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Scientists tackle farm nutrient pollution with sustainable, affordable designer biochar pellets

What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money?

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The race to save the little brown bat: How genomic research could rescue a species on the brink of extinction

Jordyn Chace is a huge fan of classic murder mysteries. As a geneticist and wildlife biologist, she considers herself an investigator.

But instead of solving human crimes, she uncovers clues that may help contribute to the recovery of a once-common North American mammal: the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus, a species now on the brink of extinction.

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New Illinois study explores adoption of robotic weeding to fight superweeds

Most corn and soybean fields in the U.S. are planted with herbicide-resistant crop varieties. However, the evolution of superweeds that have developed resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing current weed management strategies. Agricultural robotics for mechanical weeding is an emerging technology that could potentially provide a solution.

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Illinois researchers receive two NIH grants to study infant development with innovative methods

Infant sleep patterns and emotional regulation are important for healthy development, but it is challenging to get real-time insights into infant behavior.

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Will tropical biodiversity run dry under climate change? Two visions for the future

Changing precipitation patterns in the Neotropics, one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions, could threaten two-thirds of the area’s bird species by the year 2100 if climate change goes unchecked, according to new research led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and

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Study combines woodchips and biochar to clean water of pharmaceuticals, nutrients

What happens to ibuprofen after it eases your throbbing headache? Like many pharmaceuticals, it can remain in an active form when our bodies flush it out. That’s a problem, because although wastewater treatment plants are good at reducing nutrient pollutants in water, they aren’t designed to remove pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

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Raising happy eaters: Unlocking the secrets of childhood appetite

The foundation for healthy eating behavior starts in infancy. Young children learn to regulate their appetite through a combination of biological, psychological, and sociological factors.

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Honey bees in demand: New contract strategies to support pollination services

As the world’s native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in great demand, and truckloads of bee colonies travel the country to accommodate crop growers.

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How swamps on the silver screen reflect how we feel about wetlands

Maybe you’ve seen the meme. Classic film characters up to their necks in muck, with text reading, “As a kid, I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem in my life.” Quicksand was an uncannily common plot point in the 70s and 80s, but murky wetland depictions in film haven’t gone away. 

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