels also may provide an alternative source […]

Agriculture University of Illinois graduate student Douglas A. Becker and his colleagues found that U.S. counties with more trees and shrubs tended to have lower Medicare costs.

University of Illinois graduate student Douglas A. Becker and his colleagues found that U.S. counties with more trees and shrubs tended to have lower Medicare costs.

Counties with more trees and shrubs spend less on Medicare, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study finds that Medicare costs tend to be lower in counties with more forests and shrublands than in counties dominated by other types of land cover. The relationship persists even when accounting for economic, geographic or other factors that might independently influence health care costs, researchers report. The analysis included […]

Physical sciences A new assessment makes grim predictions about the effects of climate change in the Great Lakes region.

Report outlines growing climate change-related threats to Great Lakes region

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A team of Midwestern climate scientists has released a new report with grim predictions about the impact of climate change on the Great Lakes region. The report foresees a growing trend of wetter winters and springs, with increases in heavy rain events leading to flooding, particularly in urban areas with hard surfaces […]

Agriculture Photo of Brenna Ellison, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois.

Study: Impact of food waste campaigns muted, but point toward right direction

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Food waste can be problematic at all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants or university dining halls for obvious reasons: With little incentive to pile less food on their plate, diners tend to overindulge. One way to curb such behavior is a food waste-reduction campaign, which serves as a low-cost solution for promoting the virtues of […]

Agriculture University of Illinois agricultural communications professor Taylor Ruth was a member of a research team that studied American consumers’ attitudes toward genetic modification science in hopes of saving the U.S. citrus industry from citrus greening disease.

University of Illinois agricultural communications professor Taylor Ruth was a member of a research team that studied American consumers’ attitudes toward genetic modification science in hopes of saving the U.S. citrus industry from citrus greening disease.

Future of US citrus may hinge on consumer acceptance of genetically modified food

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A tiny insect, no bigger than the head of a pin, is threatening to topple the multibillion-dollar citrus industry in the U.S. by infecting millions of acres of orchards with an incurable bacterium called citrus greening disease. The battle to save the citrus industry is pitting crop producers and a team of […]

Physical sciences The research team includes, from left, agricultural engineering professor Yuanhui Zhang; undergraduate student Zhenwei Wu; graduate student Timothy Lee; visiting scholar Buchun Si; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center senior research engineer B.K. Sharma; and Chia-Fon Lee, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the U. of I.

The research team includes, from left, agricultural engineering professor Yuanhui Zhang; undergraduate student Zhenwei Wu; graduate student Timothy Lee; visiting scholar Buchun Si; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center senior research engineer B.K. Sharma; and Chia-Fon Lee, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the U. of I.

Team converts wet biological waste to diesel-compatible fuel

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a step toward producing renewable engine fuels that are compatible with existing diesel fuel infrastructure, researchers report they can convert wet biowaste, such as swine manure and food scraps, into a fuel that can be blended with diesel and that shares diesel’s combustion efficiency and emissions profile. The researchers report the […]

Expert viewpoints Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel, who is retiring in December, discusses his career, climate change and the recently released National Climate Assessment.

Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel, who is retiring in December, discusses his career, climate change and the recently released National Climate Assessment.

Can we talk about the Illinois climate?

CONTACT: Lois E. Yoksoulian, Physical Sciences Editor 217- 244-2788, leyok@illinois.edu Jim Angel, the Illinois state climatologist, has announced that he will retire in December 2018 after 34 years at the Illinois State Water Survey. News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian spoke with him about his career, climate change and the National Climate Assessment released […]

Life sciences Andrew Miller and his colleagues created the first comprehensive checklist of North American fungi.

North American checklist identifies the fungus among us

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Some fungi are smelly and coated in mucus. Others have gills that glow in the dark. Some are delicious; others, poisonous. Some spur euphoria when ingested. Some produce antibiotics. All of these fungi – and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, more – occur in North America. Of those that are known […]

Honors

Narayana Aluru, William Gropp, Andrew Leakey and Ray Ming are among 416 scientists elected AAAS Fellows this year.

Four Illinois faculty members elected AAAS Fellows

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been elected 2018 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Mechanical science and engineering professor Narayana Aluru, computer science professor William Gropp and plant biology professors Andrew Leakey and Ray Ming are among the 416 people to be awarded […]

Engineering University of Illinois engineering researcher Ann-Perry Witmer has developed a new computer algorithm that helps engineers who work internationally incorporate the influences of local values into their infrastructure designs.

University of Illinois engineering researcher Ann-Perry Witmer has developed a new computer algorithm that helps engineers who work internationally incorporate the influences of local values into their infrastructure designs.

Diagnostic tool helps engineers to design better global infrastructure solutions

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Designing safe bridges and water systems for low-income communities is not always easy for engineers coming from highly industrialized places. A new discipline called contextual engineering helps engineers think beyond personal values, expectations and definitions of project success when tackling global infrastructure problems. A new study from the University of Illinois at […]

Agriculture

The navel orangeworm caterpillar works with a fungus to overcome plant chemical defenses, a new study finds.

Caterpillar, fungus in cahoots to threaten fruit, nut crops, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research reveals that Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that produces carcinogenic aflatoxins that can contaminate seeds and nuts, has a multilegged partner in crime: the navel orangeworm caterpillar, which targets some of the same nut and fruit orchards afflicted by the fungus. Scientists report in the Journal of Chemical Ecology that the […]

Agriculture

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