Life Sciences
Categories
Not sure where to start? Choose a topic below.
Are insect populations rising with Earth’s temperature?
U. of I. Extension entomologist Phil Nixon has degrees from Lincoln Land Community College, Southern Illinois University, and Kansas State University. He has statewide responsibilities for pesticide safety education and the integrated pest management of landscape and household insect pests. Given the weather we’ve experienced this summer in Central Illinois, is there any way to […]
UI scientist develops enzyme inhibitor that may slow cancer
UI scientist Tim Garrow, in collaboration with Jiri Jiracek of the Czech Academy of Sciences, has applied for a provisional patent on a class of chemicals that has future therapeutic uses in medicine, specifically cancer treatment. “These chemicals are potent inhibitors of an enzyme called betaine-homocysteine-S-methyltransferase (BHMT),” Garrow said. “BHMT catalyzes a reaction that converts […]
Researchers discover which organs in Antarctic fish produce antifreeze
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Thirty-five years ago Arthur DeVries of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign first documented antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) in Antarctic notothenioid fishes. This month three colleagues report they’ve solved the ensuing, long-running mystery of where these AFGPs, which allow the fish to survive in icy waters, are produced. “Ever since the discovery of […]
New contrast agents may be on horizon for better medical imaging
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Research by scientists based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign may lead to the development of a new breed of “multimodal” contrast agents that could work within a host of medical imaging platforms – from ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) to magnetic resonance imaging and molecular imaging. Use of these new […]
Colorful, rare-patterned male guppies have survival advantage in the wild
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Any owner of a freshwater aquarium likely has had guppies (Poecilia reticulata), those small brightly colored fish with a propensity for breeding. Now guppy populations manipulated in natural habitats in Trinidad have taught researchers an evolutionary lesson on the survival of a rare genetic trait. Reporting in the June 1 issue of […]
A shortage of livestock veterinarians and its potential effect on human health
John A. Herrmann, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine, a dairy reproduction specialist and public health consultant, directs the dual degree program that combines a veterinary medicine degree with a master’s in public health. In an interview with News Bureau Life Sciences Editor Jim Barlow, Herrmann talked about the current state of veterinary medicine. […]
U. of I. microbiologist Carl Woese elected to Royal Society
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Microbiologist Carl Woese of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been elected as a foreign member of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest continuously active scientific academy in the world. Woese was among six newly chosen foreign members, one honorary member and 44 Fellows named May 19 by the Royal Society, […]
Research involving adult stem cells receives state grants
Two of 10 state grants announced April 24 bring more than $841,000 to two UI scientists – Matthew B. Wheeler and Stephen J. Kaufman – for research involving two forms of adult stem cells. The two projects were among $10 million in grants awarded through the newly created Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute. The IRMI resulted […]
U. of I. researcher named Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – William T. Greenough, a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, today was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Greenough, 61, is among 195 scholars, scientists, artists, civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders from 24 states and 13 […]
$1.5 billion needed to ensure 12-month stockpile of pediatric vaccines
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A six-month stockpile of recommended pediatric vaccines would cost $1 billion and could cover more than 90 percent of U.S. children during a six-month interruption in production, say researchers at two Illinois universities. The only problem with such a time period – proposed by the Centers for Disease Control – is that […]
Computer animations used in court colored by bias, researchers say
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A courtroom jury views a computer animation of a vehicle accident or heinous crime. Does it help bring a conviction or acquittal? With no clear standards for animations that re-create incidents, the verdict is still out, and, for now, it may depend on which side created the simulation, researchers say. In a […]
Monkey-dung study offers clues about land-use, wildlife ecology
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fecal matter of red colobus monkeys collected in western Uganda has yielded a wealth of knowledge about human land-use change and wildlife health and conservation. The main lesson, researchers say, is that the intensity of tree removal translates directly to parasite populations and the risk of infection of their hosts. In an […]