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  • American bittersweet, left, has red berries encased in orange capsules, while oriental bittersweet, right, has red berries encased in bright yellow capsules.

    Many Midwestern retailers sell mislabeled invasive vines

    Gardeners hoping to celebrate the beauty of American bittersweet – a native vine that produces orange berries in the fall and is used for wreaths – may be unwittingly buying an invasive bittersweet instead. That’s because many Midwestern retailers are selling oriental bittersweet with labels misidentifying it as the native plant, researchers report. These sales are occurring in stores and online.

  • A green view through a classroom window can improve students’ performance, study finds

    High school students perform better on tests if they are in a classroom with a view of a green landscape, rather than a windowless room or a room with a view of built space, according to research from the University of Illinois Department of Landscape Architecture.

  • U. of I. veterinary clinical medicine professors Ashley Mitek and Jim Lowe discuss the traits of viruses that can be transmitted between animals and humans.

    Veterinary infectious disease expert weighs in on coronavirus threat

    Influenza, SARS and COVID-19 are all zoonotic diseases, readily transmitted from animals to humans. The viruses that cause these diseases also share traits that allow them to quickly mutate, infect widely and spread around the world.

    In a new podcast, a veterinarian and expert in zoonotic diseases offers insights into the special characteristics of the new coronavirus that make it more like influenza and less like SARS or the virus that causes the especially lethal Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome.

  • U. of I. psychology professor Justin Rhodes and his colleagues discovered that the male-to-female sex change in anemonefish occurs first in the brain.

    For anemonefish, male-to-female sex change happens first in the brain

    The anemonefish is a gender-bending marvel. It starts out as a male, but can switch to female when circumstances allow – for example, when the only female present dies or disappears. In a new study, researchers found that the male-to-female sex-change occurs first in the fish’s brain and only later involves the gonads – sometimes after a delay of months or years.

  • Students in Block I formation at Memorial Stadium

    Illinois welcomes second-largest freshman class

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's incoming class of 7,957 first-year students brings greater representation by gender, nationality and students who are the first in their family to go to college, while a change in the application process resulted in greater academic competition.

  • University of Illinois physics professor Mats Selen was awarded a national Professor of the Year award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

    Illinois physics professor named national Professor of the Year

    Mats Selen, professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

  • University of Illinois psychology professor R. Chris Fraley and graduate student Amanda Vicary found that women, but not men, overwhelmingly choose to read true crime stories over true stories of war or gang violence.

    Women, more than men, choose true crime over other violent nonfiction

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - When it comes to violent nonfiction, men are from Mars, the planet of war, but women are from Earth, the planet of serial killings and random murders.

  • Josie Rudolphi standing outdoors with a tractor in the background on the U. of I. farms

    What is driving the high suicide rate among farmers?

    Mental health outreach programs for farmers also need to provide services for their teens, who have similar rates of anxiety and depression, said agricultural and biological engineering professor Josie Rudolphi. 

  • Garrick selected campus's first vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion

    The U. of I. selected Sean Garrick to the new senior-level position of vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.

  • Sociology professor Tom VanHeuvelen focuses on the rise in inequality as a key part of his research.

    Study shows diminished but ‘robust’ link between union decline, rise of inequality

    A new study shows a diminished but “robust” link between the decline of unions and the rise in wage inequality.

  • Professor Adrian Bourgos

    Do politics or protests have a place in sports?

    A U. of I. professor who specializes in the history of sports says it’s not realistic to see sporting events as free of politics or protest

  • Illinois professor Narayana Aluru led a team that found that tiny pores in thin sheets of the material molybdenum disulfide could be very good at removing salt from seawater to yield drinkable water.

    Nanopores could take the salt out of seawater

    University of Illinois engineers have found an energy-efficient material for removing salt from seawater that could provide a rebuttal to poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s lament, “Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink.”

  • Colleges and universities that want to boost completion rates among underrepresented students may want to pay closer attention to students first-semester GPAs, which are reliable predictors of whether students will persist to graduate or drop out, suggests new research by Susan Gershenfeld, who conducted the research while earning a doctorate in social work at Illinois. Gershenfelds co-authors were educational policy studies professor Denice Ward Hood and social work professor Min Zhan, who also was Gershenfelds thesis adviser.

    First-semester GPA a better predictor of college success than ACT score

    Underrepresented students’ first-semester GPA may be a better predictor of whether they’ll graduate college than their ACT score or their family’s socioeconomic status, a new study found.

  • Book chronicles history of gender-neutral pronouns, from Shakespeare to email

    Dennis Baron (he/him/his), a University of Illinois professor emeritus of English, writes about the history of pronoun use and how we adapt the language to fit our circumstances.

  • Portrait of Dr. Sam Sander

    How do July 4 celebrations affect wildlife?

    Celebrating the nation’s Independence Day with fireworks is an enduring tradition, but fireworks can be a source of distress and danger to wildlife. Dr. Sam Sander, a clinical professor of zoo and wildlife medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about how fireworks affect wildlife and the environment, and how to minimize the risks.

  • Plant biology professor Donald Ort is one of seven U. of I. researchers on the Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers list for 2015.

    Seven Illinois researchers rank among the world’s most influential

    Seven University of Illinois researchers have been named to the Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers list for 2015. The list includes “some of the world’s most influential scientific minds,” according to a statement from Thomson Reuters.

  • Photo of Samantha Iwinski and Kelly Bost

    Poor diet, household chaos may impair young children’s cognitive skills

    Young children’s development of the higher-level cognitive skills called executive function may be adversely affected by household chaos and poor nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scholars found.

  • University of Illinois psychology professor Brent Roberts and postdoctoral researcher Rodica Damian conducted the largest study yet of birth order and personality. They found no meaningful relationship between birth order and personality or IQ.

    Massive study: Birth order has no meaningful effect on personality or IQ

    For those who believe that birth order influences traits like personality and intelligence, a study of 377,000 high school students offers some good news: Yes, the study found, firstborns do have higher IQs and consistently different personality traits than those born later in the family chronology. However, researchers say, the differences between firstborns and “laterborns” are so small that they have no practical relevance to people’s lives.

  • Former University of Illinois graduate student Neha Gothe and colleagues found that 20 minutes of yoga significantly improved participants' reaction time and accuracy in tests of cognitive function. Gothe is now a professor of kinesiology at Wayne State University.

    A 20-minute bout of yoga stimulates brain function immediately after

    CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Researchers report that a single, 20-minute session of Hatha yoga significantly improved participants' speed and accuracy on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information. Participants performed significantly better immediately after the yoga practice than after moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for the same amount of time.

  • Li selected as dean and chief academic officer of Carle Illinois College of Medicine

    Dr. King Li, a renowned researcher, educator, inventor and clinician in molecular imaging and radiology, will become the inaugural dean and chief academic officer of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine effective Oct. 1. 

  • Laws about pregnant women and substance abuse questioned

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In Wisconsin, an expectant woman can be taken into custody if police believe her abuse of alcohol may harm her unborn child. In South Dakota, pregnant alcohol and drug users can be committed to treatment centers for up to nine months.

  • Supersweet Sweet Corn: 50 Years in the Making

    Fifty years ago, sweet corn wasn't all that sweet and had a short shelf-life, which made it difficult for grocery stores to stock it. As a result of the persistence of some UI corn researchers, today's sweet corn not only lives up to its name in taste, it maintains its high quality for more than a week, long enough to get it into stores and onto dinner tables. Jerald "Snook" Pataky, UI plant pathologist in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, has researched the history of UI’s contribution to the existence of today's supersweet corn and will be one of the featured speakers at Agronomy Day on Aug. 21. s

  • Pollinator habitat program spreads bad seeds with the good

    Weed scientists in at least two Midwestern states have been reporting for years that a conservation program meant to provide habitat for pollinating insects is sowing bad seeds – including seeds of the potentially devastating agricultural weed Palmer amaranth – along with the good. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois have traced the weed seeds to at least one source: pollinator habitat seed sold by a company in the Midwest.

  • Richard Tempest

    What do Russians hope to gain from U.S. elections interference?

    Russia is trying to sow disruption and division around the U.S. presidential election in order to promote its own geopolitical interests.

  • Campus Instructional Facility Project incorporates green design, public-private partnership

    The Campus Instructional Facility Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an example of a new public-private partnership model that allows for tax-exempt financing. The $75 million project also incorporates design elements that will conserve energy and reduce costs in the long term.

  • Dr. Robin Holland, a member of the COVID-19 research team for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, runs tests on saliva samples at the university’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

    University outlines fall plans including remote instruction after fall break

    As part of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign’s COVID-19 precautions for the fall semester, all faculty members, staff and students who participate in on-campus activities will be required to be tested at on-campus sites twice a week.

  • A new study of Cahokia finds that those buried in mass graves likely lived in or near the pre-Columbian city most of their lives.

    Ancient bones, teeth, tell story of strife at Cahokia

    Dozens of people buried in mass graves in an ancient mound in Cahokia, a pre-Columbian city in Illinois near present-day St. Louis, likely lived in or near Cahokia most of their lives, researchers report in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 

  • University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Ruopeng An found that people who increased their consumption of plain water by 1 percent decreased the number of calories they consumed, as well as the amounts of sugar, sodium, fat and cholesterol they took in daily. The findings were consistent across race/ethnicity, income levels and body weight status, according to the study, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

    Drinking more water associated with numerous dietary benefits, study finds

    In a new study of more than 18,300 U.S. adults, U. of I. researcher Ruopeng An found the majority of people who increased their consumption of plain water reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol.

  • From left, nutritional sciences graduate student Joseph Beals, kinesiology and community health professor Nicholas Burd, kinesiology graduate student Sarah Skinner and their colleagues found that eating whole eggs after resistance exercise boosted muscle building and repair significantly more than eating egg whites with an equivalent amount of protein.

    Whole eggs better for muscle building and repair than egg whites, researchers find

    People who consume 18 grams of protein from whole eggs or from egg whites after engaging in resistance exercise differ dramatically in how their muscles build protein, a process called protein synthesis, during the post-workout period, researchers report in a new study. Specifically, the post-workout muscle-building response in those eating whole eggs is 40 percent greater than in those consuming an equivalent amount of protein from egg whites, the team found.

  • New students set enrollment records at Illinois

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's incoming class of 8,325 includes the largest number of in-state residents in nearly two decades.

  • Illinois Natural History Survey conservation biologist Mark Davis and his colleagues found declines in genetic diversity in the remaining populations of greater prairie chickens in Illinois.

    Greater prairie chickens cannot persist in Illinois without help, researchers report

    An iconic bird whose booming mating calls once reverberated across “the Prairie State” can survive in Illinois, but only with the help of periodic human interventions, researchers report.

  • Chancellor's Scholars named to Campus Honors Program

    The Campus Honors Program announces the names of 159 freshmen and sophomores at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who have been designated Chancellor’s Scholars.

     

  • U. of I. kinesiology and community health professor Neha Gothe explores the relationship between physical activity and cognitive aging.

    Experts review evidence yoga is good for the brain

    Scientists have known for decades that aerobic exercise strengthens the brain and contributes to the growth of new neurons, but few studies have examined how yoga affects the brain. A review of the science finds evidence that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise.

  • Illinois researchers found that the shape of a tumor may play a role in how cancer cells become primed to spread. From left: materials science and engineering professor Kristopher Kilian, graduate student Junmin Lee and veterinary medicine professor Timothy Fan.

    Shape of tumor may affect whether cells can metastasize

    Only a few cells in a cancerous tumor are able to break away and spread to other parts of the body, but the curve along the edge of the tumor may play a large role in activating these tumor-seeding cells, according to a new University of Illinois study.

  • Graduating students posing at Alma Mater statue

    Illini Success report shows Illinois graduates' success in job placement, starting salaries

    The eighth annual Illini Success report shows that recent University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduates experienced exceptional success in finding jobs, enrolling in graduate school or beginning volunteer programs. The report found that 95% of graduates secured a “first destination” within six months of graduation.

  • Charles Hillman and Darla Castelli, professors of kinesiology and community health, have found that physical activity may increase students' cognitive control - or ability to pay attention - and also result in better performance on academic achievement tests.

    Physical activity may strengthen children's ability to pay attention

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - As school districts across the nation revamped curricula to meet requirements of the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act, opportunities for children to be physically active during the school day diminished significantly.

  • Top and bottom views of a microfluidic cartridge

    Study: Portable, point-of-care COVID-19 test could bypass the lab

    In a new study, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign researchers have demonstrated a prototype of a rapid COVID-19 molecular test and a simple-to-use, portable instrument for reading the results with a smartphone in 30 minutes, which could enable point-of-care diagnosis without needing to send samples to a lab.

  • 2020 and 2021 graduates will have the option of an in-person individual, private stage-crossing experience May 10-17.

    University to hold stage-crossing experience for 2020, 2021 graduates

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is planning an in-person individual, private stage-crossing experience for 2020 and 2021 graduates May 10–17. Graduates may register for a time slot to cross a stage at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts while their name is announced. COVID-19 safety protocols will apply.

  • Observers look on during a Nevada nuclear test, one of many filmed by a secret Hollywood studio, its story chronicled by two Illinois professors.

    New book tells story of secret Hollywood studio that shaped the nuclear age

    Two Illinois professors tell the story of a secret Hollywood studio at the heart of the Cold War and the early nuclear age.

  • Andrew Miller and his colleagues created the first comprehensive checklist of North American fungi.

    North American checklist identifies the fungus among us

    Some fungi are smelly and coated in mucus. Others have gills that glow in the dark. Some are delicious; others, poisonous. Some spur euphoria when ingested. Some produce antibiotics.

    All of these fungi - and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, more - occur in North America. Of those that are known to science, 44,488 appear in a new checklist of North American fungi, published this month in the journal Mycologia.

  • Two campus sites will open this week to administer innovative saliva-based tests, a process developed by an Illinois team. Additional sites will follow. Unlike conventional nasal testing, saliva samples are collected noninvasively, without requiring skilled health care workers.

    Media advisory: On-campus COVID-19 testing available for faculty members, staff, students

    News media interested in learning more about the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s COVID-19 testing are invited to a one-time media availability Tuesday, July 7 at 10 a.m. near the Alice Campbell Alumni Center 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

  • Photo of Michael LeRoy, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor of labor and employment relations

    What protections do no-show workers have during a pandemic?

    The U.S. government can take measures to ensure that essential workers such as health care workers report to their jobs, but forced labor isn’t allowed under the Constitution, says U. of I. labor expert Michael LeRoy.

  • The small sensor connects to an embeddable wireless transmitter that lies on top of the skull.

    Tiny electronic implants monitor brain injury, then melt away

    A new class of small, thin electronic sensors can monitor temperature and pressure within the skull – crucial health parameters after a brain injury or surgery – then melt away when they are no longer needed, eliminating the need for additional surgery to remove the monitors and reducing the risk of infection and hemorrhage.

  • Photo of the researchers on this year's list.

    Nine Illinois scientists rank among world's most influential

    Nine U. of I. researchers have been named to the 2022 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade. This year’s list includes 6,938 individuals from around the world whose papers rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science.

  • Richard Powers wins Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for 'The Overstory'

    Author Richard Powers, a professor emeritus of English at the University of Illinois, has won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for his novel “The Overstory.”

  • Photo of Maria A. Rodas

    What explains the continuing appeal of Super Bowl advertisements?

    The Super Bowl remains one of the few programs where people aren’t skipping the ads, says a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign business professor and consumer marketing expert.

  • There is a "highly significant relationship" between law students' math skills and the substance of their legal analysis, according to research from Arden Rowell, a professor of law and the Richard W. and Marie L. Corman Scholar at Illinois.

    Research: Poor math skills affect legal decision-making

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The stereotype of lawyers being bad with numbers may persist, but new research by two University of Illinois legal scholars suggests that law students are surprisingly good at math, although those with low levels of numeracy analyze some legal questions differently.

  • Timothy Tana dn Nicholas Wu stand in a laboratory.

    Antibodies from original strain COVID-19 infection don't bind to variants, study finds

    People infected with the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 early in the pandemic produced a consistent antibody response, making two main groups of antibodies to bind to the spike protein on the virus’s outer surface. However, those antibodies don’t bind well to newer variants, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found.

  • Nancy Latham standing outdoors in front of a small tree wearing a jacket and scarf

    What's behind the teacher shortage in US schools?

    The teacher shortages plaguing primary and secondary schools in the U.S. could be game-changers for people entering the field, according to Nancy Latham, an associate dean in the College of Education.

  • Students celebrating at Commencement

    Illini Success report shows Illinois graduates succeeding in job placement, starting salaries

    The annual Illini Success report shows 93% of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s recent graduates found jobs, enrolled in graduate school or began a volunteer program. The average salary for a full-time-employed recent graduate was $63,515, up from last year’s $60,885.