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News Archive

Heng Ji and Brendan Harley to feature on Story Collider Podcast “Unlikely Paths”

IGB Comms

Science storytelling organization The Story Collider develops “true, personal stories about science” as part of their mission to reveal the vibrant role that science plays in…

Cluster hires facilitate long-term institutional success

Ananya Sen

In light of long-standing inequities in STEM representation, many universities are now recognizing the value of diversity in higher education. Achieving such diversity involves…

Nine Illinois scientists rank among world's most influential, four from IGB


Nine researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2022 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list, with four from the IGB. The list…

15 Years of IGB: Collaborative initiatives at the forefront of science

Shelby Lawson

One of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology’s main goals is fostering partnerships between departments across campus to encourage more trans-disciplinary research.…

Developing alginate hydrogels that can support cell growth

Ananya Sen

Encapsulating cells—both prokaryotic and eukaryotic—allows researchers to carry out experiments in hydrated environments over prolonged periods of time. However, cell growth…

New Minflux microscope improves molecule tracking in live cells

Ananya Sen

Over the past century, our understanding of cells—the basic building blocks of living organisms—has progressed largely due to microscopes. The invention of fluorescence…

Students host Owl Night outreach event for second year, and it’s a real hoot!

Shelby Lawson

Students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign once again hosted “Owl Night,” a public outreach event where people of all ages can learn about owl behavior and ecology…

Honey bees prosper with quality, not quantity, of food in novel laboratory setup

Shelby Lawson

Honey bee workers collect pollen and nectar from a variety of flowering plants to use as a food source. Honey bees typically forage from up to 1-2 miles away from the hive,…

CABBI Team Adds Powerful New Dimension to Phenotyping Next-Gen Bioenergy Crop

Julie Wurth

Miscanthus is one of the most promising perennial crops for bioenergy production since it is able to produce high yields with a small environmental footprint. This versatile…

AI, molecule machine join forces to generalize automated chemistry

Liz Ahlberg Touchstone

Artificial intelligence, “building-block” chemistry and a molecule-making machine teamed up to find the best general reaction conditions for synthesizing chemicals important to…

Fostering dialogue between scientists and faith communities

Ananya Sen

There are several daunting challenges that our society has to collectively face in the coming decades, including climate change, food insecurity, and the spread of infectious…

IGB Gene Drive aims to broaden science accessibility

Ananya Sen

Advances in genomic studies have now permeated all aspects of our lives from agriculture to health and wellness. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to help the…