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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

News Archive

Illinois scientists to revamp corn breeding with focus on climate resilience

Lauren Quinn

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture is inve

From left: Chris Mujjabi and Martin Bohn

Research

Report: Conscientiousness, not willpower, is a reliable predictor of success

Diana Yates

According to two psychologists, the field of psychological science has a problem with the concept of self-control.

U. of I. psychology professor Brent Roberts, pictured, and his co-author, University of Toronto psychology professor Michael Inzlicht, argue that psychological science sometimes overemphasizes the role of willpower in human success and well-being. The personality trait “conscientiousness” is a better predictor of success, they write in a new review. Photo by Fred Zwicky

Research

Breaking open the AI black box, team finds key chemistry for solar energy and beyond

Liz Ahlberg Touchstone

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool for researchers, but with a significant limitation: The inability to exp

Illinois researchers have opened up the AI "black box" to gain valuable new insight about chemistry for solar energy applications. Pictured, from left: Professor Charles Schroeder, graduate students Changhyun Hwang and Seungjoo Yi, professor Ying Diao, professor Nick Jackson and graduate student Tiara Torres Flores.

Research

NSF funds new iBioFoundry at Illinois

Diana Yates

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…

Chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Huimin Zhao will lead a National Science Foundation iBioFoundry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Research

Illinois scientists to test modernized genetic model for optimized crop breeding

Megan Allen

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research that aims to connect the dots between quantitative and molecular genetics

From left: Alex Lipka and Geoffrey Morris

Research

New antibiotic kills pathogenic bacteria, spares healthy gut microbes

Diana Yates

Researchers have developed a new antibiotic that reduced or eliminated drug-resistant bacterial infections in mouse models of acute pneumonia and sepsis while…

The study team included, back row, from left, graduate student Rebecca Ultrich; chemistry professor Paul Hergenrother; Chris Fields, of the Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, research scientist Po-Chao Wen, graduate student Matt Sinclair; and, front row, from left, senior scientist Hyang Yeon Lee; Jessica Holmes, of the Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center; and biochemistry professor Emad Tajkhorshid. (Study lead author Kristen Muñoz not pictured)

Research

Full STEAM ahead for science! Another year of STEAM TRAIN comes to completion

Shelby Lawson

What do marine ecosystems, worm regeneration, and a soccer-themed video game have in common?

Full STEAM ahead for science! Another year of STEAM TRAIN comes to completion

Research, Outreach

Gabriel Graham selected for the 2024 Tracy Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Ananya Sen

The Mark Tracy Undergraduate Translational Research Fellowship provides undergraduate students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign the opportunity to participate…

Gabriel Graham studies sex change in anemonefish.

Research, Profile

Why do Dyeing poison frogs tap dance?

Ananya Sen

The toe tapping behavior of various amphibians has long attracted attention from researchers and pet owners.

The role of toe tapping behavior in poison frogs is poorly understood.

Research

Researchers find unique adaptations of fungus associated with bee bread

Ananya Sen

The past attempts of honey bee researchers to inventory the fungal diversity in honey bee colonies revealed that Aspergillus flavus is frequently found in hives.

Aspergillus flavus is uniquely adapted to survive in bee colonies.

Research

By listening, scientists learn how a protein folds

Diana Yates

By converting their data into sounds, scientists discovered how hydrogen bonds contribute to the lightning-fast gyrations that transform a string of amino acids into a…

Composer and software developer Carla Scaletti and chemistry professor Martin Gruebele used sound to investigate hydrogen-bond dynamics during the protein-folding process. Photo by Fred Zwicky

Research

DOD Funding Awarded to Pursue Kidney Cancer Immunotherapy

Jonathan King

Hua Wang (RBTE) and

Left to right: Hua Wang and Rohit Bhargava

Research