News Archive
Researchers discover a starring role for chaperone protein Hfq in gene regulation
Claudia Lutz
A cell’s efforts to respond and adapt to its external environment rely on an elaborate yet coordinated set of molecular partnerships within. The more we learn about this…
Long-term estrogen therapy changes microbial activity in the gut, study finds
Sharita Forrest
Long-term therapy with estrogen and bazedoxifene alters the microbial composition and activity in the gut, affecting how estrogen is metabolized, a new study in mice found.…
New Woese Undergraduate Research Scholar Lauren Todorov
Emily Scott
Lauren Todorov likes to think that life is a web — if you look hard enough, you’ll find that everything is connected.
She’s applying this mindset to the research she is…
Larger sample sizes needed to increase reproducibility in neuroscience studies
Diana Yates
Small sample sizes in studies using functional MRI to investigate brain connectivity and function are common in neuroscience, despite years of warnings that such studies likely…
Neighborhood, breast cancer rates in African-American women linked
Sharita Forrest
Neighborhood characteristics such as racial composition and poverty rates are associated with increased risks of late-stage breast cancer diagnoses and higher mortality rates…
Saif first Koiter Medal winner from Illinois
Mechanical Science and Engineering
MechSE professor Taher Saif (M-CELS) has been named the 2018 recipient of the Warner T. Koiter Medal from ASME. He is the first winner of this award from…
Two Ancient populations diverged in the Americas later ‘reconverged’
Diana Yates
A new genetic study of ancient individuals in the Americas and their contemporary descendants finds that two populations that diverged from one another 18,000 to 15,000 years…
Scientists boost crop production by 47% by speeding up photorespiration
Claire Benjamin
Plants such as soybeans and wheat waste between 20 and 50 percent of their energy recycling toxic chemicals created when the enzyme Rubisco—the most prevalent enzyme in the…
New technique can track drug and gene delivery to cells
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
With targeted drug and gene therapies, finding the target cells is only half the battle. Once these agents reach a cell’s surface, they still have to get inside and do their…
Cassava breeding hasn’t improved photosynthesis or yield potential
Claire Benjamin
Cassava is a staple in the diet of more than one billion people across 105 countries, yet this “orphaned crop” has received little attention compared to popular crops like corn…
CRISPR tech ‘knocks out’ yeast genes with single-point precision
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
The CRISPR-Cas9 system has given researchers the power to precisely edit selected genes. Now, researchers have used it to develop a technology that can target any gene in the…
Walnuts impact gut microbiome and improve health
Stephanie Henry
Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer. According to a new study from the University of Illinois…