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Avian flu, rabies among topics of infectious disease conference at Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Asian bird flu and rabies will be among the topics April 21-22 (Thursday-Friday) during the eighth annual Conference on New and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases hosted by the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Asian bird flu has killed at least 47 people in Southeast Asia, and although rabies in domestic animals […]
Christmas week snowstorm in Ohio river valley broke all records
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Even though spring and warm-weather thoughts are here, a chilling, soon-to-be published report says that December’s immense Midwest snowstorm was one to remember. The Dec. 22-23 storm broke all records for storm intensity, size, and damages, garnered national attention, and dumped record snowfall – not only across Illinois but also in the […]
Researchers improve design of genetic on-off switches
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have set a new standard in the design and engineering of nuclear hormone receptor-based genetic on-off switches, without causing new problems or aggravating existing ones. The new technique, published online ahead of regular publication by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, combines […]
Components in grapes inhibit enzyme key to proliferation of cancer cells
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Components in grapes, including some newly identified ones, work together to dramatically inhibit an enzyme crucial to the proliferation of cancer cells, say scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The work – done using advanced molecular tools with grape-cell cultures and the target enzyme for new anti-cancer strategies – helps […]
Weather forecasts may be predictors for prevalence of West Nile virus
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Weather forecasts could become barometers for predicting the potential threat of West Nile virus to humans and wildlife, according to scientists at two state agencies based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Researchers at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) and the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) report a reliable link […]
Staying positive when helping a child with homework stimulates motivation
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Your child has a homework assignment, doesn’t understand it and is acting helpless. So what’s a parent to do? Help, but stay loving and make the process fun, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Reducing the negative from this commonly occurring, stress-filled evening ritual can pay off, says Eva […]
Unique weather a factor in record 2004 Midwest crop yields
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – If farmers talk big about 2004 crops as they get ready to head out into the fields this spring, let them talk. Believe them. Last year’s crop season saw record yields in every major crop amid the closest-to-perfect weather conditions of the last century, scientists say. “Never before have corn, soybeans, sorghum, […]
Rare blue poppy among highlights of event at U. of I. Plant Biology Conservatory
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Area flower lovers are invited to get a close-up look at one of the world’s rare, true blue flowers, the Meconopsis (mee-koh-NOP-sis), known more widely as the Himalayan blue poppy, Saturday and Sunday (March 19-20) at the Plant Biology Conservatory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The “Himalayan Blue Poppy Show” […]
Carver Trust grant to advance molecular studies at Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Rapidly advancing tools let researchers amass oceans of biological data – so much so that fishing out the meaning is as daunting as climbing a mountain without gear. A new $3.15 million, three-year grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, however, will make the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign a national […]
Bugs, even the ‘bad’ ones, can be educationally beneficial, new book says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – We have much to learn from bad bugs, according to Gilbert Waldbauer, whose book “Insights From Insects: What Bad Bugs Can Teach Us” was published today (Prometheus Books). “We know a lot about pests, because so much money is spent on their research,” said Waldbauer, professor emeritus of entomology at the University […]
Chemical analysis of mushrooms shows their nutritional benefits
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – An analysis of previously uncharted chemical contents, mostly carbohydrates, in U.S.-consumed mushrooms shows that these fruity edible bodies of fungi could be tailored into dietary plans to help fill various nutritional needs. Using modern analytic tools, scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that the six mushroom varieties tested – […]
Research focusing on why estrogenic hormones produce differing results
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – New research is shedding light on why estrogenic hormones produce unintended results in women, giving hope to the idea that new drugs might reach their targets and work more effectively. Ultimately it could mean that postmenopausal women would know that hormone-replacement therapy would have only its intended result. “It’s very difficult right […]