News Bureau

Krannert Art Museum is presenting the first retrospective of contemporary artist Millie Wilson, whose work examines stereotypes and media representations regarding sexuality and gender identity.

A better understanding of the inner workings of neutron stars will lead to a greater knowledge of the dynamics that underpin the workings of the universe and also could help drive future technology, said the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign physics professor Nicolas Yunes. A new study led by Yunes details how new insights into how dissipative tidal forces within double — or binary — neutron star systems will inform our understanding of the universe. 

Couples who participated in the Illinois Strong Couples relationship improvement program, delivered through Illinois Extension, found that it enhanced their connections with their partners and benefited their individual mental health, a new study led by Allen W. Barton reports.

Engaging in a creative-idea generation task subsequently led to more indulgent eating, drinking and exercise behaviors such as assembling burgers with more calories, crafting cocktails with higher alcohol content and planning workouts that burned fewer calories, says new research co-written by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign business administration professor Jack Goncalo.

A new book by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign emeritus professor of religion Wayne Pitard talks about the accomplishments of influential leader John J. Bird, the first Black trustee for the U. of I.

I can barely hear Esther Ngumbi over the roar of greenhouse fans as she shows me around her rooftop laboratory. The benches are full of tomato plants, and the tomatoes don’t look good. Half of the plants are submerged in bins of water. Their leaves are yellow and withering. Some of the dying tomatoes have flowered. I see one or two baby tomatoes on a couple of spindly plants. 

This isn’t the only torture inflicted on the tomatoes. Someone has tied little baggies to their stems. Inside the bags, fat green caterpillars are chowing down on the tomato leaves.

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool for researchers, but with a significant limitation: The inability to explain how it came to its decisions, a problem known as the “AI black box.” By combining AI with automated chemical synthesis and experimental validation, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has opened up the black box to find the chemical principles that AI relied on to improve molecules for harvesting solar energy. 

A newly funded U.S. National Science Foundation iBioFoundry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will build on more than a decade of research at the U. of I. to integrate synthetic biology, laboratory automation and artificial intelligence to advance protein and cellular engineering. This is one of five new biofoundries to be established in the U.S.

Transitioning to a future of work that accounts for the job-destroying perils of artificial intelligence will require unions to be proactive in their bargaining and policy advocacy around automation, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

Using evolution as a guiding principle, researchers have successfully engineered bacteria-yeast hybrids to perform photosynthetic carbon assimilation, generate cellular energy and support yeast growth without traditional carbon feedstocks like glucose or glycerol. By engineering photosynthetic cyanobacteria to live symbiotically inside yeast cells, the bacteria-yeast hybrids can produce important hydrocarbons, paving new biotechnical pathways to non-petroleum-based energy, other synthetic biology applications and the experimental study of evolution.

In a new book, sociology professor Ilana Redstone examines the faulty mindsets that are fomenting political discord in the U.S. and challenges readers to abandon certainty in their rightness to rebuild social trust, move toward healing and preserve democracy.

In a book club with a death row inmate, Rachel McMillian’s students explored the complexities and joys of Black life, including mass incarceration and the empowerment of education. McMillian is an education professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Marsha Barrett examines Nelson Rockefeller’s career and the shift away from moderation in politics in her new book, “Nelson Rockefeller’s Dilemma: The Fight to Save Moderate Republicanism.”

Researchers analyzed meteorological data from nine Upper Midwest states from 1979-2021, tracking trends in extreme heat and cold over every 4-kilometer square of that territory. They found striking regional differences in the extremes. Many parts of the Upper Midwest experienced significant upticks in the number of extreme heat days over the 40 years — an increasing trend — while others saw a rise in extreme cold events. Some communities experienced more of both extremes. Others appeared to be more resistant to changes in extreme heat or cold.

Flexibility, personalization and increased consumption of protein and fiber were key in optimizing dieters’ weight-loss success on the Individualized Diet Improvement Program, created by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign food scientists.

Organized labor has fared considerably better during the Biden administration than it did during the Trump years, and would likely be better off under a Kamala Harris presidency, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign social work professor Will Schneider is leading a team of national experts in exploring whether providing short-term financial help prevents repeated child maltreatment in Illinois families involved with the state's child welfare system.

Anthropology professor Kendra Calhoun studies the creative language people use on social media platforms to fool algorithms that may incorrectly categorize content as “inappropriate” or “offensive.” Calhoun spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about this phenomenon, which she calls “linguistic self-censorship.”

All nine of the wheelchair racing athletes representing the U.S. at the 2024 Paralympics have a connection to Illinois. U. of I. head coach Adam Bleakney discusses his background, the competition and what he’s looking forward to at the Paris Games.

As the scorching May sun of Central Belize blazes down on us, temperatures soar to a staggering 106°F. Local farmers anxiously await the onset of the rainy season to sow their crops, but the much-needed first rain remains elusive. This property is owned by a community of Mennonites who live in the town of Outlook to the west. The maize fields lie empty except for us. We are the Valley of Peace Archaeology project team, named after a nearby village where our foremen and excavation assistants live. We are braving the extreme heat to conduct salvage excavations of 11 ancient Maya mounds.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency, but recognizing the signs leading up to it and knowing how to mitigate exposure and vulnerability factors can improve outcomes, says Dr. Holly Rosencranz, an internal medicine physician and a clinical teaching professor in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Gender history is relevant to understanding political, economic and private life in the past and today, says Antoinette Burton, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor and the director of the Humanities Research Institute.

An interdisciplinary research project of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored Indigenous practices of making music and of engineering design in Bolivia and Sierra Leone.

The increasingly militarized enforcement practices at the southern U.S. border have hardened attitudes toward migrants and contributed to violence against them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Latina/Latino studies and anthropology professor Gilberto Rosas said about the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that targeted Latinos.

J. David Cisneros' research explores political candidates' dichotomous rhetoric about Latinos that alternately courts them for votes while disparaging immigrant communities, and the ways in which U.S. presidents embody ideas about race and national identity.

Scientists tested nine fish species from four northern Illinois rivers for contamination with per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, synthetic chemicals found in numerous industrial and commercial products and known to be harmful to human health. They found fish contaminated with PFAS in every one of their 15 test sites. Elevated levels of PFOS, one type of PFAS compound, were found in nearly all fish tested.

Communication professor JungHwan Yang is a member of a research team that is exploring the biases associated with political polls posted on social media, how their results compare with those reported by mainstream media and their potential influence on public discourse.

Many studies have focused on falls among people who are ambulatory and have conditions like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, but research to address falls among those who rely on wheelchairs or motorized scooters is rare, scientists report in a new study. The researchers found that full-time wheelchair or motorized-scooter users also experience falls and fall-related injuries, and many live with the fear of falling again. 

The Biden administration’s new rule to protect workers from the dangers of extreme heat ultimately may be undermined by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Researchers analyzed the financial and environmental costs and benefits of four biofuels crops used to produce sustainable aviation fuels in the U.S. They found that each feedstock — corn stover, energy sorghum, miscanthus or switchgrass — performed best in a specific region of the rainfed United States. Their study will help growers and policymakers select the feedstocks most suited to meeting goals like reducing production costs, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and building soil carbon stocks.

A new virtual reality training series being co-developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign teaches medical students about implicit bias in health care and the ways it harms Black patients and contributes to race-based health disparities.

Understanding how soft materials fail under stress is critical for solving engineering challenges as disparate as pharmaceutical technology and landslide prevention. A new study linking a spectrum of soft material behaviors — previously thought to be unrelated — led researchers to identify a new parameter they call the brittility factor, which allows them to simplify soft material failure behavior. This will ultimately help engineers design better materials that meet future challenges.

Doctoral student in humanities participating in community-based project to bring awareness to food sourcing and sustainable agriculture.

Consumption tracking technologies meant to head off consumer penalty fees offer the promise providing an early-warning system to consumers about potentially incurring penalty fees, but also may instill a false sense of security among consumers who are only partially cognizant of their own forgetfulness, says Ying Bao, a professor of business administration at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The new executive order from the Biden administration aimed at protecting the undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens from deportation will benefit upwards of half a million unauthorized immigrants, meaning it’s more focused on family unity than the “mass amnesty” some critics have portrayed it as, says Lauren R. Aronson, a clinical professor and the director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law.

W. Brooke Elliott has been selected as dean of Gies College of Business and the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees. Until officially approved, her title will be dean of Gies College of Business and Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business designate. The appointment will begin Aug. 16.

New weight-loss drugs like those sold under the names Ozempic and Wegovy can be life-changing for those with type 2 diabetes or severe obesity, but are not the best choice for those only looking to lose a few pounds, says Patrick Sweeney, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of molecular and integrative physiology. 

A new method of precisely targeting troublesome cells for death using light could unlock new understanding of and treatments for cancer and inflammatory diseases, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report.

Following a national search, Jacob Pinholster has been selected as dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, effective Sept. 16, pending University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval. Pinholster’s title will be dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts designate until board approval.

The roots of emotional overeating may be found in temperament and self-regulation of one’s emotions, but caregivers’ responses to children’s negative emotions also influence whether those as young as age 3 eat to ease their distress, according to new study by researchers at the U. of I.

Release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid has been fraught with glitches and delays, according to Stacy Bennett, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership, and a senior research associate for the Office of Community College Research and Leadership. 

By giving artificial intelligence simple associative learning rules based on the brain circuits that allow a sea slug to forage — and augmenting it with better episodic memory, like that of an octopus — scientists have built an AI that can navigate new environments, seek rewards, map landmarks and overcome obstacles.

The human body has sophisticated defenses against the deposition of calcium minerals that stiffen heart tissues, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at UCLA Health and the University of Texas at Austin found in a new study that provides the first detailed, step-by-step documentation of how mineralization progresses.

Scientists have identified a potential driver of aggressive lung cancer tumors in patients who live in areas with high levels of violent crime. Their study found that stress responses differ between those living in neighborhoods with higher and lower levels of violent crime, and between cancerous and healthy tissues in the same individuals.

An extended strike by Chicago public school teachers seems unlikely thanks to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s union credentials, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois and co-author of the 2016 book “A Fight for the Soul of Public Education: The Story of the Chicago Teachers Strike.”

Popular music has a deep relationship with invoking the past, writes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of African American studies John Paul Meyers in his new book “Same Old Song: The Enduring Past in Popular Music.”

Fraud and corruption in Puerto Rico flourished under its anti-corruption policies, which promoted the outsourcing of government services to private sector corporations, according to new research by sociology professor Jose Atiles.

When scientists transplanted the gut microbes of aged mice into young “germ-free” mice — raised to have no gut microbes of their own — the recipient mice experienced an increase in inflammation that parallels inflammatory processes associated with aging in humans. Young germ-free mice transplanted with microbes from other young mice had no such increase.

Yannick Kluch, an expert on sport as a platform for social justice protests, explores the contentious history of political protests by Olympic athletes and if the controversial Rule 50 could be invoked to saction those who make them during the 2024 Summer Games.

Despite the state of Illinois' exemplary record in advancing policies on the detection and treatment of perinatal mental health problems, more work remains to be done, according to a review of the state's policies by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.