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IGB and SciLine host Genomics for Journalists


Imagined as a sort of science “boot camp” for reporters, Genomics for Journalists is a multi-day workshop designed to arm journalists—including those without deep backgrounds…

Fatty acids rewire cells to promote obesity-related breast cancer

Sharita Forrest

Scientists at the University of Illinois have found that free fatty acids in the blood appear to boost proliferation and growth of breast cancer cells. The finding could help…

Donovan named to 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Stephanie Henry

Sharon Donovan (MME), a professor of nutrition and the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health at the University of Illinois, has been appointed to the USDA’s…

When temp drops, Siberian Miscanthus plants surpass main bioenergy variety

Claire Benjamin

Photosynthesis drives yields, but in cold conditions, this process that turns sunlight into biomass takes a hit. Miscanthus is a popular, sustainable, perennial feedstock for…

Illinois researchers are first to count growth factors in single cells

Laura Schmitt

Whether healthy or diseased, human cells exhibit behaviors and processes that are largely dictated by growth factor molecules, which bind to receptors on the cells. For example…

Launch of new Center for Genomics in Business and Society at IGB

Emily Scott

The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) is excited to announce the launch of the Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz Center for Genomics in Business and Society, which…

How to feed the world by 2050?

Claire Benjamin

One of the most significant challenges of the 21st Century is how to sustainably feed a growing and more affluent global population with less water and fertilizers on shrinking…

NYT Columnist and Author Carl Zimmer to Speak on New Book


New York Times columnist and renowned author Carl Zimmer will be giving a lecture on his newest book, titled She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential…

Illinois teams with Anheuser-Busch for bee research

Dave Evensen

There’s plenty of sweet irony in a new partnership between Illinois and St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, LLC, that will raise money for bee research at the university.

Ainsworth to receive 2019 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences


Elizabeth Ainsworth, USDA Agricultural Research Service, also an adjunct professor at Illinois and a member of the IGB Genomic Ecology of Global Change research theme, will…

Study of archaeal cells could teach us more about ourselves

Emily Scott

Forty-two years after Carl Woese defined archaea as the third domain of life, scientists at the IGB are still learning about these ancient organisms in ways that could help us…

Rising temperatures may safeguard crop nutrition as climate changes

Claire Benjamin

Recent research has shown that rising carbon dioxide levels will likely boost yields, but at the cost of nutrition. A new study in Plant Journal from the University of Illinois…