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  • Illinois scientists' discovery helps explain protein-synthesis machinery in cells

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- University of Illinois biologists have discovered that a protein that lives in the cytoplasmic world between a mammalian cell's membrane and nucleus undergoes a "nuclear experience" that is necessary for regulating cell growth and division.

  • Two-drug approach might shorten painful labor, reduce Caesarean sections

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The nationwide rise in induced labor and Caesarean deliveries could be eased by an experimental dual drug approach that not only safely jump-starts labor but also remodels the cervix to allow for speedy natural delivery, scientists report.

  • Breastfeeding exclusively for the first four to six months of infants' lives and delaying introduction of solid food until that time may help prevent picky eating behaviors and weight problems when children are preschoolers, according to a new study led by Juhee Kim, a professor of kinesiology and community health.  Click photo to enlarge

    Breastfed babies less likely to be picky eaters as toddlers

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Babies who are breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life may be less likely to become picky eaters as preschoolers, according to a recent study of 129 mothers and their children.

  • In a new study, University of Illinois medical biochemistry professor Lin-Feng Chen, left, research scientist Bo Huang and their colleagues identified a new breast cancer tumor suppressor protein, Runx3, and determined how it functioned.

    Team identifies new breast cancer tumor suppressor and how it works

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Researchers have identified a protein long known to regulate gene expression as a potent suppressor of breast cancer growth. Their study, in the journal Oncogene, is the first to demonstrate how this protein, known as Runx3, accomplishes this feat.

  • Easter named acting dean of ACES

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Robert A. Easter was named today to be acting dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He will become interim dean, pending approval of the Board of Trustees at its meeting Sept. 13 in Chicago.

  • Cells direct membrane traffic by channel width, scientists say

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For a glycerol molecule, a measly angstrom's difference in diameter is a road-closed sign: You can't squeeze through unless you are a sleek, water-molecule-sized sports car, say scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • 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.

  • Census of protein architectures offers new view of history of life

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The present can tell you a lot about the past, but you need to know where to look. A new study appearing this month in Genome Research reveals that protein architectures - the three-dimensional structures of specific regions within proteins - provide an extraordinary window on the history of life.

  • Entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum will receive the 2011 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, an international award that recognizes outstanding "scientific knowledge and public leadership to preserve and enhance the environment of the world."

    Illinois entomology professor May Berenbaum to receive 2011 Tyler Prize

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - University of Illinois entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum will receive the 2011 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, an international award that recognizes "those individuals who have contributed in an outstanding manner to scientific knowledge and public leadership to preserve and enhance the environment of the world."

  • 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.

  • Mechanoluminescence event yields novel emissions, reactions

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Researchers at the University of Illinois report that a new study of mechanoluminescence revealed extensive atomic and molecular spectral emission not previously seen in a mechanoluminescence event. The findings, which appear online this month in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, also include the first report of gas phase chemical reactions resulting from a mechanoluminescence event.

  • Hepatitis C helicase unwinds DNA in a spring-loaded, 3-step process

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters. A key player on this stage is an enzyme called a helicase. Its job is to unwind the tightly coiled chain of nucleic acids - the DNA or RNA molecule that spells out the organism's genetic code - so that another enzyme, a polymerase, can faithfully copy each nucleotide in the code.

  • 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.

  • Ecologist Daniel Schneider, a professor of urban and regional planning, has written a book on sewage treatment and the industrial ecosystem.

    Antimicrobials, perfumes, drugs pose challenges for sewage treatment

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Think of it like sourdough. Or beer. Or yogurt. These popular products are all created through a process that involves using bacteria to systematically break down organic matter. Even though the process relies on living microorganisms, it can be mechanized or industrialized for large-scale production.

  • 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 Biosciences Institute, with UC Berkeley taking the lead.

  • Carl Woese wins the Crafoord Prize in Biosciences, given by the Royal Academy

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Microbiologist Carl R. Woese today won the $500,000 Crafoord Prize in Biosciences given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The annual prize marks accomplishments in scientific fields not covered by the Nobel Prizes in science, which the academy also selects. The king of Sweden will present the prize to Woese Sept. 24 in Stockholm.

  • $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.

  • Molecular sleuths track evolution through the ribosome

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A new study of the ribosome, the cell's protein-building machinery, sheds light on the oldest branches of the evolutionary tree of life and suggests that differences in ribosomal structure among the three main branches of that tree are "molecular fossils" of the early evolution of protein synthesis.

  • Polymer aids in blood clotting, pointing way to new treatment

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A serendipitous comparison prompted by an old scientific image and involving an ancient but understudied molecule may lead to a new treatment strategy for injuries or illnesses in which blood clotting is paramount to survival.

  • Fitness counteracts cognitive decline from hormone-replacement therapy

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Women pondering hormone-replacement therapy also should consider regular exercise. A new study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggests that being physically fit offsets cognitive declines attributed to long-term therapy.

  • Beckman researchers to study motorist safety with GM grant

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is teaming with General Motors Research & Development and Planning of Warren, Mich., to study driver distractions and how well humans interact with in-vehicle technologies.

  • Stephen P. Long, the Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology and a faculty member in the Institute for Genomic Biology, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London, the worlds oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Members are elected for life on the basis of excellence in science, through a thorough peer review process.

    Stephen P. Long elected fellow of the Royal Society of London

    Stephen P. Long, the Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology and a faculty member in the Institute for Genomic Biology, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London, the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Members are elected for life on the basis of excellence in science, through a thorough peer review process.

  • Fatty acid pathway, glucose produce triacetic acid lactone

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have designed a potential roadmap to use a biosynthetic pathway taken from a common microorganism to produce compounds that could serve as precursors to explosives or components in everyday devices such as liquid crystal displays or anti-cancer agents.

  • New UI center to study effects of exposure to toxicants in fish

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is home to a new federally funded center that will study the effects of exposure to toxicants in fish being eaten in large quantities by Laotian and Hmong refugees in Green Bay and Appleton, Wis.

  • Postdoctoral researcher and study co-author Mark Neider in the lab with the multidirectional treadmill and simulated street scene used in the multi-tasking study.

    Study: Multi-tasking on the street not a good idea for older people

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Older adults may put themselves at risk by talking on cellphones while crossing the street, researchers report in a new study. The researchers found that adults aged 59 to 81 took significantly longer than college students to cross a simulated street while talking on a mobile phone, and their heightened cautiousness in initiating crossing did nothing to improve their safety. Older adults on cell phones also were more likely to fail to cross in the time allotted for the task.

  • University of Illinois molecular and integrative physiology professor Jongsook Kim Kemper and her colleagues were able to reverse some of the metabolic problems associated with obesity in mice.

    In obesity, a micro-RNA causes metabolic problems

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Scientists have identified a key molecular player in a chain of events in the body that can lead to fatty liver disease, Type II diabetes and other metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity. By blocking this molecule, the researchers were able to reverse some of the pathology it caused in obese mice.

  • From beautiful butterflies to beeswax candles to silk shirts, they or their byproducts are everywhere. Waldbauer, a professor emeritus of entomology and author of the book "Fireflies, Honey, and Silk" (University of California Press) wants readers to know the many ways insects enrich our lives.  Click photo to enlarge

    Book Corner: The wonder and uses of insects explored

    Although some may see insects as a general annoyance, Gilbert Waldbauer wants the world to know they are actually beautiful and intricate, as well as a necessary part of everyday life. From beautiful butterflies to beeswax candles to silk shirts, they or their byproducts are everywhere. Waldbauer, a professor emeritus of entomology and author of the book "Fireflies, Honey, and Silk" (University of California Press) wants readers to know the many ways insects enrich our lives.

  • May Berenbaum

    On the collapse of North American honey bee populations

    A Minute With™... entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum

  • University of Illinois medical biochemistry professor Lin-Feng Chen and graduate students Ying-Huang Nicole Tsang, middle, and Acacia Lamb discovered a mechanism directly linking a protein associated with H. pylori infection of the stomach and stomach cancer.

    Cancer-causing bacterium targets tumor-suppressor protein

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Researchers have discovered a mechanism by which Helicobacter pylori, the only known cancer-causing bacterium, disables a tumor suppressor protein in host cells.

  • Keck Foundation to fund interdisciplinary research in brain disease, damage

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A pioneering interdisciplinary research initiative that will combine neuroscience, chemistry and materials science in an effort to find new treatments for brain diseases and damage is being launched at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a $1.2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation.

  • 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.

  • Comparative chromosome study finds breakage trends, cancer ties

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Breakages in chromosomes in mammalian evolution have occurred at preferred rather than random sites as long thought, and many of the sites are involved in human cancers, an international team of 25 scientists has discovered.

  • Lectures launch yearlong exploration of new biology

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. What are the implications now that the human genome has been sequenced? How will that scientific breakthrough, along with others in the field of biology, affect various areas of human life, from health and medicine to food production?

  • Odd protein interaction guides development of olfactory system

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scientists have discovered a strange mechanism for the development of the fruit fly antennal lobe, an intricate structure that converts the chaotic stew of odors in the environment into discrete signals in the brain.

  • Psychology professor Art Kramer and his colleagues found that young and old pedestrians are impaired when talking on hands-free cell phones.

    Walking hazard: Cell phone use - but not music - reduces pedestrian safety

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Two new studies of pedestrian safety found that using a cell phone while hoofing it can endanger one's health. And older pedestrians talking on cell phones are particularly impaired in crossing a busy (simulated) street, the researchers found.

  • Researchers probe a DNA repair enzyme

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - U. of I. researchers have taken the first steps toward understanding how an enzyme repairs DNA.

  • Institute for Genomic Biology announces five themes for research

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Although the doors of the Institute for Genomic Biology won't open for two years, 31 faculty and 35 affiliates from 25 campus units have been chosen to be in five newly named research themes in the state-of-the-art facility under construction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Gene Robinson, the Swanlund Chair of entomology and neuroscience and the director of the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, is the recipient of the Animal Behavior Society's 2013 Distinguished Animal Behaviorist award.

    Gene Robinson receives Animal Behavior Society award

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Gene Robinson, the Swanlund Chair of entomology and neuroscience and the director of the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, is the recipient of the Animal Behavior Society's 2013 Distinguished Animal Behaviorist award.

  • Wanted: Citizen scientists to help track wild bees in Illinois

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Honey bee colonies are in decline in many states, but little is known about their wild cousins, the bumble bees, or, for that matter, honey bees living on their own in the wild without beekeepers. A new initiative from the University of Illinois seeks to build a better record of honey bee and bumble bee abundance and distribution in Illinois by recruiting citizen scientists to report on wild bees seen anywhere in the state.

  • Bird flu poses threat to international security, U. of I. scholar says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In the past, when government leaders, policymakers and scholars have turned their attention to peace and security issues, the talk invariably has focused on war, arms control or anti-terrorism strategies. But Julian Palmore believes it's time to expand the scope of the conversation.

  • New comprehensive textbook on companion animals fills need

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Cats, 77 million. Dogs, 65 million. Such are the estimated totals, as of 2002, of these popular companion animals living with people in the United States. Two-thirds of U.S. farms have dogs, but 90 percent of the canines are owned by city dwellers. Then there are the various birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, lizards, mice, rabbits and turtles, to name only a few, that share space in human homes.

  • Study: 'Run-down' feeling with illness may last longer as people age

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Aging may intensify and prolong feeling run down when common infections like the flu occur, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Wilfred van der Donk, the Richard  E. Heckert Endowed Chair in Chemistry, was one of eight Illinois professors elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    Eight Illinois faculty members elected fellows of AAAS

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Eight University of Illinois faculty members have been elected fellows in the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Rashid Bashir, Debasish Dutta, K. Jimmy Hsia, Keith W. Kelley, Wilfred van der Donk, M. Christina White and James Whitfield.

  • Misfiring proteins tied to inflammation and sick feeling of type 2 diabetics

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After a series of studies in the laboratory of Dr. Gregory Freund, a clearer picture is emerging: A disruption of signaling proteins in the immune system may be responsible for the inflammation that makes someone with type 2 diabetes feel sick and increases the risk of serious complications.

  • Microbiology professor Steven Blanke, right; doctoral student Prashant Jain and a colleague at Purdue University found a mechanism linking Helicobacter pylori infection, impairment of the mitochondria and cell death.

    Team discovers how a cancer-causing bacterium spurs cell death

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Researchers report they have figured out how the cancer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori attacks a cell's energy infrastructure, sparking a series of events in the cell that ultimately lead it to self-destruct.

  • Creation of antibiotic in test tube holds promise for better antibiotics

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scientists have made nisin, a natural antibiotic used for more than 40 years to preserve food, in a test tube using nature's toolbox. They also identified the structure of the enzyme that makes nisin and gives it its unique biological power.

  • Isolated soy protein shown to benefit type 2 diabetics, study indicates

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Isolated soy protein added to the diets of 14 men, all military veterans under treatment for advanced stages of type 2 diabetes, significantly lowered unwanted proteins in their urine and slightly raised desired HDL cholesterol levels in their blood, researchers say.

  • Head of cell and structural biology department at Illinois is honored

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Martha U. Gillette of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign has been recognized for "her career achievements in neuroscience as a scientist, teacher and mentor." She received the 2004 Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in Neuroscience during the recent Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

  • Chief of Illinois State Water Survey to discuss drought assessment

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Despite recent rains over parts of Illinois, drought conditions have worsened in central and southwestern regions of the state, say officials of the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • The zebra finch is a model for studies of changes in the brain in response to social cues.

    MicroRNAs in the songbird brain respond to new songs

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Whenever it hears an unfamiliar song from a male of the same species, the zebra finch stops chirping, hopping and grooming. It listens attentively for minutes at a time, occasionally cocking its head but otherwise immobile. Once it becomes familiar with the song, it goes back to its busy routine. (See video.)