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Prefrontal cortex loses neurons during adolescence, researchers find
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that adolescence is a time of remodeling in the prefrontal cortex, a brain structure dedicated to higher functions such as planning and social behaviors. The study of rats found that both males and females lose neurons in the ventral prefrontal cortex between adolescence and […]
Insights into osteosarcoma in cats and dogs may improve palliative care
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that a molecular pathway known to have a role in the progression of bone cancer in humans is also critical to the pathology of skeletal tumors in dogs and cats. Their work could lead to advances in the palliative care of companion animals afflicted […]
New study rewrites evolutionary history of vespid wasps
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Scientists at the University of Illinois have conducted a genetic analysis of vespid wasps that revises the vespid family tree and challenges long-held views about how the wasps’ social behaviors evolved. In the study, published in the Feb. 21 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found genetic evidence that […]
E. coli bacteria migrating between humans, chimps in Ugandan park
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Scientists from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana have found that people employed in chimpanzee-focused research and tourism in a park in western Uganda are exchanging gastrointestinal bacteria – specifically Escherichia coli – with local chimpanzee populations. And some of the E. coli strains migrating to chimps are resistant to antibiotics used […]
David H. Baker to be honored for work in animal and nutritional science
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – This spring David H. Baker, professor emeritus of animal sciences and nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will receive the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology’s Charles A. Black Award. The award is given to an individual who “has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his or her area of expertise […]
Mothra of all heroes stars in Japanese-themed Insect Fear Film Festival
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Japanese have a unique relationship with bugs. Many keep crickets or rhinoceros beetles as pets. Stir-fried or marinated silkworm pupae, wasp larvae and rice hoppers are popular treats in some regions, and there are firefly festivals throughout the country every summer. What most attracts University of Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum to […]
A new biofuels research initiative and Illinois’ leading role in developing renewable energy
On February 1, Stephen P. Long was named Illinois’ lead investigator on a new Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a joint effort with the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Long is both a professor of crop sciences and also of plant biology. He has appointments at the National Center for […]
Tomato-broccoli together shown to be effective against prostate cancer
A new UI study shows that tomatoes and broccoli – two vegetables known for their cancer-fighting qualities – are better at shrinking prostate tumors when both are part of the daily diet than when they’re eaten alone. “When tomatoes and broccoli are eaten together, we see an additive effect. We think it’s because different bioactive […]
Chickens may help aid in early detection of ovarian cancer
Understanding and treatment of human ovarian cancer, known as the silent killer, may be a step closer thanks to some chickens at the UI. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in women and unlike other cancers, its rate of mortality has not been reduced. “That’s because ovarian cancer is usually not […]
Initiative will put Illinois at forefront of farm bioenergy production
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A $500 million research program announced today by the energy company BP will bring farm bioenergy production to Illinois on a grand scale, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Illinois will join the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in forming the new Energy […]
Estrogen interferes with immune surveillance in breast cancer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Estrogen is known to enhance the growth and migration of breast cancer cells. Now researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that estrogen also can shield breast cancer cells from immune cells. In a study published online this week in Oncogene, the researchers report that estrogen induces the expression […]
Soil nutrients shape tropical forests, large-scale study indicates
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Tropical forests are among the most diverse plant communities on earth, and scientists have labored for decades to identify the ecological and evolutionary processes that created and maintain them. A key question is whether all tree species are equivalent in their use of resources – water, light and nutrients – or whether […]