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Honey bee invaders exploit the genetic resources of their predecessors
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Like any species that aspires to rule the world, the honey bee, Apis mellifera, invades new territories in repeated assaults. A new study demonstrates that when these honey bees arrive in a place that has already been invaded, the newcomers benefit from the genetic endowment of their predecessors. The findings appear this […]
‘Bee Movie’ director to host screening at Insect Fear Film Festival
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It’s insect fear from the insect’s perspective this year at the Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois, with a free screening of “Bee Movie,” hosted by its director, Simon J. Smith. The festival will commemorate its 25th year with many other insect-related activities, including a screening of the HBO […]
Researchers probe a DNA repair enzyme
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – U. of I. researchers have taken the first steps toward understanding how an enzyme repairs DNA. Enzymes called helicases play a key role in human health, according to Maria Spies, a University of Illinois biochemistry professor. “DNA helicases act as critical components in many molecular machineries orchestrating DNA repair in the cell.” […]
New approach may render disease-causing staph harmless
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois helped lead a collaborative effort to uncover a completely new treatment strategy for serious Staphylococcus aureus (“Staph”) infections. The research, published Feb. 14 in ScienceXpress, the online version of Science magazine, comes at a time when strains of antibiotic-resistant Staph (known as MRSA, for methicillin-resistant S. […]
After more than 100 years apart, webworms devastate New Zealand parsnips
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – What could be lower than the lowly parsnip, a root once prized for its portable starchiness but which was long ago displaced by the more palatable potato? Perhaps only the parsnip webworm gets less respect. An age-old enemy of the parsnip, the webworm is one of very few insects able to overcome […]
Don’t worry, be (moderately) happy, research suggests
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Could the pursuit of happiness go too far? Most self-help books on the subject offer tips on how to maximize one’s bliss, but a new study suggests that moderate happiness may be preferable to full-fledged elation. The researchers, from the University of Virginia, the University of Illinois and Michigan State University, looked […]
Team finds an economical way to boost the vitamin A content of maize
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A team of plant geneticists and crop scientists has pioneered an economical approach to the selective breeding of maize that can boost levels of provitamin A, the precursors that are converted to vitamin A upon consumption. This innovation could help to enhance the nutritional status of millions of people in the developing […]
Herons persist in Chicago wetlands despite exposure to banned chemicals
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Herons nesting in the wetlands of southeast Chicago are still being exposed to chemicals banned in the U.S. in the 1970s, a research team reports. The chemicals do not appear to be affecting the birds’ reproductive success, however. The findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research. […]
New buffer resists pH change, even as temperature drops
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a simple solution to a problem that has plagued scientists for decades: the tendency of chemical buffers used to maintain the pH of laboratory samples to lose their efficacy as the samples are cooled. The research team, headed by chemistry professor Yi Lu, developed […]
Ant invaders eat the natives, then move down the food chain
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, is one of the most successful invasive species in the world, having colonized parts of five continents in addition to its native range in South America. A new study sheds light on the secrets of its success. The findings, from researchers at the University of Illinois and […]
Researchers build new model of bio-exploration in central Asia
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Two land-grant universities have developed a new approach to global bio-exploration, one that returns most of the fruits of discovery to the countries that provide the raw materials on which the research depends. The Global Institute for Bio-Exploration, a joint initiative of the University of Illinois and Rutgers University, has become a […]
New model revises estimates of terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new model of global carbon and nitrogen cycling that will fundamentally transform the understanding of how plants and soils interact with a changing atmosphere and climate. The new model takes into account the role of nitrogen dynamics in influencing the response of terrestrial […]