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RNA barcodes enable high-speed mapping of connections in the brain
Researchers mapped connections among thousands of neurons in the mouse brain with unprecedented speed and resolution thanks to RNA “barcodes.”
Still standing but mostly dead: Recovery of dying coral reef in Moorea stalls
The hollowed-out skeletons of a bleached reef in the Pacific Ocean are changing scientists’ understanding of the factors that promote — or hinder— coral reef recovery.
New study finds deep ocean microbes already prepared to tackle climate change
Deep-sea waters are warming due to heat waves and climate change, and it could spell trouble for the oceans’ delicate chemical and biological balance. A new study demonstrates that the microbes may already be adapting well to warmer, nutrient-poor waters. Researchers predict that these surprisingly adaptable archaea will play an important role in reshaping ocean chemistry in a changing climate.
Team simulates a living cell that grows and divides
Scientists simulate a full life cycle of a living bacterial cell, opening a new window on the essential processes of life.
Microbial assembly line makes plastic upcycling programmable
Scientists have built a microbe-driven upcycling pipeline that converts plastic waste into a variety of useful products.
Illinois team tests the costs, benefits of agrivoltaics across the Midwest
A new study examines the agricultural and economic trade-offs that come with installing solar arrays on working farms across the Midwest.
Splitting hairs to keep the public safe
Graduate student Lance Jones works to identify potentially infectious ticks found in Illinois.
Insect-human hybrids are onscreen at Insect Fear Film Festival
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Insect-human hybrids provide the scares at the 2026 Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The festival, which is hosted by the Entomology Graduate Student Association, takes place Feb. 28 at Foellinger Auditorium. It is free and open to the public. Insect-human hybridization has long been a theme for […]
Alzheimer’s gene boosts seizures, but pathway can be targeted, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The gene most strongly correlated with Alzheimer’s disease also boosts seizure activity by decreasing levels of ions pumps and energy-producing enzymes in neurons, a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found. Furthermore, the energy-making pathway was stimulated and seizures reduced in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease by administration […]
Grasshopper wing structure inspires design of gliding robot wings
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A collaboration between Princeton University engineers and entomologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign began with the researchers chasing grasshoppers in a hot parking lot. Their eventual focus on the hindwings of one species of grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, the American grasshopper, is inspiring a new approach to untethered gliding flight. The scientists […]
Book prepares K-12 leaders for the next public health crisis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new book, a team of experts in educational policy, epidemiology and public health chronicles the challenges faced by educators, public health authorities and school officials during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a guide to some of the lessons learned as K-12 schools weathered that crisis. One key message: Collaboration between […]
What should consumers know about the current health care debate?
Those who wish to overturn the Affordable Care Act have struggled for years to replace it. If Congress fails to pass a better plan or extend ACA subsidies, insurance premiums will skyrocket for millions of Americans next year. The alternative, a proposal to expand health savings accounts, is even more problematic, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign health and kinesiology professor emeritus Thomas O’Rourke.