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Review: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When picturing a “typical” alcoholic, people tend to imagine a person drinking at home alone. But that focus overlooks the social origins of many serious alcohol problems, say the authors of a new review paper in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. “Evidence for the centrality of social motives in problem […]
New approach makes AI adaptable for computer vision in crop breeding
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists developed a machine-learning tool that can teach itself, with minimal external guidance, to differentiate between aerial images of flowering and nonflowering grasses — an advance that will greatly increase the pace of agricultural field research, they say. The work was conducted using images of thousands of varieties of Miscanthus grasses, each […]
Omnivorous? Vegan? Makes no difference to muscle building after weight training, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study asked three questions about muscle protein synthesis in response to a nine-day diet and weight training regimen: First, does the source of protein — plant or animal-based — make any difference to muscle gain? Second, does it matter if total daily protein intake is evenly distributed throughout the day? […]
First-Generation Scholars Research Program provides research experience and more
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Before arriving on campus, first-year University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student Andy Granados voiced the concerns that many students coming to a large university face. “Before I started freshman year, I was scared,” Granados said. “I’m not as social as other people. I don’t really know how to connect with my professors, so […]
Wearable technology continuously monitors heart-rate recovery to predict risk
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The time it takes the heart to return to its baseline rhythm after exercise can predict a host of cardiovascular or metabolic disorders. In a new study, scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used a “smart shirt” equipped with an electrocardiogram to track participants’ heart-rate recovery after exercise and developed a […]
Study finds global downturn in bias against stigmatized groups
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study that tracked explicit and implicit bias against stigmatized groups in 33 countries between 2009 and 2019, researchers found substantial reductions in explicit, self-reported bias against all categories of stigma they examined: age, race, body weight, skin tone and sexual orientation. The picture for implicit bias, which is sometimes described […]
Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch
Drug-carrying DNA aptamers can deliver a one-two punch to leukemia by precisely targeting the elusive cancer stem cells that seed cancer relapses.
Study: Microalgae and bacteria team up to convert CO2 into useful products
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have spent decades genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products. Most methods require additional carbon sources, however, adding to the cost. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of […]
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.