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Low-cost climate-change insurance could help ensure better future
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Doing a little now to mitigate long-term climate change would cost much less than doing nothing and making an adjustment in the future, say scientists whose paper appears in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Science. Implementing a carbon tax of five cents per gallon of gasoline and gradually increasing the […]
Safety of isoflavones in dietary supplements targeted by Illinois initiative
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is embarking on a comprehensive five-year study of the effects of soy isoflavones found in dietary supplements on various body tissues. At the heart of the project is the safety of phytoestrogens – estrogen-like compounds in plants that are generally […]
At molecular scale, vibrational couplings define heat conduction
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Too much heat can destroy a sturdy automobile engine or a miniature microchip. As scientists and engineers strive to make ever-smaller nanoscale devices, from molecular motors and switches to single-molecule transistors, the control of heat is becoming a burning issue. The shapes of molecules really matter, say scientists from the University of […]
Strano named one of the world’s top young innovators by Technology Review
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Michael S. Strano, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been chosen as one of the world’s 100 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review, the world’s oldest technology magazine. Selected by the magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the TR100 comprises people […]
Information system to help scientists analyze mechanisms of social behavior
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With a $5 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will create BeeSpace, a system to help scientists analyze all sources of information relevant to the mechanisms of social behavior. The complex society of the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, will drive the information system. […]
Byproduct of water-disinfection process found to be highly toxic
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A recently discovered disinfection byproduct (DBP) found in U.S. drinking water treated with chloramines is the most toxic ever found, says a scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who tested samples on mammalian cells. The discovery raises health-related questions regarding an Environmental Protection Agency plan to encourage all U.S. water-treatment […]
Illinois biologist among 57 Presidential Early Career Award winners
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Carla E. Cáceres, a professor of animal biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is among 57 young researchers named today as recipients of the 2003 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research […]
Serotonin metabolites in mollusks suggest pathways for human therapies
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – From mollusks to mammals, newly discovered chemical pathways of serotonin in the nervous system are paving a path toward future pharmaceutical treatments for depression and other disorders. “Understanding novel serotonin pathways in a tissue-dependent manner is useful for the development of pharmaceuticals intended to preserve serotonergic signaling,” said Jeffrey N. Stuart, a […]
Anti-cancer compound found to block late-stage breast-cancer cell growth
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A well known anti-cancer agent in certain vegetables has just had its reputation enhanced. The compound, in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, has been found to be effective in disrupting late stages of cell growth in breast cancer. Keith Singletary and doctoral student Steven Jackson of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign […]
Self-assembly generates more versatile scaffolds for crystal growth
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Self-organizing synthetic molecules originally used for gene therapy may have applications as templates and scaffolds for the production of inorganic materials. Using electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged molecules as the binding force, scientists are learning how to organize these synthetic molecules into more versatile complexes with large and controllable pore sizes. “By […]
Molecular motor Myosin VI moves ‘hand over hand,’ researchers say
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In the human body, hundreds of different types of biomolecular motors help carry out such essential tasks as muscle contraction, moving chromosomes during cell division, and reloading nerve cells so they can repeatedly fire. How these little proteins perform their duties is becoming clearer to scientists using an extremely sensitive measurement technique. […]
Children with ADHD benefit from time outdoors enjoying nature
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kids with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) should spend some quality after-school hours and weekend time outdoors enjoying nature, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The payoff for this “treatment” of children 5 to 18 years old, who participated in a nationwide study, was a significant reduction of symptoms. […]